Andalite

hi everyone

i posted my injuries on here a while ago. incase y'all missed the thread, here is the link: http://www.bodybuilding.net/open-con...yone-4518.html

now, i started my training today...

this is the basic routine outline. special thanks to Eric for guiding me once again. of course as a DISCLAIMER: everything here is mine and i have chosen what to do so no bashing Eric. not that he cant handle it, but i dont want it.

moving on, this is the program:

Monday - Heavy Day
Squats 5x5
Bench 5x5
Rows 5x5

Wednesday - Light Day
Squats 2-3x5 @ 75% of Monday
Military Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

Friday - Medium Day
Squats - work upto a heavy 5 rep set which may or may not be a PR
Bench - work upto a heavy 3 rep set which may or may not be a PR
Pull-Ups 3 sets to failure

this is the program..

i will officially begin this program come Monday the 15th of January.

i have not worked out for the last month and i am noticibly weaker than before. also, because of my shoulder injury my hand position on the squat needs to be worked on so as to have my elbows pointed straight down.

therefore, i plan on starting really light on squats and working my way up.

i hope by the end of 4 months i am able to reach where i used to be. i know the path before me is going to test my mental strength and my determination and with your help i hope i can achieve my goals.

peace

Andalite

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Andalite

Week 1 - Monday - HEAVY Day

The Basic Lifts:

Olympic Squats 5 x 5
TT --->>> 185 lbs

Flat Bench Press 5 x 5
TT --->>> 140 lbs

JS Rows 5 x 5
TT --->>> 135 lbs

TOTAL POUNDAGE
TT --->>> 11,500 lbs

The Accessory Lifts:

Standing situps with lat machine
TT --->>> 40 lbs @ 5 x 15

Reverse Hyperextensions
TT --->>> 25 lbs @ 1 x 15

Diet:

10:40 am --->>> BBQ Chicken
2:00 pm --->>> Sushi
4:00 pm --->>> 3 scoops weightgainer
6:30 pm --->>> 2 scoops whey (pre-workout)
8:00 pm --->>> 2 scoops weightgainer
9:00 pm --->>> grilled chicken sandwich w/ large fries + coke
11:30 pm --->>> salad

Overall Impression:

good workout. felt pretty strong. woke up because of a nightmare last night at 5:30 am and i havent been able to sleep since. im gonna crash early tonight (that means before 2:00 am).

its like 28F out here and for someone like me who is used to Bombay's 85s this is FREEEZING cold...damn depressing really...

as for the workout: it was decent. im still new to the benching but i guess ill get better with practice. js rows were a little difficult but i think ill manage.

on the whole it was a good day - except for the nightmare

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ironman512

good with the rehab bro

Andalite

thanks a ton

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DOMS

What does "TT --->>> 40 lbs @ 5 x 15" mean? Are you doing 15 sets on a "heavy" day?

Andalite

oh sorry i didnt explain.

TT = This Time

40 lbs @ 5 x 15 means i did 5 sets each of 15 reps with 40 lbs per set.

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DOMS

You should drop the 'TT'.

You notation is ambigous. Try reps @ weight x sets.

The color and indenting are nice touches, but the make your entry busy and hard to read (especially for an idiot savant like me).

What's your body weight?

Andalite

no, i cant drop the TT because next time when i lift today's TT will become LT = last time. it is the best way for me to know if i have made any short term progress or not. to look at long term practice ill have to read the whole journal from the first post. and progressing for me is the key.

dude, THAT is abbiguous. next time ill just write:

40 lbs @ 5 sets x 15 reps

lol...

180 at the moment.

before this i was doing DC Training for 4 months and i went from 165 to 180. i dunno how much is clean, but if u want to check my progress pm me and ill send u the link to my journal on www.intensemuscle.com

thanks a ton for dropping by. please visit my journal on a regular basis.

thanks again

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Double D

Solid workout. I shall be following along and as you know adding what I think is total bs. Nice to have ya aboard.

