FranktheTank

Ya I plan on keeping my cals just above maintenance for at least another week to see if there is any change. How should I have my foods arranged?

So on a cheat meal day...have my normal meals, with a 'cheat meal' thrown in the mix? And by cheat meal you only mean one oatmeal cream cookie thing...don't you?

btw: besides the zone bar...are the foods I'm eating decent?...sure feels like I'm eating healthy lol

Egoatdoor

Listen to your body. This isn't working, so I would suggest you drop it. I have never taken this product, but I did look at the label instructions on a website. It says take it 30-45 minutes before the workout on an empty stomach and do not eat anything within an hour of taking this. This conflicts with one of basic principles of nutrition which is getting carbs into your body before the workout so you have the energy to make the most of your workout. The NO has only 9 grams of carbs!! It is also in liquid. Personally, my intestinal system cannot tolerate alot of liquid before a workout and it seems that you may be the same way. I suggest dropping the NO and taking in a small carb meal with 50-75 grams of carbs.
A general rule of thumb for a natural (non steroid using) trainer is about 1/2 pound to one pound a week. Anything higher, especially for your bodytype, could be a sign of too much fat going on also.

Your goal is to gain 12-17 pounds in 4 months, which is 16 weeks. That is 1 pound a week at the top end, 3/4 of a pound at the low end, which seems OK.

One week may be too soon to see a real trend. But if you want, lower the cardio or increase the calories by 50 a day and see what happens. Only by trial and error will you learn long term what works and what does not work for you.

But whatever you do, it is YOUR DECISION. We can all offer our opinions, but it is up to you to decide what you think is best, so make decisions and then stick to them.

FranktheTank

Jan. 09, 2006
Updated Routine....

This is the first week of my new routine which I will be changing every week for the next month:

Monday - Back/Biceps/Shoulders
- BB Rows 4x8-10
- WG Pull-ups 4x8-10
- DB pullovers 4x8-10
- WG Pull-downs 4x8-10
- Incline Dumbbell Curls 4x8-10
- Seated DB Hammer Curls 4x8-10
- Seated Concentration Curls 4x8-10
- Arnold Presses 4x8-10
- DB side laterals 4x8-10
- DB seated rear laterals 4x8-10
- DB shrugs 4x8-10

Wednesday - Legs/Abs
- DB Squats 4x8-10
- DB Romanian DLFS 4x8-10
- Calf Raises 4x8-10
- Hanging Leg raises 4x8-10
- Lying Leg raises 4x8-10
- Misc. Ball exercises

Thursday - Chest/Triceps/Forearms
- Incline BB Presses 4x8-10
- Flat BB presses 4x8-10
- Decline BB presses 4x8-10
- DB Flyes 4x8-10
- Incline French Presses 4x8-10
- Skullcrushers 4x8-10
- Weighted Dips 4x8-10
- Reverse-grip wrist curls with BB 4x8-10
- Underhanded wrist curls with BB 4x8-10

Saturday - Back/Biceps/Shoulders
- BB Rows 4x8-10
- WG Pull-ups 4x8-10
- DB pullovers 4x8-10
- WG Pull-downs 4x8-10
- Incline Dumbbell Curls 4x8-10
- Seated DB Hammer Curls 4x8-10
- Seated Concentration Curls 4x8-10
- Arnold Presses 4x8-10
- DB side laterals 4x8-10
- DB seated rear laterals 4x8-10
- DB shrugs 4x8-10

4 sets may be a little much..might drop it to 3 for each exercise, but I do want to shock my body, and the plan for next week is to have 3X6-8 so I think I can manage 4X8-10 for one week...did this to change up some of my exercises as well as rearrange them for school.

Will be back in about 45 mins - 1hr when I'm done with Monday's portion of this new w/o.

Grant_73

You should be working back before bis not the other way around. If you want to change each week then change the order of back and bi exercises but never put bis before back.

FranktheTank

Just finished 1st day of my new routine.....it was awesome! ....felt great doing it and really got a good pump going on each exercise..still got it too.

w/o time: 70mins

Did as you suggested, and did back before biceps. went very well.

