DangerousK's Road to Dangerous Size!

[DangerousK]

Hey everyone!

This is the first time I've ever made an online workout log before. It seems like an awesome way to keep track of my progress, and gain extra motivation as well as helping motivate others, so needless to say I'm really excited to get started!

Since I'm new here, I figured I'd start off with a little info about myself. I'm 18 years old, and have dabbled with weightlifting for just over a year now, but only recently began getting serious about it. I was always a skinny kid until my eating habits started catching up with me, at which point it didn't take long before I started looking like the Michelin Man (haha). Needless to say, I ended up becoming extremely, severely depressed about both the way I looked and the way I felt, and ended up going on a starvation diet in hopes of losing the weight. I eventually did lose a bunch of weight, almost all of which, unfortunately, was muscle. By the time that was all said and done, I was the absolute epitome of skinny-fat; probably 160 pounds at 25% body fat. Since then, through some half-hearted working out and dieting, I've managed to put on a little bit of muscle and drop some fat, but I'm still nowhere near where I'd like to be physique-wise and have decided it's time to go balls to the wall with my training and eating! My goals are basically to get as big and strong as possible, and with the extra motivation and ability to talk to the other members of this forum that starting this journal/log will give me, I'm as confident as ever that my goals will be achieved!

Anyways, now it's time to get down to the important stuff.

Stats (As of Sept. 19th, 2009)
Age - 18
Height - 6'
Weight - 168 lbs (Not my actual weight, but it's within a pound or two. I will update this tomorrow as soon as I have the ability to weigh myself)

Neck - 15"
Shoulders - 44 1/2"
Chest - 38 1/2"
Right Bicep - 13 1/4"
Left Bicep - 13"
Right Forearm - 10 6/8"
Left Forearm - 10 6/8"
Waist - 31"
Hips - 35"
Right Thigh - 22"
Left Thigh - 22"
Right Calf - 14 1/4"
Left Calf - 14 1/4"

Diet
For simplicity's sake, my diet will be essentially the same every day. I'll be eating roughly 4000 calories per day, the majority of which will be coming from the following foods: steak, lean ground beef, chicken, canned tuna, salmon, low-fat cottage cheese, protein powder, milk, oatmeal, brown rice, potatoes, fruits, vegetables and olive oil.

I will post a more detailed version of my diet up soon for everyone to check out and critique.

Training
My training is going to be based around all compound movements with some isolation exercises here and there. It's pretty much a slightly modified version of Starting Strength. I will be lifting weights three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), alternating between two different workouts (Week one is workout A on Monday and Friday, workout B on Wednesday. Week two is workout B on Monday and Friday, workout A on Wednesday, etc.) Here is what they look like:

Workout A
Squats - 3 x 5
Flat BB Bench Presses - 4 x 5
Bent BB Rows - 4 x 5
Deadlifts - 1 x 5

Workout B
Squats - 3 x 5
Standing BB Military Presses - 4 x 5
Power Cleans - 5 x 3

I will also be doing a couple sets of DB curls and french presses every Friday in addition to my workout.

Anyways, I think that's about it for now! Tomorrow will be the first day I start my log, and I can't wait! Let's build some MUSCLES, baby!!

(By the way, I will be posting a funny/motivational thought, quote or joke at the end of each day, so I hope you guys will enjoy them! I guess I might as well start today. )

Thought of the day: Most people with journals on this forum are seeking to "bring sexy back". Unfortunately for me, I'm going to have to bust my tail just to get it to show up in the first place.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Gazhole]

Welcome to IM, and good luck with your goals! Starting a training log is possibly the best thing you can do - the journals section is fantastic, everybody is here to motivate everybody else.

On the whole you seem to have the right idea about diet and training - lots of calories and big compound movements. But i would possibly tweak a few things in your training:

Do 4 sets of Deadlifts on day two, and take them out of day one. Posterior chain work is essential, and two sets a week isnt going to balance out those squats very well. Squatting 3 times a week may also be a little too much, so this fixes both! Could add a set to those squats on day 1 too.

Other than that, just move power cleans to the start of your workout - explosive movements that focus on speed should always be first, when your body is fresh for the session, to avoid mistakes due to being tired and the injuries that can happen in that situation.

Otherwise, your program is pretty good. Simple and focused on the right things.

 

[DangerousK]

Welcome to IM, and good luck with your goals! Starting a training log is possibly the best thing you can do - the journals section is fantastic, everybody is here to motivate everybody else.

On the whole you seem to have the right idea about diet and training - lots of calories and big compound movements. But i would possibly tweak a few things in your training:

Do 4 sets of Deadlifts on day two, and take them out of day one. Posterior chain work is essential, and two sets a week isnt going to balance out those squats very well. Squatting 3 times a week may also be a little too much, so this fixes both! Could add a set to those squats on day 1 too.

