Tallcall's journal [Forum Archive]

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Tallcall's journal

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Posted by: Burner02

my hat's off to ya...I need toget onto that track of dropping two lbs per week...
now...if I cna capitolize on pimping out Fufu...I'd be golden!

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burner02

my hat's off to ya...I need toget onto that track of dropping two lbs per week...
now...if I cna capitolize on pimping out Fufu...I'd be golden!

Watch it man, I heard his premium is pretty high.

Posted by: tallcall

Friday:

Abs and Shoulders:

Superset:
Ab Rollouts/Planks/Leg Raises: RI - 15 seconds

BWx15/BWx:60/BWx10
BWx15/BWx:90/BWx10
BWx15/BWx:90 PR

/BWx10

DB Military Press: RI - 30 seconds

20'sx10
30'sx10
35'sx9 PR (Reps)

Superset:
DB Front Raise/DB Side Raise: RI - 60 seconds

15'sx15/15'sx12
15'sx15/15'sx12
20'sx10/20'sx10 PR (Reps)

Neutral Grip Machine Shrugs: RI - 120 seconds

410x8 PR (Reps)

410x7
450x4
450x4 - remember, this is the machine's maximum until I get creative and duct tape some plates and dumbbells on the ends (also known as the Fufu method)

Superset:
Cable Rear Delt Row/Cable Trap Row: RI - 60 seconds

120x8/180x8
135x8/150x8
150x8/195x6
150x8 PR (Reps and Weight)

/240x0 failed

Superset:
Face Pulls/Upright Rows: RI - 60 seconds

130x10/70x10
150x10/80x10
160x10/90x10
170x10/100x10 PR (Reps)

Cardio - 60 minutes SS

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9).

30 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 110, max hr - 163, functional hr range was 140-150, levels 1-5).

25 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 106, max hr - 175, functional hr range was 135-145, min incline - 0.0, max incline - 12.0, min speed - 3.0, max speed - 5.5 held for 30 seconds at 0 incline PR).

Today was great, my arm felt so much better. I've been going for increased rep ranges because I've sort of stalled a bit on weight progression, especially on all the presses - getting better at the lower weights will improve my performance on higher weights anyways.

How about that record on the treadmill! That was a spur of the moment thing, I just decided to try for it while I was on the thing and I got it, might have been able to pull off 6.0, but heart rate was at 175 bpm, and I didn't want to go much higher.

Posted by: tallcall

Saturday:

Abs and Arms - OK everyday is going to start with ab work.

Reverse Crunch on a Decline bench: RI - 20

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Superset:
Planks/Supermans: RI - 60

BWx90 seconds (wide stance)/BWx10
BWx45 seconds (narrow stance and tucked elbows close to chest)/BWx10
BWx45 seconds (same as above) PR (for difficulty)

/BWx10

Machine Dips: RI - 120

250x5 PR (Reps and Weight)

260xFailed

Superset:
Skull Crushers/21's: RI - 60

60x8/60x21
60x8/60x21
60x8/60x21

Superset:
Cable Pressdown Forward/Reverse/Cable Curls: RI - 60

110x10/110x10/140x10
120x10/120x10/140x10
130x8/130x1(4)(3)/150x8
130x8/130x5(3)/160x8 PR (for weight)

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9).

20 minutes on a stairmaster HIIT [Min hr - 86, max hr - 158, functional hr range was 150-155 on the intervals and 135-140 on the rests, 6 bouts at ~60/~120 (ran smoother today, so I was able to squeeze in one more interval and two intervals were 60/60!) PR

].

7 minutes on a treadmill [min hr - 106, max hr - 175, min speed - 3.0, max speed - 5.8 held for 15 seconds (pr for speed)

, incline was set to 0.0].

Pretty good today, my right arm was bothering me a little, but nothing that would've stopped me. Kept the weight a little lighter for that reason though. I decided to just jump in and try the machine dips at 250 which is where I wanted to be today, it worked well - I'm 50 pounds away from my goal there!

I ran into my trainer today, well he ran into me when I was doing some planks, he told me to bring my legs together and drop my chest down to right above my elbows to add difficulty. I'm glad I did, because I felt that much more than the way I had been doing it (:45 seconds is great for just trying it so I count it as a PR for difficulty involved)!

The cardio was fine today as well, I finally got more than 5 intervals on that damn stairmaster! I also decided to run a little max speed test on myself today to see where I stand, so I jumped on the treadmill and cranked it up to 5.8 mph and held it there for 15 seconds (doesn't say much, but it is my new maximum and it is better than any other time before).

Posted by: tallcall

Another Weigh in

Weight - 296 (down 6.5 pounds from last week) - I have no idea how that happened.

Estimated BF % - 11% (much closer to the truth and up 1% from last week).

Stomach and waist - 37.5 inches (down 0.5 inches from last week).

Chest - Same as last week (48 inches).

Shoulder - 58 inches (+1 inch over last week).

Neck - 19 inches (down 1.5 inches from last week).

Bi's - Same as last week (17.5 inches).

Calves - Same as last week (19 inches).

Estimated Lean Body Mass - 263.46 pounds (down 9.91 pounds from last week).

Estimated Body Fat Weight - 32.56 (up 3.43 pounds over last week).

I have no idea how this happened, probably a result of cutting weight. I don't trust the computer's estimations that much either. It is nice to be down a half an inch around the waist and stomach though.

Posted by: katt

Wow - all those supersets on the last workout! Those looked pretty brutal.

Posted by: tallcall

Tuesday:

Legs: RI = ~60 seconds (I think)

Superset:
Lying Leg Curl/Hip Adduction:

75x15/75x25
90x15/90x25
110x15/110x20
140x11/140x20

Conventional Deadlift:

135x10
225x8
285x5 PR (Weight - SO CLOSE TO 300 I CAN TASTE IT)

High Steps (I don't really know the name, basically standing on a raised platform and stepping down only to lift back up before your foot hits the ground, if that helps):

Each foot:
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Squat Press:

360x12
410x10
420x8 PR (Weight)

Seated Leg Curls - Single leg Only:

50x12
70x10
80x8 PR (weight)

Calf Presses:

360x12
410x10
460x10 PR (Weight and Reps)

Cardio - 30 Min SS

6 min warmup on stairmaster before leg workout (min hr - 70, max hr - 148, level 5).

24 Min on stairmaster after leg workout (min hr - 100, max hr - 160, functional hr range was 145-155 bpm, levels 3-5).

I love those deadlifts, I am so close to body weight on those I can taste it. My trainer really liked my form on them, so he says he wants me to progress 10 pounds next week to 290-295 and possibly 305-315. I've never felt so powerful before, the thought of tearing hundreds of pounds off the floor and holding it in my hands is exhilarating!

Everything else was great today as well, I am impressed with the weight and the reps I was able to throw around today. The cardio was fine, it's still not fair that my body wants to keep going, but my legs don't want anything to do with it, I guess that's the reason normal people generally do not do sprints on leg day (*Fufu*), I love them every other day, heck I'll probably do some Thursday as part of my interval training.

Posted by: katt

Way to PR it up there man!

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by katt

Way to PR it up there man!

Oh yeah, I'm still trying to figure out if my weight is correct. I'll probably weigh in tomorrow morning and see if things changed much, then take an average of the two weights for this week (296 is a 6 pound loss in one week, I don't think I lost that much in a week).

Posted by: fufu

good stuff, I can remember DLing 300, great feeling. 400, even better!

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by fufu

good stuff, I can remember DLing 300, great feeling. 400, even better!

Stop teasing me, I'm salivating for those numbers!

Posted by: tallcall

besides, didn't you forget to add a 0 to each of those (3000, and 4000)?

Posted by: fufu

hehehe

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by fufu

hehehe

lol I said "Salivating."

Posted by: AndrewSS

bitch ass

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewSS

bitch ass

You're just jealous!

Posted by: tallcall

I weighed myself again this morning and came in at 299 pounds, I'm going with that number for this week, it is a 3.5 pound difference from last week. I gained a half pound of muscle last week and lost about an inch on my stomach, this week I lost a half inch around my stomach and lost 3.5 pounds on the scale.

God I'm fat.

Posted by: Malley

You will probably hit 30 next week on that dead!

Posted by: tallcall

I think so too, but I know my trainer likes to be a little conservative at times.