Andalite

whatdya mean adding what u think is total BS??? fuck u...if u have something on ur mind, please put it down bro..u know i respect ur opinions...!

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Double D

You getting plenty of efa's in your diet? I saw your last meal was salad, you ought to have some almonds with it. You know almonds increase testosterone?!?!

Andalite

hmm....i had no clue....im a college student living on a very tight budget...if my campus cafeteria has almonds ill have them for sure tonight

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Double D

If not almonds then some type of nuts, but almonds are best. Each meal other than your post of pre workout meals should have some type of efa's in it. efa's=mostly nuts and oils. Olive being the best imo. Obvioulsy my favorite nut is almonds.

Brutus_G

Hey we are about the same weight! Good luck with your program Andalite. I agree 100% with D healthy fats and fats in general are a must. Fuck trans fats. Btw i think the best nuts are walnuts since they have a decent amount of ALA in them which can help with insulin sensitivity.

"My main objective is to be professional but to kill him." "I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him [Lennox Lewis]. I want to kill people."- Mike Tyson

Andalite

Week 1 - Wednesday - LIGHT Day

The Basic Lifts:

Olympic Squats 3 x 5
TT --->>> 145 lbs

Military Press 2 x 5, 1 x 10
TT --->>> 105 lbs , 65 lbs

Deadlifts 1 x 5
TT --->>> 225 lbs

TOTAL POUNDAGE
TT --->>> 5000 lbs

The Accessory Lifts:

Plate Side Bends
TT --->>> 25 lbs per hand @ 2 sets x 15 reps

Sit-Ups
TT --->>> BW @ 2 sets x 25 reps

Flat Leg Raises
TT --->>> BW @ 1 set x 15 reps

Diet:

10:40 am --->>> 1 scoop weightgainer + 1/2 hershey's chocolate (i couldnt resist)
2:00 pm --->>> HUGE amounts of nachos with cheese, black beans and jalapeneos
5:00 pm --->>> 1 scoops weightgainer (pre-workout) with banana
5:10 pm --->>> 3 BCAA pills
7:15 pm --->>> 2 sccops whey + 1 BCAA pill
8:00 pm --->>> sushi
9:30 pm --->>> sushi
11:30 pm --->>> salad

Overall Impression:

im happy. it was a good workout. im glad im focussing more on abs and lower back. im also doing all my rehab work as planned and after my workout im doing stretches for quads, hams and back dc style. because of my shoulder i cant do fascia stretches for my chest so im doing dynamic stretches instead. i still need to get that approved by my doc because i forgot to ask her about the stretching so im a bit cautious with these at the moment...

as for the workout: im happy with squats. legs are sore, but 145 was not too difficult at all. military was a bit hard. probably because of my shoulder problem. deadlifts are ok. i know its a huge step down from 315, but i plan on increasing these by 20 lbs till i hit 315 after which the good old 5 lbs increments

good session i think

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Brutus_G

Some nice over head pressing Andalite. Seems like every one who lifts eventually has shoulder problems.

"My main objective is to be professional but to kill him." "I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him [Lennox Lewis]. I want to kill people."- Mike Tyson

Andalite

i was born with weak shoulders. by lifting i actually helped strengthen my muscles.

it was the 4 hours of judo per week plus 6 hours of squash plus 3 hours of swimming ALONG with 7 hours of gym per week which fucked me. i should never have done any of those other activitied so religiously.

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Brutus_G

That does seem like alot any reason why you did so much.

"My main objective is to be professional but to kill him." "I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him [Lennox Lewis]. I want to kill people."- Mike Tyson

Andalite

well, i love martial arts. so that accounts for judo. as for swimming: i am at peace in the water. as for squash: i took it up because i got the opportunity to train with india's #2 ranking national level squash player...for free...so well...couldnt resist...

i was a brash 16 year old when i did all of this shit....

