FranktheTank

Sup everyone .

I figured since I am always on this site anyway, that I mine as well keep track of my progress with a daily journal. I hope by having this I will be able to see my progression and get some advice on my diet/routine where needed.....rather than hore the message boards with stupid questions .

Little info on me - Jan 05 I weighed 200lbs @ 5'4" by August 05 I was down to 150 lbs...but never really used weights, so instead of looking thin I actually looked very soft. I just turned 20 a couple of days ago and am now 5'6" and really want to get into awsome shape by summer .

So here it goes, my goal is to gain some muscle and as little fat as possible with a clean bulk:

Supplements being used:
- No-Xplode
- Cellmass
- Gnc's 100% Whey Protein
- Mega Men's Multi Vitamin
- Fish Oil Caps 2g of fat for 2 pills
- Vitamin C tablets 500mg

Current Clean Bulk Diet:

9:30am - 2 scoops of No-Xplode with 8-12 oz of water
11am - 1 scoop of Cellmass
11:30-45am - PWO/Bkf 8 oz skim milk, 2 scoops of WHEY, 1 Banana/ 1/2 cup of Oats, 1 fish oil
1:30-2pm - Snack - zone bar, yogurt, Vitamin C
4pm - Lunch - 1 tbsp of pb, 1 egg, 5 egg whites, 1 packet of maple oatmeal
6pm - Dinner - different everyday...(1 fish oil)
7:30-8pm - Snack - 1 packet regular oatmeal, 1 scoop whey, 8 oz skim milk

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Bkf = 468/497 cal - 48-53p - 48c - 6-8.5f
Snk = 280 cal - 28p - 25c - 8.5f
Lnch = 310 cal - 44p - 37.5p - 14f
Dinner = 593/622 - 43-48p - 54.5c - 4.5-7f
Snk = 320 - 32p - 35c - 4.5f
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Totals for all: ~2000-2180 cals (will up it if i have to) ~200p ~200c ~40f

Workout Routine:
4 day split of a Push Pull Legs/Abs Push routine which I got from CowPimp..(thanks by the way)

This is the routine I will be doing this week:

Push
Bench Press 5x5 / Military Press 4x6
Incline DB Press 3x8
Inclined Flys 2x10
Lateral Raises 3x10
Skullcrushers 3x10

Pull
Chinups 3x8 / Bent Rows 3x8
Upright-row 3x10 @ 45 lbs
E-Z Curls 2x10 (wide grip)
Inclined Bicep Curls 3x10
Reverse Flys 2x10

Legs/Abs
Squats 5x5 / Deadlifts 5x5
Deadlifts 3x8 / Squats 3x8
Leg Extensions 5x5
Leg Curls 5x5
Calf Raises 5x5
Ball and weight plates used for Ab exercises

Push
Military Press 4X6 / Bench Press 5x5
Incline DB Press 3x8
Inclined Flys 2x10
Lateral Raises 3x10
Skullcrushers 3x10

I started workin out with weights about 4 months ago and I took some before pics to help track my progress....I will post new ones about every 3-4 months:

This is me @ 150 lbs in Sep05.....excuse the shitty camera and size:




This is me as of Dec05 @ 130 lbs....better camera...pics not as big:

FranktheTank

Alright, I'm not gonna list what I eat everyday seein how I eat the same thing pretty much everyday, so I will just list my dinner and final totals for the day...unless someone wants to see me write the rest out....

- Woke up at 9:30am took my 2 scoops of No-Xplode that has ~9 carbs in it.
- first time taking this and Cellmass....so we'll see how this goes.

- Half hour later I did my workout:

Push Day
Bench Press 5x5 / Military Press 4x6
Incline DB Press 3x8
Inclined Flys 2x10
Lateral Raises 3x10
Skullcrushers 3x10

Bench is 120# with barbell
Db's is 30# each
Skullcrushers is 45# barbell

workout time: ~45 mins

- Took 1 scoop of Cellmass right after workout
- 25mins later had my pwo/bkf
- 2 scoops of No-Xplode and Cellmass on training days
- Only 1 scoop of Cellmass in morning on non-training days Xplode not used.