Will be back later tonight with some macro numbers.

FranktheTank

Tonight's Dinner
- 4oz chicken breast
- 4oz sweet potato
- salad
- tsp of olive oil
- 24oz water

<Glad to be back on track with dinner after last night's quick fix...

Today's Totals: 2088cal - 205p - 209c - 48f

<Was almost dead on with my macros today...+/- about 3 ain't bad.

Everything was going good today until I went to my first class of the semester...topics in film....understanding documentaries... According to the syllabus we won't be watching a movie made past the year 1940....so I guess I'll just have to suck it up and deal with it for the next....15 weeks... .

Tomorrow I got my Nutrition class at 9am...so I will do my cardio when I return.

Edit: Almost forgot..got a call from Bally's Total Fitness about an application I filled out there 2 days ago...looks like I got an interview with them tomorrow at 2pm..so hopefully I'll be makin some money and liftin for free very soon...

Du

Which school are you at?

My IronMag Journal

FranktheTank

It's called Oakland Community College...in the next town over from me..about 5 mins away. I'm there until August, then I will be transferring to Oakland University in September.

Egoatdoor

Is this the Muscle and Fitness routine you asked about?

I went to two different places today and NEITHER had the magazine ( boy, has that company gone downhill since it was sold). Anyway, I went on their website and it said the January issue had a 4 week "Get Big" program....is this it?

It seems like alot of volume, but go for it and see how it feels and how you do. As you said, its only one week. Make sure you get enough sleep and keep the calories up. You are going to expend alot of calories and energy in the gym, so if you don't eat enough, you won't gain the weight you want. Good luck.

FranktheTank

Jan. 10, 2006
Cardio

Well, I decided to do my cardio before going to my 9am class...so I got up at 7 and did ~30mins of it then.

Besides not having the book to follow along yet....my nutrition class went very well today. Thanks to this site I already knew almost everything she talked about. ...so I'm definitely looking forward to going to it.


Na..I decided to go with this routine instead.....My Current Routine....I think I will still give the 'Get Big' program in the M&F a shot down the line though...maybe after this one if I am not where I wanna be.

Ya I'm ready for the volume...should be a nice change of pace for me....I liked the first day of it very much.

Will be back later with dinner and today's totals as usual.

FranktheTank

Back with Dinner:
- 4.5oz lean beef sirloin
- 2 pieces white bread.....had no wheat or whole grain around..and wanted to eat it with bread...so....I made do...
- 1 cup brown rice
- salad
- 24oz water

<Although I felt guilty for having the white bread...I gotta say...it was one of the most satisfying dinners I've had in awhile..

Today's Totals: 2274cal - 219p - 210c - 60f

<Calories were a littler higher than usual today cause I kind of helped myself to a little more pb than I should have. ....so that explains why the fat is also high.

<Good news!! After the interview with the guy at Bally's was over he told me me I had the job and would start next Thursday! .....He wants me to work in the store they have there selling supplements and smoothies...bah guess it's better than picking up towels, plus I get commission for this.

<Tomorrow is my Leg/Ab day...maybe I'll actually be able to get some sleep tonight so I won't be so tired come morning...

FranktheTank

Jan. 11, 2006
Leg/Ab Day

Wednesday
- DB Squats 4x8-10 @ 30#
- BB Romanian DLFS 4x8-10 @ 90#
- Calf Raises 4x8-10 @ 90#
- Leg extensions 4x8-10 @ 80#
- Lying Leg raises 4x8-10
- Misc. Ball exercises (jackknifes, crunches, etc.)

w/o time: ~45mins

< Worked mostly on my form today..hence the lower #. Again, really felt the ab exercises today, must be because I am doing them right now...

< Lol got my next class at 2pm today...bowling... should be fun..my friend also signed up for it, so at least it won't be boring....

< Finally slept better last night!! ...only woke up once during the night to take a piss....but before that I had gotten a solid 5hrs of sleep lol then got another 5hrs after the piss....

I will be back later to post today's dinner and grand totals...ciao for now.