Posted by: DOMS

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

I weighed myself again this morning and came in at 299 pounds, I'm going with that number for this week, it is a 3.5 pound difference from last week. I gained a half pound of muscle last week and lost about an inch on my stomach, this week I lost a half inch around my stomach and lost 3.5 pounds on the scale.

God I'm fat.

It's not so much where you are, it's where you're going.

You'll be dead sexy soon enough!

Posted by: goob

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

That's some good shit. You've gained muscle and cut the waist size. A win win in my book.

Posted by: tallcall

Thanks guys. I guess I am doing well.

I love how my body likes to add a half pound of muscle weight one week while cutting an inch, then drop 3.5 pounds the next week and cut .5 inches.

My body just likes adding a little, then cutting a lot, so I end up averaging 4 pounds every 2 weeks, just not evenly distributed.

Posted by: tallcall

Thursday:

Chest/Back: RI - ~120

Started off with my usual Rotator Cuff warmup and stretch, we did there periodically throughout because I had a little pain in my right shoulder (slept on it wrong, oops, though I did ice it most of the morning to make most of it go away).

We didn't do much for back exercises, we really didn't do any today, but I'll get them in on Saturday.

Superset:
Flat Bench BB Press/Flat Bench DB Press:

75x15/15x15
85x12/15x15
95x12/20x8
115x10/20x8 PR (Reps)

Dropset BB Flat Bench: 65X6 Slow Negatives PR (Weight on those Negatives)

Machine Fly Single Arm (modified, elbow slightly below shoulder with forearm pointing straight down, motion across front of body - sort of like doing rear delt warmups and crossing arms in front, then hold for a second to stretch):

Each arm independently:
20x12
40x12
40x12

DB Serrates Pullovers and Pulses:

30x12
40x12
40x12 - with pulses on each rep PR (weight and Reps)

Cardio - 62 minutes SS

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9).

40 minutes on an elliptical trainer (min hr - 100, max hr - 165, functional hr range - 145-160 bpm, levels 1-6, ran about 3.5 miles).

17 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 115, max hr - 150, functional hr range - 130-140, incline - 0.0-10.0, speed - 1.4-3.5, most of the time on incline of 3.0, speed of 3.5, ran about .75 miles).

Great day, I had a lot of fun with my trainer today, he really kicked my butt. I told him about the mild shoulder pain right at the start. That is why he had me stretching constantly throughout, I have to admit that it actually feels much better now. I think I've had my best day on the bench in a long time, I really cranked out those reps at 115 with no assistance on the first 8 reps, just a little on 9 and 10 (much better than last weeks workout). The only thing is that we didn't have time for any back work, my back is a little tight from Tuesday's Deadlifts, but there is no pain. Oh well, I'll just have to do some on Shoulder day (I love those rows, probably just add in some hypers and ab work). We forgot to do any abs today (well, I forgot to do them, there's always tomorrow).

Cardio was fine, I really wanted to use a stairmaster, but the 5 that were working were also being used (there are 6 machines total). Still, 40 min on the elliptical was awesome.

Posted by: Malley

Nice workout.....you have to be feeling stronger everyday!

Posted by: ReproMan

Holy crap, that's a pretty tough looking workout! NIce!

Posted by: tallcall

Yeah, getting stronger each week, aside from a little pain, everything was wonderful.

But this was no DD or Repro workout, I could still move and breathe at the end.

Posted by: tallcall

Friday:

Abs and Cardio:

Dips: RI = 60 seconds
BW-112x8
BW-34x5 PR (Reps and Weight - First time doing normal Dips in a while)

BW-58x4

Superset:
Ab Roll/Plank/Superman: RI = 30 seconds

BWx15/BWx:60/BWx10
BWx15/BWx:60/BWx10
BWx15/BWx:60/BWx10

Reverse Crunches: RI - 45 seconds
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10 - All single leg reverse crunches

Cardio: 57 minutes HIIT

5 min warmup on stairmaster (starting hr - 74, min hr - 130, max hr - 137, level 5).

20 minutes on the stairmaster HIIT (starting hr - 87, min hr - 140, max hr - 165, interval hr range - 155-160 bpm, resting hr range - 140-145 bpm, 6 intervals @ 60/120, levels 3-11 - most of the time on 5 and 11).

20 minutes on an elliptical trainer SS (starting hr - 125, min hr - 140, max hr - 160, functional hr range - 140-150 bpm, level 6).

12 minutes on a treadmill SS [starting hr - 111, min hr - 140, max hr - 170, functional hr range - 140-150 bpm, incline 0.0-6.0, speed - 2.5-6.0, held 6.0 mph for 30 seconds PR (New Speed Record)

].

Yay, I finally did some real dips, albeit assisted (up to 112 pounds of assistance

), but it was awesome, the last time I did these about 2 months ago I could barely get 2 rep without going to failure (and that was with 112 pounds assistance). I think I'm going to be doing a lot more of them from now on to get myself up to bodyweight (~300 pounds)!

The cardio was great, I love doing these speed tests on myself every so often and 6 mph is great for me.

Posted by: goob

Nice going TC.
Have you tried doing a fast/ slow (HIIT style) treadmill workout?

1min @ 3mph, 1min @ 8mph (for example - fill in speeds as manageable.) x 8

Incline @ 1%.

Kicks ass.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

Nice going TC.
Have you tried doing a fast/ slow (HIIT style) treadmill workout?

1min @ 3mph, 1min @ 8mph (for example - fill in speeds as manageable.) x 8

Incline @ 1%.

Kicks ass.

I've def thought about that, but my trainer wants to see me tearing up the stairmaster. Even though I hate that machine right now, I will oblige.

Posted by: tallcall

Saturday:

Shoulders:

Abs: RI - 30
Crunch/Plank/Leg Raises/Superman:

BWx10/BW:60/BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BW:60/BWx10/BWx10
BWx10/BW:60/BWx10/BWx10

Shoulders:
Superset:
DB Military Press/DB Rear Delt Row: RI - 90

30'sx10/30'sx8
30'sx10/30'sx8
35'sx9 PR (Reps)/35'sx8 PR (Weight and Reps)

Shrugs: RI - 120

410x8
430x6
450x6 PR (Reps)

Cable Delt Rows: - 60

120x10
135x10
150x9
165x8 PR

Seated Row: RI - 60

165x8
180x8
210x8
240x5 PR

Lat Pulldown: RI - 60

135x8
150x8
165x6 PR

Cardio - 35 HIIT

5 min row (min hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9)

20 min on a stairmaster (starting hr - 88, min hr - 130, max hr - 165, level 3-11, interval hr range - 155-160, rest hr range - 145-150, 5 intervals @ 60/120).

10 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 124, min hr - 130, max hr - 150, functional hr range - 140-150, level 6).

Everything was fine today, I did better than I expected on almost everything, kept nearly perfect form and everything.

Cardio was also great, I realized that I had to cut it a little short because I already had 2.5 hours and can only really go for 3.5 hours a week and be able to get through all of it otherwise this would have been a 60 min session.

Posted by: tallcall

Sunday:

Abs and Arms:

Abs (Stability): RI - 30

Bird-Dogs/Cat-Camels/Planks

BWx15 (each side)/BWx8/BWx:60
BWx15 (each side)/BWx8/BWx:60
BWx15 (each side)/BWx8/BWx:60

U-Bar Dips: RI - 120

BW-40x5
BW-34x5
BW-70x8

Arms:

Superset:
DB Over Head Extensions/Hammer Curls: RI - 60

55x10/35'sx10
60x8/40'sx8 PR (Weight and Reps)

65x8 PR (weight and Reps)

/40x7

Superset:
Single Arm Skull Crusher/DB Curls: RI - 60

20x8/25'sx8
20x8/30'sx8
25x6/35'sx8 PRs (Reps and Weight)

Cardio: 35 SS

5 minutes on a rowing machine (starting hr - 100, max hr - 155, level 9).

15 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 112, min hr - 130, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 145-155, level 6).

15 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 109, min hr - 120, max hr - 165, functional hr range - 140-150, Incline 1.0-7.0, speed - 3.0-4.5, I ran at 4.5 mph and 1.0 incline for 2 minutes @ 165 bpm PR (Endurance)).

I decided to change some things up a little and bring back a workout I haven't done for about a month to see how much I've improved. OH extensions were increased by 5 pounds and I still got 8 reps, same for the Hammer curls, Single Arm Skull Crushers, and DB Curls, so everything improved by at least 5 pounds and I had very little trouble hitting 8 reps on all of them (yay for me).