Dinner: 6oz of Turkey, 1 tbsp of corn, fish oil, 5.5 oz sweet potato

Totals: ~182p - ~200c - ~41f

No problems today as far as the workout went felt a little tired in the beginning, but woke up about halfway through...I'm gonna try and go up in weight about every 2 weeks or sooner or do more reps...I will also weight myself once a week ever Sunday to get an idea of where I'm at.

Tomorrow is my day off from the weights and time for cardio.

Seanp156

Are you trying to bulk right now? Seems like you're hardly eating.

My Journal

FranktheTank

Jan. 3, 2006
Today's Cardio

Treadmill 45mins
- speed 4mph
- walk 3mins
- then a mix of incline for 2mins/run @ 6mph for 2mins

Cardio went by pretty fast today probably cause I was watching my new collection of Family Guys I just got.

I burn around 545 cals on the treadmill and usually do about 5-10mins of jump rope before hand.

On days that I do cardio or 'non training days' I eat the same but have 1 scoop of Cellmass as soon as I wake up and another 8hrs later.

I'll be back to edit this with my food totals at the end of the day. For now, I'm gonna go eat .

Hey Sean....Ya, I tend to put on weight very easy...usually fat, so I am going to eat about 100-150 cals above my maintenance, which I have determined is about 1900 cal. But if I see that I am not going up or if I am going up to fast, then I will adjust accordingly.

FranktheTank

My diet stayed pretty much the same, only some minor changes..

-I replaced the eggs with turkey jerky...just cause I didn't feel like eggs today .

-I had some no-sugar, no-fat pudding today which was about 100 cal and 25carbs....needed something sweet and since my sis had already made it..

Tonight for dinner I had:
- 3 oz of turkey
- 3 cups of broccoli
- 12 oz of water
- 1 fish oil

The grand total for today was 2017 cal - 200p - 200c - 34f

I was off on the fat most likely because of having the jerky instead of the eggs.

Tomorrow is my pull day and I am looking forward to it. I will also be upping my No-Xplode amount to 2 scoops instead of 1, to see if there is any difference....I talked to one of the people from BSN over the phone and he said to try 2 scoops and if that's to much 1 1/2 scoops may work for me cause of my weight...I will know for sure tomorrow.

I can't wait for monday.....when I get on the scale again, that way I can see how I am coming along and if I will need to make any adjustments.

Du

Where do you lift?

My IronMag Journal

Egoatdoor

How about getting some more carbs in your system before the workout? No XPlode only has 9 carbs? This is not enough. No wonder you didn't have any energy. Remember too, you went 13 hours between meals (from 8PM the night before until 9:30 this morning). Your body needs some fuel. FEED IT. Otherwise, you will catabolize muscle rather than building it.

I would also suggest that you add move that 8 PM meal back an hour or so, so there is less time between that and your first meal the next day. Plus you seem to be eating a pretty large dinner at 6 PM, so 3 hours until the next meal may be better for your digestive system.

From your pictures, you've made great progress in 3 months and you look like you have excellent genetic potential. Keep training, refine your nutrition and keep learning.

FranktheTank

Jan. 04, 2006
Pull Day

Today I woke up at 9am to get my workout done a little earlier because I have some stuff to do today.

- Took the 2 scoops of the No-Xplode @ 9am ~35mins before my w/o to see if there would be any difference to the 1 scoop and 1 scoop of Cellmass right after w/o.

Pull
Wide Grip Chinups 3x8 / Bent Rows 3x8
Upright-row 3x8
E-Z Curls 3x8 (wide grip)
Inclined Bicep Curls 3x8
Reverse Flys 2x10

W/O Time: 45mins

- Bent rows were @ 70#...from 120#..lol wanted to work on my form cause I felt I had really shitty form @ 120#. Good news is I actually felt I got more of a workout going with the lower weight...but was kind of easy...so may go up by 10# next time.

- Really was feelin the E-Z curls today...saw some new veins popping out on my bicep...not sure if it was the Xplode working or better form...cause I also dropped the weight on these from ~70# to 45#.

- For the bicep curls I did a mix of one set of inclined, one set of standing, and one set of one arms preacher....is that ok to do?...wanted to mix things up a little. Again...I am trying to get better form in all my exercises so I also dropped the weight on these from 20# to 15#.

