Thread: Rangers97's "Everyone Else Has a Journal" Journal

Tuesday 12/7

BB Row 185x5,5 (used overhand grip, know I can do more with underhand grip next time)
Pull ups Bodyweight x 6,6,6 used good form, overhand grip on these
BB Curl (e-z bar) 110x5,5 (might need to lower weight to get more reps)
hamstring curls (single leg, plate loaded) 90x6,6
Ab machine 140x8,8

Still not feeling too great, so I only did 2 or so sets per exercise, hopefully will be better by thursday

Thursday 12/9

Leg press 410x8,7,7

Bench Press 225x8,7,8

lateral raise 25x10,10,8

dips - bodyweight+70x8,8,6

calf raise (seated) 135x8,8

Pretty good workout I think....have to see what happens in the long run since I got about 265x7,4 last time I did bench, but that was to failure and that was over 2 weeks ago (I sliced off a knuckle on my index finger so I could not grip a bar for 2 weeks ) The 225 felt tough and I felt a twinge in my left shoulder...have to keep an eye on that

however, the dips and the leg press were a personal best! go figure?

I'll be watching We are about the same build. What are your goals?
I'm also confused on your split. It seems you do many different parts on the same day. What is the structure??
Good luck by the way...

Same here , its a weird split , you might want to consider another kind of split if you want optimum results IMO.

well, it's basically a 4 day push-pull split. I looked at my old routine and felt I was reaching a plateau on certain exercises so I went for a change up. I am not sold on having to wait a week to work bodyparts again, so I had to think of a way to get bodyparts done twice a week, without overtraining, and keeping my work days to 4. So this is what I came up with. I basically looked at how many sets per bodypart I was doing on my old routine and split it up into 2 days. So where I used to do 3 sets of bench, 3 sets inc db press, 3 sets dips, and 3 sets tri pushdowns on the same day and then waited a week to do it again, now I split it up into 2 days. Same with everything else, the exception being back, which I am doing a little bit more now, but I consider it a lagging part that needs it anyway...besides it is so complex I don't feel the extra sets will hurt me.

The jury is still out on this...I need to give it a few weeks, and then I can give you guys a better understanding on whether I am a genious or a complete idiot!

But thanks for the encouragement, I think I am going to need it!

Originally Posted by rangers97

well, it's basically a 4 day push-pull split. I looked at my old routine and felt I was reaching a plateau on certain exercises so I went for a change up. I am not sold on having to wait a week to work bodyparts again, so I had to think of a way to get bodyparts done twice a week, without overtraining, and keeping my work days to 4. So this is what I came up with. I basically looked at how many sets per bodypart I was doing on my old routine and split it up into 2 days. So where I used to do 3 sets of bench, 3 sets inc db press, 3 sets dips, and 3 sets tri pushdowns on the same day and then waited a week to do it again, now I split it up into 2 days. Same with everything else, the exception being back, which I am doing a little bit more now, but I consider it a lagging part that needs it anyway...besides it is so complex I don't feel the extra sets will hurt me.

The jury is still out on this...I need to give it a few weeks, and then I can give you guys a better understanding on whether I am a genious or a complete idiot!

But thanks for the encouragement, I think I am going to need it!

That is a totally viable split you have chosen. I feel that you have picked pretty good exercises for the most part. Your volume looks pretty good, you don't neglect bodyparts, and the base of your routine is compound exercises. I think you will definitely see some nice gains.

well thank you very much cowpimp, that's what I want to hear!


While the basis for the split is pretty straightforward (splitting my old routine in half, etc), it was actually pretty hard to come up with a good split that wouldn't neglect bodyparts and still hit all the major groups with enough volume to work.

here's Friday's workout:

Friday 12/10

bb rows (underhand grip) 205x7,6,6

neutral grip pullups 8,8,6

db curls 55x6,5

hammer curls 40x8

I cut the workout short here cause I was STARVING!! Needed to eat big time, lol., but overall ok I guess. Keep making changes to my plan, minor changes here and there, like I think I may drop back to 2 sets per exercise but go to failure and lift in the 4-6 rep range. Don't know yet, we'll see.

Stay tuned........

Okay now I know what you are doing. I wish you would have posted this before so I knew that you know what you are doing.
Thanks for setting me straight

Well I'd like to think I know what I'm doing... Thanks for stopping by I'm Trying....I'm gonna have to check out your journal tomorrow when I have time at work, I'll give you my $.02


Here is Monday 12/13 's workout:

Squats 235x8,7

Inc DB press 100x8,8

Military Press 140x7,7

Tri pushdowns 90x10 100x8

calf press (on leg press sled) 280x9,8

Had a good workout, went up in weight on every exercise, so I was pleased!
Only bad thing is my current gym only goes up to 100 lb dumbbells and I would like to use more for the chest presses, but fortunately I am moving in a couple of weeks and I already scoped out the new gym in town and it is much better equipped than my current one so I am psyched...I really want to try to stay in the 6rep range, so I think I may need to go up to the 105s or even the 110s for the inc db presses.