I am having fun with those assisted dips, and I'm still making progress in reducing the assistance. I'm sure that I'll do some tomorrow with my trainer (I'm not sure how bad my form looks since I haven't done this style of dips with him in about a month - those other dips were using a machine that required the user to sit and dip the weight that was added to the machine in the form of plates).

Cardio felt fine to me, a little draining though. I was stoked to get a 2 minute run at 4.5 mph - a little spur of the moment endurance test for me (Fun Fun Fun)! I'm starting to feel a little overtrained on the cardio, but I still have to go for two more days (not recommended, but necessary due to scheduling complications later in the week). Oh well, no rest for the wicked!

Posted by: DOMS

You've got a great attitude towards your workouts!

Nice gains, too!

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOMS

You've got a great attitude towards your workouts!

Nice gains, too!

And I feel better each week (no setbacks or plateaus yet)!

Posted by: katt

Great PR's there Tall!

Posted by: goob

Tallcall = A machine. A relentless workout machine, marching inevitably towards the rising sun, the ever watchful herald of the new dawn.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

Tallcall = A machine. A relentless workout machine, marching inevitably towards the rising sun, the ever watchful herald of the new dawn.

Aww, tanks guys!

Posted by: Malley

Thats an awesome workout TC! More pr's like always!

Posted by: tallcall

DD: You know it man!

Monday:

Abs and Chest - Couldn't do it on my normal day due to scheduling conflicts, so today was the BEST choice - Mondays at 6 pm absolutely suck (I've done this before and know that is a very bad time, but I had no real choice this time)!

**We had to fight with people for everything today, so things were very patchy**

DB Incline Fly: RI - 45

15'sx12
25'sx10
30'sx7
30'sx9 PR (weight and Reps)

Assisted Dips: RI - 60

BW-60x7
BW-112x7
BW-112x9.5 PR (Reps)

(that is what my trainer said, 9.5 reps, we both got a kick out of that!)

BB Flat Bench Press (3 sec negatives and exploding up): RI - ~120, we were working in with another guy, so it may have been longer.

95x8
95x7
**These next two sets were 3 second negatives with a 3 second pause at the bottom and an explosion back up**
85x7
85x7 PR (I'm calling it a record because of all the negative work we were doing at the same time!)

Superset:
Push Ups/Bird-Dogs: RI - 60

BWx8/BWx10 (per side)
BWx8/BWx10
BWx10

Cardio - 29 minutes SS

5 minutes on a rowing machine (min hr - 100, max hr - 161, level 9).

7 minutes on a Cross Trainer (min hr - 90, max hr - 143, functional hr range - 130-140, incline - 5, resistance - 5).

17 minutes on a treadmill (min hr - 100, max hr - 150, functional hr range - 140-150, incline - 0.0-8.0, speed - 4.0).

Holy crap it gets busy in there Monday nights! I've been there at night before and really didn't want to do it again, but crap it was busy. We weren't sure if we would even be able to get any equipment, but one guy was nice enough to let us work in with him, that was very cool in my book!

So much stuff, I was very impressed with my presses, we did a lot of negatives with pauses at the bottom, damn the pain feels good!

I was told to go very easy on the cardio tonight because tomorrow is probably going to be a very heavy day for me, I'm planning to attempt a 305 or 315 deadlift. My trainer is really excited to see that I really want to do this, I'm sure it'll be hard as hell and I'm already starting to freak out a little (getting all giddy).

I was also told to carb up as much as possible tonight and tomorrow morning, and to take things easy for the next 24 hours. I'm so excited, I can't wait to see what I can do!

Posted by: katt

Nice going Tallcall! I can feel you with the Monday nights! I try to avoid them always!! The last thing I want to do after I get off work is try to fight for weights and/or machines...

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by katt

Nice going Tallcall! I can feel you with the Monday nights! I try to avoid them always!! The last thing I want to do after I get off work is try to fight for weights and/or machines...

Yeah, but it was all good. I was able to get a sort of evaluation on my Bird-dogs (since I kind of learned them on my own but was never sure if I was doing them right). I also was interested in hearing about my form on those dips since it's been a while (I wasn't too far off, just had to go a little lower).

I've still got to talk to him about the Cat-camels I've added in (again, just to check my form on a new exercise for me).

Posted by: tallcall

Weigh in:

Weight: 296.5 (for real this time, down 2.5 pounds from last week)

Stomach/Waist: 37 inches (down 0.5 inches from last week)

Chest: 49 inches (up 1 inch from last week)

Shoulder: 58 inches (same as last week)

Biceps: 17.5 inches (same as last week)

Calves: 19 inches (same as last week)

Estimated Lean Body Mass: 267.75 (up 4.29 pounds from last week)

Estimated Body Fat Weight: 28.55 (down 4.01 pounds from last week)

Estimated BF %: 9.6% (down 1.4% from last week) - This is not correct, but it is the only estimate I have, probably closer to 12 or 13% still.

The good news is that my Biceps are becoming more defined, my chest is a lot harder and I can see a separation between my triceps and delts. Stomach size has definitely been reduced as well.

Posted by: goob

Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj G J Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gjg J

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj G J Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gj Gjg J

Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty

Posted by: tallcall

Tuesday:

Legs

Seated Leg Curls: RI - 60

90x12
115x10
130x8

Wide Stance Conventional Deadlift: RI - 120

135x12
185x10
225x8
285x4
295x Miss - I got maybe 5 or 6 inches off the ground, I just had a problem with the form (I had a very difficult time coordinating the squat motion and the pulling motion simultaneously, with a week to rest I'll come back next time and probably nail 295 and maybe more)

225x10 PR - Tied with last week for reps and weight

Superset:
Hack Squat/DB Stiff Legged Deadlift: RI - 60

70x12/30'sx10
90x12/30'sx10
140x12/30'sx10
180x10 PR (Reps and Weight on a Hack Squat Machine)

/30'sx10

Hip Adduction: RI - 45

110x15
110x15
130x15

Superset:
Standing Calf Raises/Reverse Calf Raises (I think that's what they are called, heels on a platform, lower toes until almost at the ground then bring them back up and point toward the ceiling): RI - 60

120x20/BWx20
120x20/BWx20
120x20/BWx20

Reverse Hack Squat: RI - 60

*I only did this because the Hip Abduction machine was broken and I was told to try to do some Abductions, so another trainer (my time was up with my guy and he had to get something to eat, he just had a workout of his own) advised me to try angling my toes outward on the hack squat machine to get the same effect, I think it worked very well, I felt it very nicely.*

20x10
50x15
100x15

Cardio - 20 minutes SS

8 minutes on a stairmaster (starting hr - 80, min hr - 130, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 145-155, level 7).

12 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 90, min hr - 130, max hr - 158, functional hr range - 145-155, level 0).

Today was great considering I couldn't have my way with my deadlifts

! Oh well, I made a good attempt on the 295, my trainer told me some of his stories about getting to 400, that it took him about a month of trying it every week, then after about 4 or 5 weeks of trying, he finally got a couple reps at that weight, but it sucked every time until then, so I am not going to worry about this and will keep trying until I get my weight!

It was very cool that my trainer let me work with him for an extra 15 minutes, just because he wants to see me do well and get the time that I need on these leg days (I really like that guy!)! I got help from a different trainer after my session was up (I had some homework to do that wouldn't fit in our normal time), he was cool, I could tell he was just trying to pick up some girl nearby, but as soon as she shot him down I was able to seize the opportunity to have him show me how to get some Hip Abductions without the normal machine, the Reverse Hack Squat. We went light at first because he just didn't know what kind of punishment I could take, I thanked him for his help and quickly added a lot more weight (I normally do them with about 110 pounds anyways).

Posted by: goob

GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ x 4.2mil^64,000

Nice deadlifting by the way 285, is way more than I could do.

Posted by: ReproMan

Nice, looks as though you are making some pretty solid progress. That's awesome.

Posted by: katt

I've never tried reverse calf raises....

maybe something to incorporate next time..

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ GJ x 4.2mil^64,000

Nice deadlifting by the way 285, is way more than I could do.

Yeah, I was a little disappointed about missing 295, but I'm going to keep at it! I've been checking your journal, but how's everything going with you? Keeping your spirits high as always?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReproMan

Nice, looks as though you are making some pretty solid progress. That's awesome.