Other than that, just move power cleans to the start of your workout - explosive movements that focus on speed should always be first, when your body is fresh for the session, to avoid mistakes due to being tired and the injuries that can happen in that situation.

Otherwise, your program is pretty good. Simple and focused on the right things.

Thanks a lot, man! Glad to be here!

And thank you for the suggestions on how to change my workout for the better. Doing only one set of deadlifts did seem a little less than optimal to me as well, but I was worried that doing a bunch of sets of them along with the power cleans might have been overkill. I really like your idea of leaving them out of day one and doing 4 sets on day 2, though, so that's exactly what I've decided to do.

Anyways, I just officially finished workout one, so I wanted to let you guys know how it went! Here goes nothing!

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 95
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 95
Set 1 - 5 x 135
Set 2 - 6 x 135
Set 3 - 6 x 135

Flat BB Bench Presses
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 95
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 95
Set 1 - 5 x 135
Set 2 - 5 x 135
Set 3 - 10 x 135
Set 4 - 8 x 135

Bent BB Rows
Warm up set - 5 x 65
Set 1 - 5 x 95
Set 2 - 5 x 95
Set 3 - 10 x 95
Set 4 - 10 x 95

I was really pleased with how this workout went. This was my first time doing barbell squats and bench presses in a long time, so it felt great to do them again. I was also really happy with how many reps I was able to get on the last two sets of bench presses, and I'm definitely sure I could have pumped out a few more on both sets. My triceps used to give out on me way before my chest or delts when doing them, but I didn't feel that at all today, so needless to say I was really happy about that.

One not so good thing that I noticed though, while doing squats, was how weak my core really is; specifically my lower back but my abdominals as well. It took some of effort for me to keep my back straight and prevent myself from leaning forward after just a couple reps, even with a relatively light weight. I get the feeling that adding in those extra sets of deadlifts on day two will really help my core strength, though, so I'm excited to see how that goes.

Feedback and (hopefully constructive ) criticism are always welcome and appreciated! (For anyone interested, I will also be posting a detailed version of my diet later this evening.)

Thanks again for reading, everyone!

 

[DangerousK]

As promised, here's the diet I plan on following. If you guys/girls see anything you think I should change about it, please let me know!

Meal One
1.5 scoops whey
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup (dry) oats
1 tbsp. olive oil

Meal totals - 626 calories, 22.7g fat, 60.2g carbs, 47.2g protein

Meal Two
3/4 cup cooked chicken breast
1.5 cups (dry) whole wheat egg noodles
1 tbsp. olive oil

Meal totals - 531 calories, 18.6g fat, 45.8g carbs, 41g protein

Meal Three - Pre-Workout
1.5 scoops whey
1 cup milk
1/4 cup (dry) brown rice or the equivalent amount of oatmeal
1 medium banana
1 tbsp. peanut butter

Meal totals - 655 calories, 15.5g fat, 83g carbs, 46g protein

Meal Four - Post-Workout
2 scoops whey
1/2 cup (dry) oats
50g dextrose

Meal totals - 665 calories, 8g fat, 100g carbs, 49g protein

Meal Five
175g (raw weight) extra lean ground beef
1.5 cups canned tomatoes
3/4 cup canned kidney beans

Meal totals - 539 calories, 18.7g fat, 44.4g carbs, 49g protein

Meal Six
1 can salmon
1/4 cup (dry) brown rice

Meal totals - 576 calories, 22.7g fat, 35.7g carbs, 48.4g protein

Meal Seven
1 cup 1% cottage cheese
1 slice flax bread
1 tbsp. peanut butter

Meal totals - 418 calories, 14.4g fat, 31.3g carbs, 40g protein

On non-workout days, I'll just swap out the pre and post workout meals for a meal like the others listed in my meal plan above. I also eat (mostly green) vegetables throughout the day, but I haven't counted them in with the other foods (I figure the calories are minimal enough that it won't really make a difference anyways).

The totals for the whole day are approximately 4000 calories, 120g fat, 400g carbs and 320g protein.

Anyways, if you think it looks great, let me know; and if you think it looks horrible...let me know!

Quote of the day: Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Thanks!!

 

[Gazhole]

Looks like a good workout, man! Nice job

Don't underestimate the benefits of dedicated core work though, things like planks, supermans, side planks etc will really help your core stability.

The squat is a tricky movement, i've only recently been getting to grips with it properly. Just try and identify where the problem is then look at trying to fix it.

Posting a vid might be a good idea if you're not sure of how to fix it.

 

[DangerousK]

Looks like a good workout, man! Nice job

Don't underestimate the benefits of dedicated core work though, things like planks, supermans, side planks etc will really help your core stability.