FranktheTank

Had almost the same dinner as last night, but with different bread....
- 4oz sirloin
- salad
- whole grain/wheat bread
- 24oz water

< No brown rice with dinner tonight...decided to add 1/2 cup of oats to my before bed shake...the wheat bread had much better stats than the white bread I had with my burger last night....but...I gotta get back to eating my chicken...this fat in the sirloin is killing my macros...

Today's Totals: 2043cal - 212p - 184c - 51f

< I called my doctor today...just to see if my using the creatine was ok...well, she pretty much had no idea what I was talking about. She said, "Hmm creatine, well it's a protein supplement, so to much protein may hurt your kidneys in rare cases, so as long as you don't exceed the recommended dosage I think you should be fine." bah...I'm not sure if my doc not knowing this is very funny...seeing how she's the same one checking my balls

< Oh well, whatever, I will continue to use the creatine and maybe see it work before the container is used up..... ....cya tomorrow with my chest/triceps/forearm workout.

Egoatdoor

Don't worry too much about the "fat" in the red meat. Red meat has creatine and amino acids that you need with this high volume program you are doing.
That is so funny. Most of the public, including doctors, are clueless about creatine. Next time you see her, have some fun and give her an article on creatine.

FranktheTank

Jan. 12, 2006
Chest/Triceps/Forearms

Thursday
- Incline BB Presses 4x8-10 @ 95#
- Flat BB presses 4x8-10 @ 95#
- Decline DB presses 4x8-10 @ 20#
- DB Flys 4x8-10 @ 20#
- Incline French Presses 4x8-10 @ 45#
- Behind back with DB 4x8-10 @ 30#
- Weighted Dips 4x8-10 @ BW
- Reverse-grip wrist curls with BB 4x8-10 @ BB
- Underhanded wrist curls with BB 4x8-10 @ BB

w/o time: ~65mins

< Well, I think the workout went very, got a nice pump going and was really feeling my muscles stretch.....it was my first time doing the inclined bb press, and I think I may have gone with to much # for my first time cause my other presses really suffered.....but I still felt as though they got throughly worked...

< That was my first time doing the forearms exercises and boy was I feeling them...was kind of hard for me to get the 4 sets ..but I still managed...

Ya, I am gonna let her know what's up...kind of sad that she thought it was a protein supplement, but I guess it's not her fault,...so..can't blame her too much....(she should have been honest and said I'm not sure what that is though...instead of giving me false info).

I've got some shit to do today..get my books ...go to Bally's etc...so I will be back a little later with my dinner and day totals..

FranktheTank

Tonight's Dinner:
- 2 pieces of white fish
- 1/2 cup of green peas
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 24oz water

< Changed things up tonight and went with fish. Tasted pretty good considering I had it plain with no kind of dressing or salt added.

Today's Totals: 2104cal - 212.5p - 201c - 50f

< Macros pretty good except for the fat...I know it was because of the fish for dinner, but also because I added another tbsp of crunchy pb

< Tomorrow I am going to a party up at UofM and I know there will be alcohol, and I know I will probably end up drinking it....the plan is to only drink until I am drunk ...that way even though I shouldn't be drinking, at least I won't be overdoing it.....hope it won't affect my weight when I get on the scale Sunday.....bah I think it probably will....

< I'd like to say I'm not gonna drink, but I know I will...but it has been awhile since I really 'cheated' with my diet, and I plan on having that Oatmeal Cream Cookie as soon as I wake up still!!

< The plan is to do some cardio tomorrow before I got to my class at 9am. Hopefully if I eat my cookie before I do my cardio I will be able to burn most of it off...and maybe keep the burn going, by doing extra minutes on the treadmill, for the alcohol I will be having later that night......

Egoatdoor

Drinking "until you are drunk" is not a good idea. But I am not saying that you should not drink at all. A better way is to say I will have two drinks( maybe two beers???), then its soda or water after that. This way you get your alcohol "fix" or "cheat" without going overboard.

Getting drunk will undo days of what you have done in the gym. Why????? You're smarter and more disciplined than that.