The other exercises I may need to add even more weight next week to get the reps down to 4-6, nothing wrong with 7 or 8 but I am going for strength now, so I wanna fail at really no more than 6. We'll see......but, so far so good. I will make more opinions on my routine in a couple more weeks....

tuesday 12/14

here goes:

deadlifts 225x6,6,6

chinups bodyweight+25x6,5,5

db curls 55x6,6

db shrugs 100x9,8

Short but sweet workout!

Thursday 12/16

Leg Press 430x8,6

Bench Press 245x6,6

db shoulder press 75x7,6

dips bodyweight+75x8,8 (Personal Best!!!!)

Seated calf raise 145x8,8

Man do I love DIPS! They are without a doubt my favorite exercise ever. I had no idea I would crank out 2 sets of 8 with the 75 pounds on the belt! Last week I had 70 on the belt and got two sets of 8, so I was pleasantly surprised with adding 5 pounds and still getting 2 sets of 8. PLeased with the bench press too, my benching has been erratic lately ever since I cut one of my fingers a few weeks ago and couldn't bend my finger, so I am finally able to do these again and hope to get back to where I was, but I was pleased with the 2 sets of 6 without a spotter and I had no problems whatsoever. DB presses were good too, felt easier than in the past with that weight, hopefully in maybe 2 more weeks I will go up to the 80s and that would be a personal record....we'll see

I like my new routine so far, after Friday's workout it will be 2 weeks so far and I have been improving every workout, so either my new routine is really working or I was seriously overtraining and the reduction of volume is working for me. Keep you all posted

thanks

Nice dips there Ranger. How much do you weigh?

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Nice dips there Ranger. How much do you weigh?

I am tipping the scales at around 190 or so.

I honestly haven't been doing dips for that long, one day I just realized I was doing like 25 in a set so I needed to buy a dip belt, and I dunno, just threw some plates on there and the rest was history...I made huge jumps, like I didn't steadily add 5 pounds a week or anything, I think I just went from like one 25lb plate, to 2 25lb plates, then right to 2 35lb plates, and yesterday I added a little 5 lb plate in there just for fun

Obviously, the jump to 2 45lb plates and higher is going to take some work, but at the rate I am going with these, I may be there before I know it....too bad my other exercises aren't progressing like this one, then we can talk

hey those are some good dip numbers there.

you are pretty close to me in terms of BW and weights you are lifting. I'll have to check in from time to time. How is your diet looking?

Originally Posted by bracewater

hey those are some good dip numbers there.

you are pretty close to me in terms of BW and weights you are lifting. I'll have to check in from time to time. How is your diet looking?

Not really paying too much attention to diet. I do try to have a large amount of protein with every meal I eat and try to east frequent small meals each day. I am not training for a competition or anything, just for overall strength and whatnot, so I am not too particular, although I do stick to some kind of a daily plan, it looks something like this

meal 1:myoplex shake
meal 2:bagel
meal 3: Promax bar
meal 4:turkey and cheese sandwich
meal 5: Promax bar
post workout:myoplex shake
meal 6: DINNER! usually some kind of grilled chicken or lean chopped meat and whatever sides I make with it
meal 7:can of tuna
meal 8:2 scoops whey protein isolate

thats a typical day for me, comments/suggestions are welcome

todays workout
friday 12/17

barbell rows with v-bar handle(straddling bar & adding weight to one end) 165+bar x 7,6

pullups bodyweight+10x6,5

db curls 55x6,6

upright rows 90x7,6

tried doing the rows with the v-bar, interesting rows, felt good, I will see if I like the results. Pullups were HARD! These were palms away and very tough for me. I can do so much more with palms towards, so I need to work this up a bit.
Starting to stagnate on the db curls a bit, seem to can't get past 6 reps in a set with the 55s. Any ideas to help get past this??

monday 12/20

incline bench press 225x5,5

standing military press 145x5,6

incline db press 100x8,7

tri push down 100x9,7

Frustrated by my gym only having 100 lb dbs and nothing heavier, I went for the barbell incline presses and I really didn't like them. Felt nothing in my chest, I really don't like any angle more than the first setting on the adjustable bench and I think the barbell press station was set at 30-40 degrees...too much shoulder...of course I could have wheeled a bench to the power rack, but thats too much trouble when the gym is packed.
So I went back and did my db presses after...went down in reps by 1 from last week on the second set, but I also usually do them first and without added barbell work, so I should be ok.