Yeah, a lot of people are starting to notice (feels nice too). I was just wondering how you started lifting, was it as a cut or to bulk and add strength, just because I have been wondering if it was best to cut down the fat then try adding on muscle weight through a clean bulk. Also, how much time do you normally take between a cut and a bulk for maintenance (weeks, months, period of time between successfully completing a cut and then starting a bulk)?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by katt

I've never tried reverse calf raises....

maybe something to incorporate next time..

they were interesting, I'm not entirely sure if I was rocking too much back and forth, my first time doing them and everyone knows I don't like to spend too much time on them, I figure just do leg presses and superset some calf presses. But I also know that it is sometimes good to change things up a bit.

Posted by: tallcall

Friday

Abs and Cardio:

Cardio: 50 minutes HIIT (20 minutes HIIT and 30 minutes SS)
Warm up - 5 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 100, min hr - 130, max hr - 146, level 0).

Abs: RI - 30 seconds

Superset:
Ab Rollouts/Bird-Dog/Cat-Camels/Planks:

BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BWx:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx20/BWx:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx20/BWx:60

Cardio (continued):

20 Minutes HIIT on a stair mill (Starting hr - 84, min hr - 135, interval hr range - 150-160, rest hr range - 140-150, 6 intervals @ 60/120, levels 3-11, most of the time focused on 5 and 11).

15 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 122, min hr - 135, functional hr range - 140-150, levels 0-6 @ ~84 RPM).

10 minutes on a Recumbent Bike (starting hr - 100, min hr - 130, functional hr range - 135-150, levels 10, 12, and 15, max speed - ~115 RPM).

Pretty simple today, I still can't stand that stair mill, I get very fatigued when I use it. Ab work was great, I think I got that Bird-Dog form nailed down (with the help of my trainer on Tuesday), it seemed much better today. I think I need to work on speed a little for the Cat-Camels. I feel better every time I do those planks, I hope to soon hit 90 seconds, then I may start adding a little weight. All in all it was a good day, I'm a little tired.

Another thing, I've decided to re-arnge my meantimes a little and add one meal to my Friday routine. The reason is that I get up at 3 am and go to bed at about 9 pm, and it is a cardio day so I don't want to go too heavy. I think a piece of fruit (Grapefruit and Bananas are my favorites, but I could do Apples and Pears as well - I don't get much of them in my diet, so I think I'll have an apple as meal 5).

5 am - Meal 1
7:30 - Meal 2
10 - Meal 3
12:30 pm - Meal 4
3 - Meal 5
5:30 - Meal 6
8 pm - Meal 7

Workout days:
5 am - Meal 1
7:30 - Meal 2
10 - Meal 3
12:30 pm - Meal 4
3 - Pre-workout meal (meal 5, usually a Grapefruit, I don't know why, but it really helps me)
~5:30 or 6 pm - Post workout meal (meal 6, Muscle Milk with yogurt and oats added - really nice combination for me)
~7 pm - Meal 7 (what I would normally call Dinner)
~9 pm - Meal 8 (might be a little earlier so I can get to bed)

I think this will work pretty well for me, just allowing me to graze on healthy foods for a few hours on Friday, remember, my cheat day is Tuesday. I'm only doing this to have the energy to stay awake until 9 pm, most days are fine, Fridays just kill me (meal 4 @ 12 pm, then meal 5 @ 5 pm is 5 hours between meals, that is not acceptable anymore).

Posted by: Musclebeach

Great job! Eww to the cardio! Haha! For real, nice work bud.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musclebeach

Great job! Eww to the cardio! Haha! For real, nice work bud.

Thanks man, but I have to say that I hate stair mills. But it probably will help me improve on everything else.

I kind of wish my place had a UBE machine, I've always wanted to try those, it'd be a nice change of pace and probably a good alternate warm up activity for my upper body days.

MB, Have you had any good or bad experiences on stair mills and UBE machines in the past?

Posted by: ReproMan

I noticed that my short RI's and high reps while weight training are helping my stairmill performance but not vice versa if that helps at all.

To answer your other question: I started lifting in high school for a class and I realized a few years after high school that it was a good way to control my weight and still eat everything I wanted too.

It wasn't until recently (maybe the last 6 months or so) that I decided to really improve my appearance and my conditioning and that all the hard work that I have been putting in for over the last 2 years should count towards something. That was of course after my stint as a pizza delivery guy that ballooned me up to over 240lbs because I could eat whatever I wanted for free (The free soda is what really killed me I think).

Time will tell how much time I'll take between bulks and cuts for this is really the first time in my life I've had a good grip on my diet. It was all "bulking" before.

Posted by: tallcall

Hey Repro, any advice you give is good to me. I think my solid state cardio is benefiting from the stairs, and I'm still waiting to see if anything else might improve (squat jumps and lunges, or maybe nothing at all).

It's nice to see that we'll be going through our first cut together (sort of), I hope yours goes well.

Posted by: tallcall

Saturday:

Shoulders and Back:

Superset:
DB Military Press/DB Rear Delt Row: RI - 120

30x10/30x10
35x8/35x10
40x5/40x8
40x5/40x8 PR (Weight)

Smith Machine Hises: RI - 60

Bar + 90x20
Bar + 180x20
Bar + 230x20 PR (weight and Reps)

DB Bent Rows: No Rest Between Sets

25x15
30x15
30x15 PR (Weight)

Cable Upright Rows (used a different machine than usual): RI - 30

60x10
65x9
70x8
75x7 PR (Weight and Reps)

Hyper-Extensions W/Plate: RI - 30

25x12
25x12
25x12

Farmer's Walk: RI - 45

40'sx114 feet, 120 feet, and 117 feet

Abs:
Reverse Crunches: RI - 30

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Superset:
Planks/Bird-Dogs/Cat-Camels: RI - 30

BWx:90/BWx15/BWx15
BWx:90/BWx15/BWx15
BWx:90 PR (Time)

/BWx15/BWx15

Cardio: 45 minutes HIIT (20 minutes HIIT, 25 minutes SS)

Row for 5 miutes at 150 bpm, level 9

Elliptical for 20 minutes HIIT. 0-3 minutes - 135-145 bpm, 3-7 minutes - 160-164 bpm, 7-10 minutes - 140 bpm, 10-12 minutes - 160 bpm, 12-20 minutes 140-150 bpm.

Treadmill for 20 minutes SS at 140 bpm. I ran at 4.5 mph for 2 minutes at 165 bpm (PR for Endurance

). Incline - 0.0-10.0, speed 3.0-4.5 mph.

Today was great! I experimented with some things (Hises and Farmers Walks). I love both of them. Those walks were very difficult on that last set, my grip (hands) were starting to give way, and I def felt it in my forearms! Those Hises were awesome (Thank you Goob for recommending them), I think I'll be focusing on them a little more in the next couple weeks. My only problem today was the Military press, I got to 40 pound dumbbells and am stuck on 5 reps per set, I think I'll pull it out for a few weeks and see if I'm just trying too hard.

HIIT cardio all the way man, got to love that elliptical machine - 165 bpm is pretty close to "red-lining" it for me (I think my max, that I'm reasonable comfortable with is 180 bpm, so I came pretty close).

Posted by: goob

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

Yeah, I was a little disappointed about missing 295, but I'm going to keep at it! I've been checking your journal, but how's everything going with you? Keeping your spirits high as always?

Hell, yeah. Spirits too high. In fact I was so intoxicated with spirits, I've got a really bad hangover.

Bene Pr's!

Posted by: tallcall

Sunday:
Arms and Abs:

Abs:
Side Bends/Planks/Supermans: RI - 30

10x30/10x:45/BWx10
10x15/10x:45/BWx10
10x15/10x:45/BWx10

PR on the planks - Threw a 10 pound weight on my back and still held them easily for 45 seconds

Arms:
Assisted Dips: RI - 120

BW-70x6
BW-40x4
BW-36x3
BW-106x10 PR for Reps

BW-88x8

Smith Machine CG Bench Press: RI - 30

Bar+40x10
Bar+50x10
Bar+70x10
Bar+80x4 PR

Hammer Curls/Pressdown/Cable Curls: RI - 60

40x6/120x10/150x8
40x3/130x10/160x6
40x8 - 5 sec Negatives/140x10/160x5 - Failure

Farmer's Walk: RI - 60

60'sx50 feet, 78 feet (PR for Weight and Distance)

, and 60 feet

Cardio - 30 Minutes SS
5 minutes on a rowing machine (starting hr - 95, max hr - 150, level 9).

15 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 95, max hr - 160, functional hr range - 140-155, level 0-6).