- Reverse Flyes are kind of hard for me to do because the way my bench is set up...but I did these @ 10# each db....if I do more, I find I am working the wrong muscles.

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du510 - Hey man. I workout in my basement. I've got a bench, treadmill, stationary bike, lat pull down, and some dumbbells to work with. I will be going to the gym for the first time in about a week though. I saw an ad for the National Body Challenge and they were giving away 8 weeks free at Bally's...so I figured I'd give that a shot.
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Egoatdoor - Thanks for the compliment . I agree completely with you about the needing more carbs, etc. before I w/o, but the only reason I don't have anymore is because the No-Xplode says to take on an empty stomach.....however, what do you think if I take the No-Xplode ~45mins b4 I w/o then right b4 I workout I have 1 scoop of WHEY with skim....then after my w/o I take the Cellmass....~25mins later have the other scoop of WHEY with skim and a banana?
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Felt a lot better today than on my push day...less tired. I am not sure if I am going to stick with 2 scoops of the Xplode, only because I did not feel any more focused or hyped up..., just a kind of like I was gonna hurl ...but that went away. My pumps felt pretty much the same when I wasn't taking it..so..may just stop after this bottle if ic no more change.

On a side note. Last night, my stomach was pretty upset . I am not sure if it is the Cellmass...or the package of broccoli I had to myself ...If it continues I am going to cut back on the creatine (took a total of ~7.5g yesterday) or cut it out completely. It's my first time taking it, so we shall see.

Will be back later to post my totals for today along with some body measurements.

FranktheTank

I'm back with today's round up.

Tonight, dinner consisted of:
- 6 oz of chicken breast
- 2/3 cup of brown rice
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- salad
- 12 oz of water

Grand Totals for Today: 1976cal - 205p - 199c - 40f

A little disappointed that I didn't get to 2000 cal today, but I was pretty damn close with my macros.

- I didn't feel like eating 9oz of chicken, so I decided to add another scoop of WHEY to my 9pm snack so my macros would add up.

Some body measurements: Flexed on every measurement, but the stomach.

Chest: 35 in
Neck: 13 1/2 in
Waist: 31 in.....but wear size 29 jeans..which are loose..
Left bicep: 12 in
Right bicep: 12 in
Left forearm: 10 in
Right forearm: 10 1/2 in
Left thigh: 19 1/2 in
Right thigh: 19 1/2 in
Left calf: 15 in
Right calf: 15 in

When do you guys suggest re-measuring these? I was gonna do it maybe every 2 weeks?

Stomach was fine today..I think it was all the broccoli I had with dinner the night before. Don't think it was the creatine because I only took 1.5g less today..but that may have did it.

I called up BSN to see what the deal with the No-Xplode was...cause I wasn't feelin anything, even after upping my scoops to 2. He told me, "I'm 230# and I go nuts when I take that much and you being 130# should definitely be feeling something." bah...hopefully it will start workin...don't really want to go more than 2 scoops. He suggested maybe having a protein shake 30mins before I take it. I already plan on doing this come Leg/Ab day.

Egoatdoor

But does the whey and skim contain carbs? I don't think so.

How about the NO an hour before on an empty stomach and then some complex carbs 15-30 minutes later?

FranktheTank

Sounds good...I'll eat the oatmeal I usually have with my 9pm snack at this time instead.

FranktheTank

Jan. 5, 2006
Today's Cardio

Treadmill....stopped once I got to 400 cal burned
- speed 4mph
- walk 3mins
- then a mix of incline for 2mins/run @ 6mph for 2mins

Time: ~ 30mins

- No Family Guy today, so I was stuck watching an infomercial for The Total Gym. Any of you ever use it? I was just laughing at Chuck Norris the whole time....lol thinking about his days on Walker Texas Ranger.

- Since I am bulking, I figured I should cut back on the cardio a little bit. Burning ~550 cal every time I do it seems a little too much...especially if I don't hit my total calorie goal for the day.

What do you guys think about cardio and bulking?

I will be back later with my dinner and day totals.