Left tricep near elbow is KILLING me, tendonitis is totally flaring up, gonna stop the tri pushdowns and replace with either close grip bench or maybe my favorite dips.....does anyone think 4 sets of dips spread out over the week is too much? Military press went up, somehow got more reps on the second set???? think thats cause I had to wait like 10 minutes between sets while some big fat kid tried to deadlift 500 pounds...credit to him, he got it 3/4 the way up...pretty impressive actually

tuesday 12/21

deadlifts 230x7,7

chinups bodyweight+25 x 6,6

db curls 60x4,4 (Personal record!)

cable shoulder laterals 30x8,8

went nuts on the db curls and went for a record...got 2 sets of 4...gonna try for 5 reps next time. Did cable laterals today since I noticed my front delts are getting disproportionate from my side delts///need to get the round look again

Thursday 12/23


ok, closed on my new house yesterday with my wife, so I was forced to join a new gym and we went there today to try it out...needless to say it was an adventure! Talk about feeling out of place! The weights were all different and definitely different than my old gym. For instance, the 75 lb dumbbells seemed more like 85 here, so it's gonna take a while to adjust, so my numbers may be wierd for a couple of weeks....

leg press 435x6,6

bench press 250x5,5

db shoulder press 75x7,6

dips bodyweight + 90 x 6,6 !!!! PR !!!!

seated calf raise 155x6,6


ok I can't believe I hit the dips with 2 45 plates hanging from my belt...boy did I feel great, but I am paying for it now, my elbow with the tendinitis is so sore, it is killing me It was very hard to do this, the new gym has a dip station with very very wide handles, and I have small hands so this poses a problem for my wrists...the old gym had smaller handles, much easier to grip and hold on to, so I am pretty amazed that, a) I didnt kill my wrists to hell, and b) that I put up bw+90.

I am definitely noticing some changes in my body....getting more defined and definitely a bit bigger. I am going up pretty much on 95% of my exercises every workout, so it seems my new routine is working for the moment. If I start to stall, I know it will be time for a change since I know for a fact it is working now, in fact I recommend my routine to anyone who is looking for a good strength routine, or to just get a change of pace Go for it, I promise you'll like it!!!

Sounds like things are coming along nicely. Those are especially nice dips.

Originally Posted by rangers97

Not really paying too much attention to diet. I do try to have a large amount of protein with every meal I eat and try to east frequent small meals each day. I am not training for a competition or anything, just for overall strength and whatnot, so I am not too particular, although I do stick to some kind of a daily plan, it looks something like this

meal 1:myoplex shake
meal 2:bagel
meal 3: Promax bar
meal 4:turkey and cheese sandwich
meal 5: Promax bar
post workout:myoplex shake
meal 6: DINNER! usually some kind of grilled chicken or lean chopped meat and whatever sides I make with it
meal 7:can of tuna
meal 8:2 scoops whey protein isolate

thats a typical day for me, comments/suggestions are welcome

I just came across your Journal. I like that you are working on basic compound movements and that you constantly seeking to increase your weights in small increments by throwing 5s and 10s on top of the 45 pound plates.

The diet though looks pretty bad. No wonder you had to quit a workout because you were starving! I don't see how a 190 pounder can grow on what you wrote above. If you are gaining now, could it be newbie gains? I don't see this happening long term. As one gets more advanced, nutrition becomes much more important in continuing gains than the specifics of a training program.

There are too many shakes and bars and not enough "real food". Shakes and bars are SUPPLEMENTS, not substitutions for real food. The breakfast is inadequate. You've been sleeping for how many hours? Your body has been catabolising muscle. And you feed it with just a protein shake??? Then later a bagel and then a protein bar? A bagel IS NOT a meal.

I hope the Promax bar has some carbs if that is your pre workout nutrition. The body needs carbs to fuel the energy needed for your workout and also if your glycogen stores are not elevated, you risk the body burning muscle during the workout, not building it.

How many grams of carbs are there? Where are the healthy fats? The body needs carbs and healthy fats, not just protein, to grow, regardless of the what you may have heard.

This diet looks like the starvation diet of a pro bodybuilder or lady fitness competitor three days before a competition, not for an ordinary guy of 190 pounds looking to grow.

I agree with Egoatdoor's assessment of your diet. Stop by the diet & nutrition forum. Read the stickies. Don't skim; read every word.

well it;s been a few days since I've gotten to the gym...Christmas time is hectic enough as it is, plus I just moved into a new house yesterday, so I have been moving shit back and forth from my apartment to my house for the past 4 days, I've been exhausted!