10 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 105, max hr - 145, functional hr range - 135-145, inclines - 0-8.0, speed - 2.5-4.0 mph).

Today was a Looooonng day, I was up at 2 am for work, and was pretty tired this afternoon. I'm using that as my excuse for the relatively poor performance today. I still found some diamonds in the rough, the CG Bench and the Farmers Walks. I haven't done those CG Bench Presses in a while, but I got a heck of a lot more weight on them this time, I think every set was a record over the last set in terms of weight and repetitions. I now love Farmer's Walks, I decided to just grab some 60's and drop them on the floor, deadlift them and walk around the gym with them (my grip was screaming at me by the end, I love the feeling in my forearms though).

Cardio was fine, I was very tired and decided to cut it shorter than the 45 minutes I wanted to go. I'll just have to settle for 3 hours and 15 minutes of cardio this week, oh well, rest is good for the body, right!

Posted by: Musclebeach

I am not familiar with UBE machines?

I have never been a cardio fan. You will probably want to punch me in the face, but in HS I ate whatever I wanted (4000+ cals) and didnt gain fat. I just lifted and stayed around 7-8%. Now that I am doing BB shows I have to do cardio and I find that things that get you moving are superior to things that keep you stationary (its a boredom thing). In other words:

trail run > treadmill

EDIT... Or in my case:

wheelchair push > stationary arm bike

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musclebeach

I am not familiar with UBE machines?

I have never been a cardio fan. You will probably want to punch me in the face, but in HS I ate whatever I wanted (4000+ cals) and didnt gain fat. I just lifted and stayed around 7-8%. Now that I am doing BB shows I have to do cardio and I find that things that get you moving are superior to things that keep you stationary (its a boredom thing). In other words:

trail run > treadmill

EDIT... Or in my case:

wheelchair push > stationary arm bike

I used to ride my bike down trails around here (most of them are paved with benches every 10 feet, not much in the nature department). It just gets so hot here (yesterday it was about 97 degrees with a lot of humidity, it felt like 106) that I have a hard time doing it for more than 4 months out of the year.

To be honest, I eat almost 3000 calories a day on a diet day and close to 3300 on a training day, and I'm still losing weight. I did the calculations and have estimated my basal metabolic rate as about 2880 calories a day, to maintain at my current weight (296.5) with moderate activity requires almost 5000 calories a day, to maintain at 280 pounds with moderate activity requires about 4000 calories a day. I'm starting to wonder if I'm not eating enough, but we'll see.

Posted by: tallcall

Oh, I think the UBE is a stationary arm bike. I just figured that it might be a good warm up on days that I do upper body work, as an occasional alternative to rowing.

Posted by: tallcall

Weigh in:

Weight - 294.5 (down 2 pounds from last week)

Stomach/Waist - 37 inches (no change from last week)

Chest - 48 inches (down 1 inch from last week, could be just fluctuating)

Shoulders - 58 inches (no change from last week)

Neck - 20 inches (up 0.5 inches from last week)

Bi's and Calves - 17.5 and 19 inches respectively (no change from last week)

Estimated Lean Body Mass - 269.33 pounds (up 1.38 pounds from last week)

Body Fat Weight - 25.17 (down 3.38 pounds from last week)

Computer estimated my bf % as 8.55%, but it can't be that low, maybe around 12 %. Once I see my upper abdominals, then I'll say 10%, and when I see the rest of them I'll say 8%.

Note:
I continue to lose 2 pounds a week (looks like most of it is still body fat, so that's good). I also continue to see better definition in my biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders. I also feel much stronger and can kind of feel the definition throughout my back. All-in-all, everything is going well.

Posted by: katt

Nice job on your numbers!! How long do you have left on this program? Till you reach 8%?

Posted by: tallcall

Thanks, I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be cutting. I'm just going to go with visual cues - once I can see them, then I think I'll be where I want to be for now.

Posted by: tallcall

Tuesday:

Legs

First off, today was Awesome, my trainer asked me if we could do this workout for an hour and if it would be alright if we both got a workout in. I, of course, agreed. It is really an honor for me to be asked to to that, help him load and unload his weight, watch him (since he was going very heavy today and may have been slightly weary of that) in case there was a problem, and be able to monitor his form on his deadlifts to try to improve mine (which really helped me this week).

Deadlift (Wide Stance): RI - I lost track of time (we did it as a sort of ladder, so whenever he finished I went, maybe 3 minutes)

135x12
185x10
225x15 PR (Reps at this weight)

265x1 (just testing to see if I had my form right for my next lift, which I did)
295x4 PR (Weight and Reps)

225 (Narrow Stance) for 3 sets of 3,3,8

Walking Lunges: RI- 90 seconds

BWx21 steps
BW+8 pound med ballx21 steps
BW+8 pound med ballx21 steps PR (Weight)

Superset:
Leg Curls/Hip Abductions: No rest between sets

95x12/90x25
100x10/115x20
110x10/125x25

Cardio: 20 minutes SS

8 minutes on a stairmaster (5 min warmup, then I went for 3 more minutes, starting hr - 100, max hr - 142, level 7).

12 minutes on a stairmaster (starting hr - 106, max hr - 145, functional range - 130-140, levels 3-5).

Holy Crap That Was Fun/Hard as Hell! I love the guy for letting me workout with him, that's quite an honor. I kept up with him on those Lunges all the way too. We crammed 2 workouts into a 55 minute period (we finished earlier than we expected to so we threw in some curls and abductions for thrills).

My legs just weren't having that cardio today though, anything more than 20 minutes on a day of deadlifts or squats is just plain madness! Madness I tell you, madness!

Posted by: AKIRA

Good deads! I didnt know you had it in ya.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKIRA

Good deads! I didnt know you had it in ya.

Hell yeah, and eventually I'm going to get 305+! I actually like to put myself through days of pain just to get my desired weight!

Posted by: ReproMan

Hell yeah, those are great deads! I think the lunges are just as impressive, they are so hard for me for some reason.

Way to go on the weight loss too! Awesome shit man.

Posted by: Musclebeach

Nice workout with your trainer and congrats on your weight loss! 275 at 8% would be fucking sick!!!

2880 basal?... You lucky bastard! Haha.

What formula are you using to calculate bf%? I have tried MANY and I find the best to the one in the ACSM handbook. Its long, but I like it. The formulas are also somewhat specific based on age/gender/race. Here is the one for you (seven site):

1.112 - 0.00043499*(sum of seven skinfolds) + 0.00000055*(sum of seven skinfolds)*(sum of seven skinfolds) - 0.00028825*(age)

That will give you your "body density" number. Then you plug it into this short formula which is specific for age/race (is it wrong to assume you are white):

(4.95/body density) - 4.50

That number will give you your body fat %

Remember the seven site measurements are:
Chest
Tricep
Subscapular
Midauxillary
Suprailiac
Abdominal
Thigh

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musclebeach

Nice workout with your trainer and congrats on your weight loss! 275 at 8% would be fucking sick!!!

2880 basal?... You lucky bastard! Haha.

What formula are you using to calculate bf%? I have tried MANY and I find the best to the one in the ACSM handbook. Its long, but I like it. The formulas are also somewhat specific based on age/gender/race. Here is the one for you (seven site):

1.112 - 0.00043499*(sum of seven skinfolds) + 0.00000055*(sum of seven skinfolds)*(sum of seven skinfolds) - 0.00028825*(age)

That will give you your "body density" number. Then you plug it into this short formula which is specific for age/race (is it wrong to assume you are white):

(4.95/body density) - 4.50

That number will give you your body fat %

Remember the seven site measurements are:
Chest
Tricep
Subscapular
Midauxillary
Suprailiac
Abdominal
Thigh

I have just been using this site

Body Fat Calculator

I don't know how to use a fat caliper, so I've just been giving it a tape measurement. I'm going to see about getting one in the future and learning how to use it though.

And yes, it's correct to assume I'm white.

Posted by: Musclebeach

Oh... the tape measure is a horribly unaccurate form of measuring bf%. Does your trainer not know how to do bf%? It is rather easy and you could teach yourself, pickup the ACSM handbook, its pretty handy.

I just bought a cheapo caliper for at home use (http://www.linear-software.com/slimguide.html), but my gym has a $200 one. It is nice! Just make sure if you buy one the spring is set to 10g/cm^2 (or something like that).