FranktheTank

Jan. 13, 2006
Cardio

< Did my daily 30mins of cardio before I went to school today, so hopefully tonight's party won't hurt me to bad...or the '2' ......oatmeal cream cookies I had before the cardio.. ....there not 'that' bad only 170cal for 1.....I won't be having anything like that again anytime soon, so I think I'll be ok.

< Well, the good thing about being as small as I am, is that when it comes to drinking I'm a light weight....takes me about 2 beers to get drunk lol so I guess I won't have a problem only having to drink 2......

< But, I may not even go now, my gf called and wants to hangout as well...if she doesn't have to work...so I might just chill with her where I know I won't be doing any drinking....but not sure yet.

< I won't be back later to post my dinner or day totals, so I'll just post tomorrow's workout when I finish....

Du

Drink till you pass out. Youre young, live it up. You may regret it in the future if you don't.

Nights you cant remember with friends you cant forget.

My IronMag Journal

Grant_73

I hope you read this in time. Drink Pedalyte in the morning. It will replace lost fluids and electrolytes.

FranktheTank

Jan. 14, 2006
Week #2 of new routine

Here's how this week is gonna shape up:

*All exercises will be done 3x6...with slightly heavier weights...

Monday - Legs/Abs
- BB Squats @ 100#
- SLD with BB @ 85#
- Calf Raises @ 100#
- Leg extensions 4x8-10 @ 80#
- Lying Leg raises 4x8-10
- Declined Bench sit-ups with plate @ 25#
- Misc. Ball exercises (jackknifes, crunches, etc.)

Wednesday - Chest/Triceps/Forearms
- Decline DB presses @ 35#
- Flat DB presses @ 35#
- Incline DB presses @ 35#
- Incline DB flyes @ 22#
- Wieder Press downs @ 4 strings
- Reverse Grip press downs @ 4 strings
- Weighted Dips @ BW
- Reverse-grip wrist curls with DB @ 20#
- Underhanded wrist curls with DB @ 20#

Thursday - Back/Biceps/Shoulders
- BB Rows 4x8-10 @ 70#
- WG Pull-ups 4x8-10
- DB pullovers 4x8-10 @ 25#
- WG Pull-downs 4x8-10 @ 4 strings
- Standing DB curls @ 20#
- BB curls @ 50#
- Standing DB Hammer curls @ 20#
- Seated Military Press @ 75#
- Standing Front DB raises @ 17#
- Standing DB side lateral raises @ 17#
- BB Shrugs @ 85#

Sunday- Legs/Abs
- BB Squats @ 100#
- SLD with BB @ 85#
- Calf Raises @ 100#
- Leg extensions 4x8-10 @ 80#
- Lying Leg raises 4x8-10
- Declined Bench sit-ups with plate @ 25#
- Misc. Ball exercises (jackknifes, crunches, etc.)

< This week's routine involves some different exercises and less sets/reps. I will start it on Monday.

Today
Back/Bicep/Shoulder

Saturday
- BB Rows @ 70#
- WG Pull-ups @ BW
- DB pullovers @ 25#
- WG Pull-downs @ 4 strings
- Incline Dumbbell Curls @ 15#
- Seated DB Hammer Curls @ 15#
- Seated Concentration Curls @ 15-10#...had to drop some weight on last set ....pathetic
- Arnold Presses @ 15#
- DB side laterals @ 15#
- DB seated rear laterals @ 10#....went with 10 to prevent swinging...
- DB shrugs @ 30#

w/o time: 75mins

< Today's workout went a little longer than the usual 45mins, but it felt great...skin was feelin extra tight and veins were bulgin..

I decided to go see Munich with my g/f last night, instead of drinking it up...I regret it a little,only because the movie was soooo damn long ...but because I did this, the scale shouldn't give me a false reading come tomorrow morning when I weigh in...hoping I'm at least 134# with same bf %...

< I can definitely feel my muscles working harder with this new routine.......I will take some new measurements next Sunday to see if there has been any change in my physique...thus far.

< Be back later with dinner and day totals.....