However, I got back today and still managed a good workout...here goes

tuesday 12/28

deadlifts 235x6,6 PR

pullups bodyweight+10 x6,6

db curls 60x5,4

cable side laterals 40x6,6

I have to comment on what was said about the diet. I appreciate the input, like I said I really don't pay attention to it, and I know there are things that I am not doint that I should be doing, but I am getting over 200g of protein every day and I think the calories come in at around 2500-3000. I am not really looking to bulk, I am more in a looking to get stronger phase, not necessarily caring if I get bigger. I know I eat a lot less than I used to and I never curled 60lb dbs before and never dipped with 90 lbs on the belt, so something must be working. I am not a newbie, have been working out seriously for about 6 years now. I am sure with the weight I am throwing around if I ate more I might get huge, but that is not a goal right now, I am looking to get as strong as I can while being as cut as I can at the same time. So far I like my routine, I am going up in reps and/or weight every workout, so I will keep this up until it stops . Thank you though for stopping by, I will definitely remember your words when the gains stop coming

ok..I broke down....due to some nagging injuries to my shoulder and elbow, I decided to go back to once a week per body part with a new split as follows:
m-back
t-chest/tri
w-off
th-legs
f-shoulders/bi
s-off
su-off

only thing is I will keep my 2 sets per exercise and do no more than 10 sets total for large bodyparts and no more than 5 for smaller parts....with some exceptions, we'll see how it goes

wednesday 12/28
catch up day...did chest, normally this would be a tuesday, but due to the move and christmas I needed today to do it

bench press 255x6,5

incline smith press 225x7 245x4 (jumped up in weight too much too fast I think!)

dips bodyweight +90 x7,7 PR! My favorites

close grip bp 205x5,5

ok pulled a 180 and switched up the routine totally...need to do something for my aching shoulder and elbow, so i am going to be doing some sub-maximal training, with more volume than before, to hopefully still be able to make gains, but also to ease the pain I am experiencing....I did my first "new" workout yesterday and it kicked my ass! I was so exhausted afterwards, I fell asleep at about 7pm and I am still tired....not too sore, but just tired. This workout uses shorter rest periods and lots of switching between exercises, so it was pretty intense cardiovascular wise. I am used to doing my heavy set and waiting 3-5 minutes to do the next set, but now I am doing 1 minute rests and it makes a huge difference.......

monday 1/3

squats--8 sets of 3 reps, 225

weighted dips/barbell row superset (resting 1 minute between exercises)
dips--4 sets of 6, bodyweight+70
bb rows--4 sets of 6, 185

tri pushdown/barbell curl superset (same rest as above)
tri--4 sets of 6, 90
bb curls--4 sets of 6, 95

loads more volume than I am used to, shorter rest periods=kicked my ass! The good thing is that I didn't drop too much in weight from what I was doing on my other routine. Squats I was doing about 235, dips I had worked up to bodyweight+90, bb rows maybe 205, tri pushdowns 110 and curls about 110-115 so for the added volume, it wasnt too much of a drop and since I didnt hit failure on any sets, I should be ok in the recovery department. next workout is wednesday, I will post my progress...

so much for that 180 I said I turned yesterday. I cant make up my mind on a routine, so now i am going to go with the 5x5 method for a week and see how I like that one. The routine will be as follows:

monday
bench press 5x5
incline smith press 2x8-10
flies 2x8-10
dips 5x5
tri pushdown 2x8-10
close grip bp 2x8-10

tuesday
deads 5x5
chins 2x8-10
rows 2x8-10
shrugs 2x8-10
sled calf extensions 5x15

wednesday
off

thursday
squats 5x5
hack squats 2x8-10
leg curls 2x8-10
calf raises 5x15

friday
db shoulder press 5x5
military press 2x8-10
side laterals 2x8-10
bb curls 5x5
incline curls 2x8-10
preacher curls 2x8-10

weekend
off or cardio

tuesday 1/4

modified monday workout since I had no idea i would switch to this routine today!!
bench press 225 5x5

incline smith press 205x10,8

flies (machine) 150x7,7

comments: will switch to db flies next week since the flies machine at my new gym sucks ass and is so not smooth it almost hurts

maybe I will actually give this routine a chance...we'll see

anyone else switch routines almost weekly like I do??

Originally Posted by rangers97

anyone else switch routines almost weekly like I do??

Go to advanced search. Look for posts started by Monstar. He has changed routines and journals more times than I can count. He still makes good progress though.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Go to advanced search. Look for posts started by Monstar. He has changed routines and journals more times than I can count. He still makes good progress though.

I have noticed that he has quite a few journals in here although I haven't really read them too much.....

So Mr. CowPimp, I know you are doing Westside, but what are your opinions of the 5x5 routine? just curious....