The squat is a tricky movement, i've only recently been getting to grips with it properly. Just try and identify where the problem is then look at trying to fix it.

Posting a vid might be a good idea if you're not sure of how to fix it.

Thanks a lot!

That was actually something I was just going to ask (regarding the core work). I knew doing 100's of crunches a day wouldn't work, but just if it would be a good idea to add in a little bit of core training at the end of each workout. I guess I got my answer!

Anyways, without further adieu, I give you workout number two! (Hey, that rhymes! )

Power Cleans
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 80
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 80
Set 1 - 3 x 95
Set 2 - 5 x 95
Set 3 - 3 x 95
Set 4 - 3 x 95
Set 5 - 5 x 95

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 95
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 95
Set 1 - 5 x 140
Set 2 - 5 x 140
Set 3 - 6 x 140

BB Military Presses
Warm up set 1 - 6 x 70
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 60
Set 1 - 8 x 80
Set 2 - 8 x 80
Set 3 - 7 x 80
Set 4 - 8 x 80

Neck and Core Work
Neck Bridge - Held for 1:10
Situps - 50
Plank - Held for 60 seconds
Side Planks - Held for 30 seconds/side
Neck crunches - 50

Again, I was pretty happy with this workout. My legs felt more sore than usual today, but I'm sure that's just because it's been so long since I've squatted before. I could have went heavier on the power cleans, but I decided to start light and really get used to perfecting the form on them.

I'm pretty sure that my form is good on the squats, but they are tricky to get down. If I continue having trouble with them I will definitely try posting up a video to see if anyone on here can help me correct my form.

Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm going to do my best to get some "before" pictures of myself put up in this thread soon, which I will be updating every two weeks. I'm hoping that will let both myself and all of you get a visual idea of my progress to go along with how I'm progressing in the gym. I'm also going to be updating my measurements every 4 weeks, for anyone who cares.

Anyways, I'm off to do some stretching outside (it might be one of the last hot, sunny days of the year, so I want to take advantage of it)! Hopefully I'll talk to you guys soon, and as always, thanks for reading!

 

[DangerousK]

I've been feeling pretty crappy today. I went to go visit my mom at her place last night (I ended up staying overnight), and there was literally no food there. Because of that, my diet has pretty much consisted of Chinese food, chips and chocolate from around 8 pm last night to 4 pm today. I also got a really awful sleep (I couldn't get to bed until around 6 am, and after that kept waking up every 20 minutes or so). I've felt really tired, sluggish and sick all day, so needless to say my workout wasn't a great one. But here's how it went down:

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 95
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 95
Set 1 - 5 x 145
Set 2 - 5 x 145
Set 3 - 7 x 145

Flat BB Bench
Warm up set 1 - 7 x 95
Warm up set 2 - 7 x 95
Set 1 - 7 x 140
Set 2 - 7 x 140
Set 3 - 6 x 140
Set 4 - 9 x 140

Bent BB Rows
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 75
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 75
Set 1 - 7 x 100
Set 2 - 7 x 100
Set 3 - 7 x 100
Set 4 - 10 x 100

Deadlifts
Set 1 - 5 x 175
Set 2 - 5 x 175
Set 3 - 5 x 175
Set 4 - 6 x 175

Dips
Set 1 - 10 x Body weight

DB Hammer Curls
Set 1 - 8 x 27 (plus dumbbell bar)
Set 2 - 8 x 27 (plus dumbbell bar)

Standing DB French Presses
Set 1 - 8 x 25

Neck and Core Work
Neck Bridge - Held for 1:17
Situps - 50
Planks - Held for 1:10
Side Planks - Held for 45 seconds/side
Situps - 50
Neck crunches - 50

Everything felt a little heavier than usual today, which is probably because of the crap sleep I got. After eating super clean for the last little while, I really forgot how awful eating junk food makes me feel. I definitely have no desire to cheat again for a long, long time after last night. Haha.

I'm looking forward to a weekend of rest, but I think the hardest part of this routine will be limiting myself to only 3 lifting sessions a week. I'm addicted! They're just way too much fun.

Quote of the day: Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.

 

[DangerousK]

Week 2!

Just finished today's workout! Here it is:

Power Cleans
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 65
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 65
Set 1 - 5 x 100
Set 2 - 6 x 100
Set 3 - 7 x 100
Set 4 - 5 x 100
Set 5 - 6 x 100

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 100
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 100
Set 1 - 5 x 145
Set 2 - 6 x 145
Set 3 - 7 x 145

BB Military Presses
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 65
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 65
Set 1 - 8 x 85
Set 2 - 8 x 85
Set 3 - 8 x 85
Set 4 - 8 x 85

I was really happy with this workout. The squats felt great. I can't wait until Wednesday to do it again.