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musclebeach

Oh... the tape measure is a horribly unaccurate form of measuring bf%. Does your trainer not know how to do bf%? It is rather easy and you could teach yourself, pickup the ACSM handbook, its pretty handy.

I just bought a cheapo caliper for at home use (http://www.linear-software.com/slimguide.html), but my gym has a $200 one. It is nice! Just make sure if you buy one the spring is set to 10g/cm^2 (or something like that).

Alright, I'm going to get and learn how to use a caliper. The Sub scapular pinch must be a little difficult if there is no one there to help, but I'll give it a try (it'll be a good learning experience).

Posted by: Musclebeach

To be most accurate you need to have someone do the skinfolds for you. I sometimes do my ab and chest just to see where Im at millimeter-wise. My chest is always 5mm, so if it goes up, I know Im getting fat.

Posted by: tallcall

Good advice, thanks man!

Posted by: tallcall

Thursday:

Chest

Flat Bench W/rope (light tension): RI - 60

75x12 PR (Reps)

95x10
120x6 PR - Tied previous record

Flat Bench Rest/Pause (2 seconds): RI - 60

95x8 (2 assisted)
95x8 (2 assisted)

Decline Bench Press: RI - 45

75x10
95x10
95x10
105x8 (2 assisted) PR

DB Incline Press: RI - 60

25x10
25x10
30x8
30x10 (3 assisted)

Cable Cross Over Flys: RI - 30

Machine #3x15
Machine #5x15
Machine #7x10
Machine #7x9

Cardio - 40 minutes HIIT

Rowing for 5 minutes. Starting hr - 85, max hr - 157, level 9, new max distance - 1249 meters @ 1:51/500 meters, new max rpm - 41 rpm.

15 minutes HIIT on an elliptical trainer. Starting - 100, max hr - 165, level 10 and 14.
Minutes 0-9 - Level 10, hr's 155-160:
Minute 9-10 - level 14, hr - 160-165:
Minutes 10-15, levels - 6, 3, and 1, hr - 150-160

20 minutes on a Treadmill HIIT. Starting - 110, max hr - 175. Normal hr range - 140-150, interval hr range - 155-170, 2x175: 6 MPH @ 30 seconds - 1 foot incline, 5 MPH @ 30 seconds - 3 feet incline).

I had a lot of energy and aggression today to work on, so everything was great. Those Benches have actually improved, though not necessarily reflected in the weights I reported, they just feel so much easier to lift now, I need to go up a little. I liked the Decline Press, but it certainly was not any easier than the others. I think because of the positioning, it was more difficult for me (I had to place the bar on the top rack to get under it in the first place, then it was a really long way to go from the top of the move to my chest - at least it felt longer). I was told to take the shoulders out of the lift as much as possible, some people lift the weight on their shoulders and I think that makes it a lot easier on them. I totally disagree that Declines are any easier than Inclines (actually I think Inclines were easier).

Cardio was really fun today, I put more resistance on the elliptical that I ever have before. I also ran pretty much the entire 15 minutes at 150 bpm or higher. The Treadmill was a lot of fun too, I spent most of my time between 155 and 175 bpm.

Posted by: tallcall

Friday:

Abs and Cardio:

Abs:
Superset:
Ab Rollout/Bird-Dog/Cat-Camel/Planks: RI - 30

BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BW+10x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BW+10x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BWx15/BW+10x:60

Cardio - 55 Minutes SS

5 minute warmup on a stairmaster (starting hr - 75, max hr - 140, levels 5-7).

30 minutes on an elliptical trainer (starting hr - 110, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 145-155 bpm, Level - 1).

20 minutes on a treadmill (starting hr - 110, max hr - 155, functional hr range - 130-145, incline - 3.0-15.0, speed - 3.0-4.0).

Today was awesome, I met some cool people at my gym, who apparently live real close to me anyway.

Aside from the illiotibial band friction I get during my cardio workouts, everything ran smooooooth.

Posted by: DOMS

That's some serious ab work and cardio!

Great job, man!

How's the body coming along?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOMS

That's some serious ab work and cardio!

Great job, man!

How's the body coming along?

So far I'm down to 294 pounds from 325 pounds 5 months ago.

The computer has been doing wierd things when estimating my bodyfat, so I decided to get a caliper and learn how to use it to get better readings.

I can squeeze into size 38 shorts and pants, comfortably fit into size 40 (I started at size 52, down 12-14 inches in 5 months).

I def feel leaner, I can see some separation in my chest and tris/delts. I can feel my abs, they feel rock hard, I'll jab at them pretty hard and not feel much at all. Also, Quads and Glutes are coming in nicely!

This is all while my strength has continued to grow, I think I'll be hitting 305 on my deads soon (maybe 2 or 3 weeks), I hope to be able to do bodyweight Dips in a month or so as well. Squats are still around 230, 250 max, and bench has been improving quickly (I used to have a hard time with 115, now I can get sets of 8 or 10, so we're moving the weight up and adding in negatives, rest/pauses, and cables to change the amount of tension).

Summary: Pretty good

Posted by: soxmuscle

55 minutes of cardio would kill me. Job well done.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

55 minutes of cardio would kill me. Job well done.

Thank you buddy. I have 90 minutes to go this week, so I'll probably get a 30 min HIIT session tomorrow and a 50-60 min SS session Sunday. To be honest, I like the hour long sessions, I get in "the zone" pretty easily and could stay on the elliptical for the entire time.

Posted by: Malley

Almost 30bs in 5 months! Thats phenominal! Great work TC!

Posted by: Musclebeach

Nice work Bud! Congrats on 30# in 5 months! I love that you are doing it the right way, because this is how you keep it off!! Plus any added muscle will bump your basal metabolism up (3# muscle=100 extra calories burned throughout a day).

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musclebeach

Nice work Bud! Congrats on 30# in 5 months! I love that you are doing it the right way, because this is how you keep it off!! Plus any added muscle will bump your basal metabolism up (3# muscle=100 extra calories burned throughout a day).

Yeah, my trainer and I are getting concerned that I'm not eating enough now (I get about 2950 calories on a normal day and about 3300 calories on a strength training day). I'm going to add about 200 calories so I get about 3100-3150 on regular days, and almost 3500 on strength days and see how it goes (mostly in the form of carbs pre and post workout on strength days and maybe just add 200 calories to my 4th meal on regular days - granola bar and a piece or two of fruit).

Posted by: goob

Outstanding progress tallcall. Really is. You'll be in the running for the 2008 IM awards.

Do you ever deviate off the plan, and go out and get tanked?

Posted by: ReproMan

Man, that's some serious poundage. I'm impressed.

Posted by: katt

That's so awesome that you've lost so much in such a short time! Does it seem that your strength is staying up? Why did your trainer think you needed more cal's? Are you losing too fast?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by katt

That's so awesome that you've lost so much in such a short time! Does it seem that your strength is staying up? Why did your trainer think you needed more cal's? Are you losing too fast?

I'm losing 2-2.5 pounds a week and maintaining my strength. I just feel so hungry all day and sort of tired even before the workout.

I know my basal is 2880/day, and I eat 2900-3300/day (~2950 on diet days and ~3300 on Strength training days). I guess that's just the price I pay for being a tall person (6 feet 10 inches).

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

Outstanding progress tallcall. Really is. You'll be in the running for the 2008 IM awards.

Do you ever deviate off the plan, and go out and get tanked?

Thanks man!

I don't like to drink, so no I don't do that. I have only made slight adjustments to my diet and workout routine (I ran all of them by my trainer first to get his input). So far I love eating 6-8 meals a day every 2-2.5 hours.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReproMan

Man, that's some serious poundage. I'm impressed.

Thank you, I love getting looks from everyone when the see me doing some of the things I do (those farmers walks really screw with some peoples minds - I wonder if they are wondering what I'm going to do with 60+ pound dumbbells and why I'm just walking around

Posted by: Witchblade

Outstanding progress indeed. People like you should be in those dieting magazines, not the Atkin dieters and other retards.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witchblade

Outstanding progress indeed. People like you should be in those dieting magazines, not the Atkin dieters and other retards.

Thanks man. You know, I've been on Atkins before, also Weight watchers. I think they might have worked if I understood them better and actually had a weight lifting program. I think that's the only way those kinds of diets ever truly work.

Just a quick question, which country do you live in? I visited a couple Dutch speaking countries, and I absolutely loved them all. I've visited Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but I believe the rest are at least equally as beautiful (people and countryside, I felt more at home in those countries than anywhere else, the people were so nice to my friends and I).

