Thread: FranktheTank's.....'Buildin MusclE'

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.

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

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.

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.

Where do you lift?

Originally Posted by FranktheTank

- Woke up at 9:30am took my 2 scoops of No-Xplode that has ~9 carbs in it.




No problems today as far as the workout went felt a little tired in the beginning, but woke up about halfway through...

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.

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.

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.

Originally Posted by FranktheTank

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[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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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?

Originally Posted by Egoatdoor

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

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

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.

Originally Posted by FranktheTank

What do you guys think about cardio and bulking?

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.

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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....

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.

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.

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

Originally Posted by 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

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..

Tonight's Dinner:
- 2.5 oz chicken
- oatmeal
- salad
- fish oil
- 24oz water

Today's Totals: 2048cal - 217p - 199.5c - 40.5f

Got over 2000cal so I'm pretty happy about that.

Bought some more supplements today:
- bottle of L-Carnitine
- bottle with L- Arginine and L- Ornithine in it

- The Arg and Orn says to take 4 pill daily...is taking all 4 before going to bed ok?

Will take the L- Carnitine before I workout and the Arginine and Ornithine before bed...hopefully these will help me...also looking to pick up some casein protein to go with my before bed meal.
Tomorrow is Push day and the day my sis goes back to NY ....can't wait... lol na im I'll miss her, only reason I'm happy is because I like the house cold..especially at night, and she likes it warm...at night...so hopefully with her leaving the temp will go back to my liking.

Keep up the good work.

Originally Posted by 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, 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.

Originally Posted by FranktheTank

also looking to pick up some casein protein to go with my before bed meal.

Real good idea.

Jan. 08, 2006
Push Day

Push
Military Press 3X8 / Bench Press 3x8
Incline DB Press 3x8
Inclined Flys 2x10
Lateral Raises 3x10
Skullcrushers 3x10

w/o time: 45mins

Today's workout didn't go as well as I planned. I was hoping to be able to do more reps/lift heavier weights today, but I just wasn't feeling it...Xplode making me feel kind of weak....so far..

As far as the scale goes, well...

Last Sunday:
Weight = 133#

One Week Later:
Weight = 133.2#

I've got a couple of questions..
- Is this a good amount to have gone up?
- How much weight should I be going up each week, two weeks...?
- Lower cardio even more?
- To soon to up my calories?
- Or should I just continue my diet the way I have for one more week?

On a side note - I know the bf reader on my scale is most likely wrong...says 10%...but wouldn't I still be able to track my bf with it by seeing if the number it's giving me goes up or down?...even though that number may be wrong, as long as it consistently gives me that same number it should work right? That way if it goes up I know I'm putting on fat and if it goes down I'm losing bf....

I'm not upset by this number because at least I didn't lose weight. Also I could have swore I read some where that I only want to be going up like 1# a week to make sure I'm gaining muscle and not fat...right?

Originally Posted by du510

Keep up the good work.

Will do sir.

Originally Posted by Egoatdoor

Real good idea.

I will eat my usual and report back later with dinner and day totals.

p.s. - Anyone know how to hyperlink the my journal URL in my signature so it looks like this My Journal and not like this FranktheTank's.....'Buildin MusclE'

FrankTheTank's Journal

Originally Posted by 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.

I might try to eliminate the pre-workout to see how I feel. I usually feel fine have a tbs. PB or other kind of nutbutter pre-workout. Maybe because I don't workout until 1.5-2hrs after my pre-workout meal.

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..
If you are doing SLDL then that is fine. Have you tried SLDL with dumbbells? I think they hit the hams better.

OK wait I'm confused....your bulking or cutting?

Your diet def needs some revamping....not the best choice of meal placements and stuff but thats just my opinion. Also...you like what 140lbs right now just eat what ever your little heart desires if your bulking....take in the pastas the meats the potatoes and anythign you damn near feel like eating! Cheese....mmmmm.....ranch sauce on the chicken wrap damn straight!

But now that is just me and I was never keen on staying lean and always wanted that I'm thick as hell look. I was to in your shoes a few years back....went from 250lbs to 150lbs in under a year with no weights and just looked like shit. Then I started working out and just eating like a damn animal....and yes I'm the same height as you 5'6". I am currently like 205 right now though and cutting.

Had to bring my sis to the airport, so kind of had to have a quick/sucky dinner..

- 1 tbsp pb
- zone bar...
- 12oz water

Today's Totals: 2068cal - 204p - 199.5c - 50.5f

I know tonight's dinner sucked, but tomorrow's will be better trust me....planning on some chicken with vegetables/salad and some tasty yams!

- Anyone subscribe to Muscle & Fitness Magazine or buy it at the store? In the Feb 06 issue, there's an interesting routine in there for those looking to bulk...involves routines which feature progressively higher sets and reps as the program moves along each week. Don't feel like typing it all up, but when I get my scanner working, maybe I'll post it. I was thinking about maybe starting it tomorrow, but wasn't sure...still not.

Originally Posted by du510

FrankTheTank's Journal

Still can't do it...I'm a dumbass when it comes to computer stuff...even though I bet this is easy as hell to do...when I try to put it in, it is still giving me the URL tag instead of FrankTheTank's Journal.

Originally Posted by Grant_73

If you are doing SLDL then that is fine. Have you tried SLDL with dumbbells? I think they hit the hams better.

Never tried with DBs yet, but will definitely give it a shot.

Originally Posted by DeadBolt

OK wait I'm confused....your bulking or cutting?

Your diet def needs some revamping....not the best choice of meal placements and stuff but thats just my opinion. Also...you like what 140lbs right now just eat what ever your little heart desires if your bulking....take in the pastas the meats the potatoes and anything you damn near feel like eating! Cheese....mmmmm.....ranch sauce on the chicken wrap damn straight!

But now that is just me and I was never keen on staying lean and always wanted that I'm thick as hell look. I was to in your shoes a few years back....went from 250lbs to 150lbs in under a year with no weights and just looked like shit. Then I started working out and just eating like a damn animal....and yes I'm the same height as you 5'6". I am currently like 205 right now though and cutting.

I'm trying to eat as clean as possible now, that way when it comes time to cut I won't have that much excess fat to worry about...and seeing how I was really fat before, I'd hate to have to do it all over again because I ate the wrong things. My metabolism sucks ass . Next Friday however, I was thinking of having my 200g of protein as usual, but for the rest of my calories I was gonna have about 7 of those Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Cookies to get my 2000 cal....been forever since I had a cheat meal or day...what you think?......to much at once?

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School starts again tomorrow ....actually this semester should be easier and more interesting...one of my classes is a nutrition class and the other a diet/exercise class. Maybe I'll finally learn what to eat ......Good thing is, class tomorrow starts at 6:30pm so it won't interfere with my workout, which is pull day again...if I don't switch it up to the magazine routine.....