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Brutus_G

I know what you mean i did some stupid shit last year. 15 rep squats, gaining 3 pounds a week,DC,ignored my lats,..... a lot of stuff lol.

"My main objective is to be professional but to kill him." "I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him [Lennox Lewis]. I want to kill people."- Mike Tyson

Andalite

DC was the best thing i ever did. i went from 165 to 180 in 14 weeks. it was worth it in every way.

but buying practical programming by mark rippetoe changed my goal in life. hence i am now a 5x5 trainee

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Andalite

Week 1 - Friday - MEDIUM Day

The Basic Lifts:

Olympic Squats

Warm-Ups:
free-hand front squats: BW x 25
regular squats: barbell x 15, 135x5, 185x1, 225x1

Work Sets:
245 lbs x 1 rep
265 lbs x 1 rep
275 lbs x 1 rep
185 lbs x 10 reps

Flat Bench Press

Warm-Ups:
bar x 15
135 x 5
155 x 2

Work Sets:
185 lbs x 2 reps
165 lbs x 1 rep x 5 sets
135 lbs x 6 reps

Pull-Ups 3 x failure
TT --->>> 5 + 4 + 3 = 12
LT --->>> 3 + 3 + 3 = 9

TOTAL POUNDAGE
TT --->>> 6615 lbs
LT --->>> 4400 lbs

The Accessory Lifts:

Sit-Ups
TT --->>> BW @ 3 sets x 15 reps

Cable Pull-Throughs
TT --->>> 17.5 @ 1 sets x 15 reps

Reverse Hyperextensions
TT --->>> 25 lbs @ 1 set x 10 reps

Diet:

9:40 am --->>> 1 scoop weightgainer + 1/2 hershey's chocolate (i couldnt resist again)
2:00 pm --->>> LOTS of chineese. my stomach was bloated.
5:15 pm --->>> 1 scoops weightgainer (pre-workout) with banana
5:45 pm --->>> 3 BCAA pills
7:15 pm --->>> 2 sccops whey + 1 BCAA pill
8:00 pm --->>> large chicken grilled sanwhich with lots of fries and coke

Overall Impression:

ok today was a good session. my oly squats were fantastic and i am so damn happy to know that my strength is returning. 275 x 1 was a masterpiece. i wish my gym wasnt so crowdned with the frat boys and the football team that i could have taken a video...i met an interesting dude today (i knwo that sounds gay but ill explain later)

diet was ok....im just trying to eat as much as i economically can....my weight however has gone from 182 to 180...thats ok really...im just making an observation...im not here to bulk/cut on this program. i dont want to confuse goals: i am eating to lift heavy. period. what happens happens.

ok so i met this dude today at the gym.....ive seen him plenty of times before and we usually just nod to each other a hi...he's like 5'10 200+ lbs and im 5'7 @ 180...so yeah: he's massive compared to me....well, he was doing safey bar low box squats with 4 plates on each side (aka 425 lbs) for reps and i happened to notice because apart from him and me everyone was ebnch pressing with 135 lbs (yes thats why Trinity has a D3 football team) and i needed a spot for my bench....so i ask him to help me out coz he seems to know what he's doing....

ok so he walks over and helps me with the 185. then we begin talking (coz im a really friendsly guy - and thats not meant in a gay way) and i learn that he's been lifting for the last 9 years (he's 26 years old) and he just graduated with a degree in weightlifting/exercise (put some technically correct word here coz i don remember his exact words) and he's a certified powerlifting coach who works with UT SA....well, he asked me if i wanted any tips in bench pressing and i was like hell yeah coz my bench sucks balls.