Posted by: tallcall

Saturday

Shoulders/Back:

Abs: RI - 30

Superset:
Weighted Planks/Weighted Supermans:

BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10 PR for Weight

Reverse Crunches:

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60

Bar + 50x11
Bar + 70x8
Bar + 90x6
Bar + 110x2 PRs for Weight

Smith Hises: RI - 60

Bar + 180x20
Bar + 230x20
Bar + 270x20 PR for Weight (3 plates on each side)

Cable Upright Rows: RI - 60

110x10
120x10
130x10
140x8 PR for Weight

DB Bent over Row: RI - 30

25x15
30x15
35x15 PR for Weight

Hyper-extensions: RI - 30

BW+25x12
BW+25x12
BW+25x12

Farmer's Walks: RI - 60

70'sx67 steps, 70 steps (PR for Weight)

, and 58 steps

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

5 Minutes on a rowing machine (Starting hr - 97, max hr - 160, level 9, new max speed - 45 rpm)

15 Minutes HIIT on an elliptical trainer. Starting hr - 124, max hr - 175.
Min 1-4, level 6
Min 4-8, Level 10
Min 8-9, level 15
Min 9-12, level 12
Min 12-13, level 6
Min 13-15, Level 3
HR - 155-165 for minutes 1-8 and 13-15
HR - 170-175 for minutes 9-13

10 Minutes on a treadmill. Starting hr - 107, max hr - 210, incline - 0.0-6.0, speed - 3.5-6.0 - I was on 6.0 mph for 1 minute at 210 bpm PR for Endurance

. Functional hr range - 140-150.

Posted by: tallcall

Looking back, that was awesome! I haven't done normal shoulder presses in a while, but I was able to shoot the weight up there pretty quickly.

The Hises are getting stronger, pretty soon, I'll be in the 300's.

I have to admit that I love those farmers walks. I'm trying to get to the point where I can carry my bodyweight (or just pick up the 110 pound dumbbells - the maximum my place has). I still enjoy seeing the look of utter confusion in everyone's face when they see me walking around with 70 pound weights like I'm going to do something real special (I guess it's just the unconventional nature of the exercise that gets them).

Cardio was fun, I was completely beaten up afterwards (210 bpm on the 6mph run - held for 1 minute was awesome - heart rate reacted very quickly too and shot up there right when I increased the speed, I guess that's a good thing).

Posted by: Witchblade

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

I live in Holland (The Netherlands). They don't speak Dutch in any of the countries you mentioned! That's German. They and Holland all have the same language as origin and a (slightly) similar culture though.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witchblade

Just shows that I still have so much to learn. Still, if the rest are like you, I'd say there are a lot of great people over there.

Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

Saturday

Shoulders/Back:

Abs: RI - 30

Superset:
Weighted Planks/Weighted Supermans:

BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10
BW+25x:60/BW+25x10 PR for Weight

Reverse Crunches:

BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Smith Shoulder Press: RI - 60

Bar + 50x11
Bar + 70x8
Bar + 90x6
Bar + 110x2 PRs for Weight

Smith Hises: RI - 60

Bar + 180x20
Bar + 230x20
Bar + 270x20 PR for Weight (3 plates on each side)

Cable Upright Rows: RI - 60

110x10
120x10
130x10
140x8 PR for Weight

DB Bent over Row: RI - 30

25x15
30x15
35x15 PR for Weight

Hyper-extensions: RI - 30

BW+25x12
BW+25x12
BW+25x12

Farmer's Walks: RI - 60

70'sx67 steps, 70 steps (PR for Weight)

. Functional hr range - 140-150.

Holy shit that's a lot of PR's!!

Posted by: Musclebeach

Nice PRs!!!

Holy shit... you are 6'10"?? Wow!

Posted by: tallcall

Muscle Beach - Yeah man - 6'10" - people seem to get a little intimidated by me, but there is no reason to be.

Sunday

Arms/random stuff that I wanted to do or try:

Abs:
Reverse Crunches: RI - 30
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

Superset:
Weighted Planks/Bird-Dogs: RI - 30

25x:60/BWx15
25x:60/BWx15
25x:60/BWx15

Arms:
Assisted Dips: RI - 90

BW-70x10
BW-40x8
BW-34x7
BW-28x6 PR for Weight

Assisted CG Pullups: RI - 90

BW-112x8
(I reversed the grip so palms were facing me for set 2 and 3)BW-112x6
BW-112x6 - I haven't done these in about 3 months so I don't have any data to go on for these yet.

Smith CG Bench: RI 60

Bar+60x10
Bar+70x8
Bar+90x2,+1 PR for Weight- Not the greatest set, but I got kind of rushed by some other jackass who wanted the machine, I told him he could work in with me, but he said I should just finish my stuff so he can take it. So I only got about 30 seconds rest before the 90lb set. Jackass.

Superset:
CG Cable Curls/Cable Pressdown: RI - 60

150x10/130x10
170x8/150x8
180x6/160x7 PR Weight - It felt amazing to curl a good 3/4 of the stack and see people watching!

Farmers Walk: RI - 60

80'sx58 feet, 60 feet and 60 feet PR for Weight.

Cardio - 50 minutes HIIT/SS

Rowing for 5 minutes at level 9. Starting hr - 100, max hr - 171

30 minutes on an elliptical trainer HIIT . Starting hr - 126, max hr - 157.
Minutes 0-15, level 6
Minutes 15-20, Level 12
Minutes 20-30, Level 6
Minutes 1-15, HR - 130-145
Minutes 15-30, HR - 145-155

15 minutes on a treadmill. Starting hr - 110, max hr - 150, Speed - 3.0-3.5, Incline - 0-15.0, Functional Hr range - 130-150.

I'm having fun with those close grip benches, I think I'll keep this routine for a few weeks. The Dips were better than I expected, as I lose weight, I hope to be able to rely less and less on the assistance. Those pullups kicked my butt today, I haven't done them in months so I thought I'd need some time, but I also thought I had more strength than that.

Today those pressdowns and curls were awesome (I was really pushing everything I had into those curls, I must have been making some funny faces).

I can't believe I squeezed another HIIT session in this week, this must be like some sort of record or something.

I'm beat, time for food and bed.

Posted by: Musclebeach

I love how you get SEVERAL new PRs for each workout!! AWESOME!!!

6'10" and 290ish... I see reason to be intimidated... although you seem like a very nice guy!

Nice CGs... and tell the jackass to fuck off, youll be done when you damn well please (keep in mind you are 6'10" and 290ish)

Posted by: soxmuscle

While the weight your throwing around is excellent, that cardio is equally as impressive. I'd be cooked after that workout.

Looking good up in her.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

While the weight your throwing around is excellent, that cardio is equally as impressive. I'd be cooked after that workout.

Looking good up in her.

I was pretty fried after that! Plus I get up most mornings at 3 am to work at 5 am, get out at around 1 pm and still get all of that done before going home and just about passing out.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musclebeach

I love how you get SEVERAL new PRs for each workout!! AWESOME!!!

6'10" and 290ish... I see reason to be intimidated... although you seem like a very nice guy!

Nice CGs... and tell the jackass to fuck off, youll be done when you damn well please (keep in mind you are 6'10" and 290ish)

Yeah I just weighed myself this morning (just or fun) and weighed in at 294.5.

This is really no gain or loss over last week, but I think it may be attributed to the heavy deadlifts last week. That sort of thing usually adds about a half pound on me and my body normally takes another week to drop weight on the scale. I'll have to see what the tape (until that caliper comes in the mail) sows me tomorrow to see if I still lost some inches around the stomach or gained mass in the shoulders or chest (since that's where I usually end up making gains for now).

Posted by: soxmuscle

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

I was pretty fried after that! Plus I get up most mornings at 3 am to work at 5 am, get out at around 1 pm and still get all of that done before going home and just about passing out.

From a workout standpoint, having a wideopen gym at 3AM is probably ideal.

What do you do for a living?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

From a workout standpoint, having a wideopen gym at 3AM is probably ideal.

What do you do for a living?

I just work as a master control operator at a local news station, we operate 24 hours a day and I do the morning news.

The 3 am workout thing won't really work because I also use a trainer at the gym (I don't want to give him up for any of the other idiots he works with - there is one other one I respect and have talked to him a couple times though). My training appointments are generally at 4 pm, this gives me time to go home and take care of a few things.

Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallcall

There will be a point that you will start leveling out, but that doesn't mean your not still dropping bodyfat. A buddy of mine that hasn't seen me in over a year told me how skinny I look now. I weight just about the exact same as I did when he saw me last, just a lot leaner apparently. You're doing great making strength gains, the rest will continue to progress!

Posted by: Musclebeach

What caliper did you end up getting?

I definitely agree with ReproMan... you will begin leveling out and eventually not lose much weight at all (if any) once you hit the point were your bf% gets down and maintain your muscle mass. Hell you might even start gaining weight (muscle).

Keep up the GREAT work!

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musclebeach

What caliper did you end up getting?

I definitely agree with ReproMan... you will begin leveling out and eventually not lose much weight at all (if any) once you hit the point were your bf% gets down and maintain your muscle mass. Hell you might even start gaining weight (muscle).

Keep up the GREAT work!

I just got this one here

Yeah, as long as things keep progressing, I'm happy. It seems like things just go from not quite working right to blazing speed in just a couple weeks. I think I've been doing ergometer rows (for cardio) at level 9 for the last month and until last week had a hard time keeping up with 35 rpm for 5 minutes. Now I hit anywhere from 40-46 rpm easily. Things just seem to be getting smoother and smoother.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReproMan

Yeah, sometimes I gain a pound one week (probably muscle), then lose 3 the next week (I usually say this roughly equals a 5 pound fat loss, 3 pounds of fat plus a pound of gained muscle). My body just takes some time to adapt sometimes.

Posted by: tallcall

Here's another one:

Current weight 294.5 (no change from last week).

Stomach and Waist had no change - which is fine because I can feel my abdominal wall under maybe a half inch of fat (slightly covered).

Chest gained 2 inches (50 inches from 48 inches).

Shoulders gained 1 inch (59 inches from 58).

Neck gained 1 inch (21 inches from 20).

(sort of, it goes up and down each week)

Bi's actually gained 0.5 inches (18 inches from 17.5).

Calves also actually gained 0.5 inches (19.5 inches from 19).

Notes: Well I didn't lose any weight on the scale, but I seemed to have gained some muscle. The computer said my bf% (jokingly was 6.28%

- No way). It also says my estimated LBM and BF are 276.00 and 18.50 pounds (

).

I honestly don't think my stomach will lose to many more inches because I feel my ab wall under just a little fat.

All in all this was a very good week, I did those heavy deadlifts, they obviously added some good muscle on me this time (that always seems to happen when I go so much heavier than the week before

)!!

Posted by: goob

GJ on the progress TC, you just keep on improving.

Posted by: tallcall

Thanks man, it always means a lot coming from you guys!

Posted by: tallcall

Tuesday:

Shoulders: Again - this time with the trainer working in with me (I got to learn a lot more from him this way, plus I think he likes to do this as well).

Superset:
BB Smith Shrugs/BB Upright rows:
Bar+90x20/45x10
Bar+140x20/65x10
Bar+180x20 PR Weight

/65x5, 45x10

Smith Shoulder Press:

Bar+50x12
Bar+70x10
Bar+90x5,+4 PR Reps

Single Arm Lateral Raises:

10'sx12
10'sx12
12'sx12
15'sx12 PR for Reps at a lower weight (good for my shoulders)

Done with a 2 second pause at the top and bottom

Cable Rear Delts/DB Rear Delts:

4 sets x Machine #4x15/15x10

BB Incline Front Raises:
4 sets x Barx10

DB Shrugs:

3 sets x 50'sx25 (15 straight, then 5 on each side, then 5 straight) PR Reps

Cardio - 30 minutes HIIT

5 minutes rowing (starting hr - 86, max hr - 160, level 9 max rpm - 45)

20 minutes on an elliptical HIIT (starting hr - 117, max hr - 170, Min 1-10 hr - 160-170 level 12, min 10-20 hr - 135-145 level 3)

10 minutes on a normal bike (starting hr - 122, max hr - 150, level 15).

All in all a great day. I got some good PR's in there and really burned myself out.

On the down side, I broke my computer chair and now need to try to super-glue it back together

Posted by: soxmuscle

a plate on each side of the smith machine for five reps is pretty solid. nice work.

Posted by: tallcall

Thanks man! You know, that last set was rough, I almost didn't get it up (did I just say I couldn't get it up?

Posted by: katt

Those incline BB raises,,, you're lying face down on an incline bench, right?

Posted by: tallcall

No we were going face up on an incline bench, very difficult, the bar by itself was very heavy to move in that position.

Posted by: Musclebeach

Have you measured you bf% with the caliper?

Posted by: goob

Wow more PR's!! Are you sure you are not a distant relative of fu?

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musclebeach

Have you measured you bf% with the caliper?

I'm still waiting for it to come in the mail.

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by goob

Wow more PR's!! Are you sure you are not a distant relative of fu?

So now were evil triplets? Tallcall, Goob, and Fufu - That's a scary combo! Now all we have to do is add BigDyl to the mix and we've got the whole evil family!

Posted by: tallcall

I was so tired today, these weights are down a little to allow me to get through some of the sets, but a great day none-the-less!

Thursday:

Chest/Triceps:

Planks:

BWx:90
BWx:60

BB Incline Bench

75x10
85x9
95x4 (+5 assisted)
95x6

BB Decline Bench:

85x8
95x10
95x9

Cable Flys:

20x20
30x20
40x15
40x15/Single Arm Presses - 40x15 each arm

Rope Pressdown Dropsets:

Machine #6x30
Machine #6x25
Machine #6x25 PR

EZ Bar Skull Crushers:

40x10
40x10 PR Reps

50x7

Superset:
Single Arm Underhand Pressdown/Single Arm Overhand Pressdown:

Machine #3x15/Machine #3x10
Machine #3x15/Machine #3x10
Machine #3x15/Machine #3x10

Cardio - 35 minutes HIIT

Rowing for 5 minutes on level 9 (starting hr - 90, max hr - 160, 45 rpm)

Treadmill for 23 minutes HIIT (Starting hr - 120, max hr - 200, incline - 0.0-15.0, speed - 3.1-6.5 mph). I held 6.5 mph for 30 seconds and held 6.0 mph for 60 seconds PR for Speed

7 minutes on an elliptical trainer SS (Starting hr - 110, max hr - 160, level 10).

Great day! I did a joint workout with my trainer again, we went on for 90 minutes, including the cardio session (60 minutes weights and 30 minutes cardio). It was awesome, I was able to help him (give him a spot for his heavier lifts and I feel like I really learn a lot from him when we do these - his years of experience really show when we're working almost side by side). I kept up with him again minus a few reps here and there.

The cardio was awesome, I hit 6.5 mph for speed on the treadmill, he was very impressed when I told him afterward and asked me to push myself even harder on the stairmills when I use them next to help improve my speed.

I finally got my caliper!

Posted by: tallcall

I finally did my caliper reading and I'm at about 13.2% bodyfat. I have about 255 pounds of lean mass and 39 pounds of fat. I used the Jackson/Pollack 4 Caliper method (Abdominal, Thigh, Tricep, Suprailliac) because it was easier to do without needing someone else to administer it. Yes I did measure each site twice and they were pretty much the same both times.

Posted by: tallcall

Friday:

Abs and Cardio:

Reverse Crunch: RI - 30

BW/10
BW/10
BW/10

Superset:
Ab Rollout (with wheel)/Cat-Camel/Weighted Planks: RI - 30

BWx15/BWx15/BW+25x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BW+25x:60
BWx15/BWx15/BW+25x:60
**I have never been able to get the wheel before, that was great and I didn't do too bad on them either.

Cardio: 52 minutes SS

Stair mill - 5 minutes. Starting hr - 85, max hr - 145, level 5, 7, 10, and 12

Elliptical Trainer - 25 minutes Starting hr - 122, max hr - 150, functional hr - 140-150, Levels 1, 6, 7, 12

Treadmill - 17 minutes, Starting hr - 106, max hr - 145, functional hr - 130-140, Incline - 0.0-4.0, Speed - 2.0-4.0 mph.

Pretty good day! My trainer was there, we talked for about 15 minutes and he was able to show me the way to do an ab roll with the wheel, again I think he's awesome - none of the other ones cared enough to give me the time of day.

Oh well, I'm burned out for today, got to go to sleep soon.

13% bf - I was close in saying 12%, so that's nice!

Posted by: Malley

All the way down to 12% bf is simply amazing. You have came a very long way!

Posted by: tallcall

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D