Egoatdoor

I think one should still do cardio during a bulk. Keep the frequency low( once or twice a week) and personally, I keep the sessions short, 20 minutes or less, but with high intensity.

FranktheTank

Went with some friends for dinner at Ruby Tuesdays tonight....

-I stayed true to my diet and got the chicken wrap with no cheese or ranch dressing on it and some water ....calories-protein-carbs-and fat were listed for me meal on the back of the menu.

With the cheese and ranch on it the totals were 470-25-25-15..

-I figured not having the cheese and ranch would bring the fat total down as well as the calories...by at least 70...so that is what I worked with.

My totals for today: 2013cal - 202p - 200c - ~45f

May be +/- 150 cal because the dinner thru me off...but it's close.

I agree. Once I get on the scale I will re-adjust my diet/cardio based on what it tells me. Before I drop calories I will cut some cardio out.

Haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately..hard to fall asleep.. waken up every hour and sometimes with my shirt soaked in sweat....sis is visiting from NY and she likes the house warm..so hopefully that is the problem and will go away when she does....

FranktheTank

Jan. 06, 2006
Leg/Ab Day

Legs/Abs
Deadlifts 3x8 / Squats 3x8
Leg Extensions 3x8-12
Leg Curls 3x8-12
Calf Raises 3x10-12

w/o time: 60mins

- Workout went very well today...finally got some sleep .

- I did some different stuff with the Ball today for my ab exercises and I know it worked well cause I really felt my abs working throughout the routine.

- Deadlifts were @ 115#...if not for lousy grip I could have lifted more..
- Leg extensions and curls I lowered the weight from 105# to 80# to work on form and also complete more reps .
- Calf raises remained the same.

*Had 1/2 my protein shake and oatmeal 30 mins prior to taking the Xplode..BSN guy suggested doing that...if that doesn't work...which I don't think it did...I will do as you suggested Egoatdoor, and take the Xplode first then the shake..

Will be back later to post my dinner and day totals as usual.

FranktheTank

Dinner consisted of:
- little over 4oz of left over chicken breast
- tsp of olive oil
- packet of plain oatmeal
- ~24 oz of water
- multi vitamin
- thru in a zone bar for more calories..

Today's Totals: 2225cal - 225p - 221c - 49f

- I ate about every 2hrs today...kind of felt like all I was doing was eating..

- I decided to have another zone bar with dinner because when I added everything up, with the bar not included, it was almost 200 cal below 2000...plus, if you do the macros they come out almost exactly 40% 40% 20% with it ..which is what I'm aiming for here.

Tomorrow is cardio again...I'll try and only burn ~350cal or keep it under 35mins..whatever comes first.

Grant_73

I would eat something 1.5-2hrs. before lifting. Try protien powder mixed w/low carb yogurt and 2 pieces of toast/english muffin w/ honey and PB or Oatmeal mixed w/PB and protien powder. Point being have a meal with some carbs, protien and fat.

Grant_73

Squat for 3sets and deads for 3sets maybe too much. Try doing your pullday first and add deads to this day. So it will be
Pull
Push
Legs
Push

FranktheTank

Jan. 07, 2006
Light Cardio

Treadmill
- 350 cal burned
- speed 4mph
- walk 3mins
- then incline for 2mins

w/o time: ~30mins

- Time on the treadmill felt much shorter, but the workout was just as good.

- I cut back the time for fear it might be hindering my progress with my bulk...I will know tomorrow for sure.

I'm not sure if I can do ~2hrs before hand, but I will give the oatmeal w/pb and whey a try at least ~45min before hand.

I do the deads this day only because I do the stiff-legged kind...it's not a problem for me to do them both on the same day, but I will look into your setup when I go to switch things up in about a week .

- Be back later with dinner and day totals..

FranktheTank

Du

Keep up the good work.

My IronMag Journal

Egoatdoor

Grant, I would disagree about having fat in a pre workout meal. I have read that fats are best taken during recovery phases and those timeframes hours away from a workout. Therefore, they should NOT be taken immediately pre and post workout. The body needs predominately carbohydrates before a workout, with some protein acceptable, though in my personal case, it is all carbs.

Egoatdoor

Real good idea.