so he gave me the following tips:
1.) lower back MUST be tight (i knew this one)
2.) he likes to press against the sides of the powercage while he's lying down so that his shoulder blades retract fully (i didnt know this part)
3.) when he grips the bar his goal is to pull it apart. this is difficult to explain i words but ill try. the deal is to push outwards while gripping the bar tight.
4.) not to descend after clearing it right away (i read this right now in kethnaab's rippetoe FAQ)

well, these tips were just great and i am so fucking happy that i have finally learnt how to bench correctly. so i used his princples and i did the 5 singles on the flat bench with 165...easy as hell....i could have easily pulled off a 3x5 with that weight but i refrained because i have no intention of increasing my poundage today and reduce it next week lol...

so i know this is anti-climatic for some of u who would have loved to rib me on this but bottom line is: i learnt how to bench press correctly and that is something pretty big for me considering i have a 1RM of less than 200 with a Deadlift 1rm of 365 and oly squat of 300.

oh, and after my workout i spoek to him for a few minutes on different techniqes and i took a shot in the dark and told him that by the looks of his exercise selection of today id say he was doing Westside...well, he laughed and said he was on Westside...so guys: i guess reading all those articles on www.westside-barbell.com finally paid off...

the only sad thing about this is that the whole fucking gym was so full today that i couldnt video tape my lifts...oh well, next week and those who will get the pm with the links know urselves so no probs there

peace

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Archangel

Glad to have ya on board BRother Andalite!!! Sorry to hear of your injury, Best Wishes on the re-hab too!!! Nice, VERY nice progression so far, Interesting routine, I'm followin along if ya don't mind!!!

"I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

"For NOTHING is impossible with GOD" - Luke 1:37

Brutus_G

Some nice singles on the squats buddy. Im impressed with the chins could you always chin or did you work up? Howd the reverse hypers feel?

"My main objective is to be professional but to kill him." "I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him [Lennox Lewis]. I want to kill people."- Mike Tyson

Andalite

thanks dude its good to be here... i like this board....its changed a lot since 8 months ago when i first came here and didnt like the BS going around...

thanks. i give full credit to my mate Eric and to Mark Rippetoe for his awesome book.

please....hop on....i havent been taking any vids coz im only on week 1 but by next week ill start posting vids of my small ass lifts

thanks for subscribing...its great to have u on board

thanks mate im happy...i couldve bumped up the load by another 25 lbs easy...but i dont want to get too far ahead of myself in week 1 itself if u know what i mean...

and next week vids are coming for sure

1.) im not doing chins. im doing pull-ups. chins are easy. pull-ups arent (im glorifying myself hahha )

2.) im doing them for the first time in my life and they are fucking hard!

very taxing....even more so since i did them right after pull throughs.

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Andalite

i saw Babel today and it was beyond fantastic.....i loved the film.

this year, if i have to put my top 3 movies i would place them (i am rating them out of 5):
1.) blood diamond - 4.5
2.) the departed - 4.0
3.) babel - 3.5

ive probably forgotten some movies (i am a HUGE movie buff) but ill be adding them in later...

right now, if i have to choose a movie for the oscars im gonna go with blood diamond for sure. ive heard a lot of good stuff about children of men but i havent gone to see it because somehow the name is turning me off lol

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Brutus_G

My favorite movies in no order

Fight club
13th warrior
Queen of the damned
Bruce almighty
The one
God father (the first one)
Transporter (first one)
That's all i can think of right now ,but i got more.

"My main objective is to be professional but to kill him." "I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him [Lennox Lewis]. I want to kill people."- Mike Tyson

Andalite

from ur list the one's which i dont like enough to put as my BEST movies of all time are:
1.) queen of the damned
2.) brude almighty
3.) he one
4.) transporter (all of them suck)

other than that ur list is good

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Andalite

i just realized: B_G: this was my list for movies in 2006-2007-ish....not my FAVOURITE movies of all time!

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Brutus_G

LOL so what that leaves like 4. So what are your all time favorites?

"My main objective is to be professional but to kill him." "I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him [Lennox Lewis]. I want to kill people."- Mike Tyson