I'm also going to be doing more core work later tonight, so I will update today's workout as soon as I am done with it.

Thanks for reading!

 

[DangerousK]

Here's how today's workout went:

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 105
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 105
Set 1 - 5 x 150
Set 2 - 5 x 150
Set 3 - 7 x 150

Flat BB Bench
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 105
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 105
Set 1 - 6 x 145
Set 2 - 5 x 145
Set 3 - 6 x 145
Set 4 - 7 x 145

Bent BB Rows
Warm up set 1 - 6 x 75
Warm up set 2 - 7 x 75
Set 1 - 7 x 105
Set 2 - 7 x 105
Set 3 - 8 x 105
Set 4 - 8 x 105

Deadlifts
Set 1 - 5 x 195
Set 2 - 5 x 195
Set 3 - 5 x 195
Set 4 - 5 x 195

Everything was going good until my first or second set of deadlifts. I felt a sharp pain right at the base of my spine (only on the right side), but still managed to finish the other two sets. Unfortunately it hasn't gone away yet (although the pain has dulled a little), and it really hurts whenever I bend forward. I'm assuming it's because my form was bad, but it felt like I was keeping my back straight (and I was using a pretty light weight), so I'm not sure. Maybe my lower back is even weaker than I previously thought...which is hard for even me to imagine.

Anyways, I'm hoping that it goes away by Friday, but we'll see. If anyone has an idea of what might be causing the pain (muscle strain, pinched nerve, etc.), that would be awesome.

Thanks!

 

[DangerousK]

Just finished my workout a few hours ago. I was going to skip it for today because my back was still sore, but decided to give it a try and luckily my workout went well. Here it is:

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 95
Set 1 - 5 x 135
Set 2 - 5 x 155
Set 3 - 5 x 155
Set 4 - 6 x 155

Power Cleans
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 75
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 75
Set 1 - 5 x 105
Set 2 - 5 x 105
Set 3 - 5 x 105
Set 4 - 5 x 105
Set 5 - 6 x 105

BB Military Presses
Warm up set 1 - 6 x 65
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 65
Set 1 - 8 x 90
Set 2 - 8 x 90
Set 3 - 8 x 90
Set 4 - 7 x 90

BB Shrugs
Set 1 - 10 x 135
Set 2 - 6 x 185
Set 3 - 5 x 225 (alternated grip)
Set 4 - 8 x 185
Set 5 - 8 x 185
Set 6 - 15 x 135

Standing Tricep DB French Presses
Set 1 - 8 x 25

Tricep Pushdowns
Set 1 - 8 x 50
Set 2 - 10 x 40

DB Hammer Curls
Set 1 - 10 x 27 (plus dumbbell bar)
Set 2 - 9 x 27 (plus dumbbell bar)

I was going to do some ab work, but as soon as I started doing crunches on a decline bench I got a shooting pain at the bottom of my back, so I figured it'd be best to just stop and wait until Monday when my back is (hopefully) back to 100%.

(Also, my diet pretty much sucked this week. Not that I ate bad or anything, I just didn't eat nearly as much as I should have been. I have to make a better effort of stuffing my face from now on. )

 

[DangerousK]

Just finished my workout. I know it's really late, but at least I got it done. Haha. Here's how it went:

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 115
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 115
Set 1 - 5 x 160
Set 2 - 5 x 160
Set 3 - 5 x 160
Set 4 - 6 x 160

Flat BB Bench
Warm up set 1 - 6 x 115
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 115
Set 1 - 7 x 150
Set 2 - 7 x 150
Set 3 - 5 x 150
Set 4 - 5 x 150

Bent BB Rows
Warm up set 1 - 7 x 75
Warm up set 2 - 7 x 75
Set 1 - 7 x 110
Set 2 - 7 x 110
Set 3 - 7 x 110
Set 4 - 8 x 110

Inching ever closer to new personal records. If I can keep adding weight to all of my lifts at the same rate as I have been so far, I should hit new records for squats and bent rows on Friday, and a new record on bench presses by next Wednesday. Let's do this, baby!

On the downside, I still haven't been getting in as many calories as I should be. I think I might cut back on my calories from whole food and try a GOMAD (gallon of milk a day) diet for a little while. It's probably not ideal, but downing all of that oatmeal, rice and potatoes is making eating every two to three hours a real challenge for me.

Anyways, hope everyone's workouts have been going well! Thanks again for reading!

 

[DangerousK]

Just finished today's workout. Here's how it went:

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 115
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 115
Set 1 - 5 x 165
Set 2 - 5 x 165
Set 3 - 6 x 165

Power Cleans
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 75
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 75
Set 1 - 5 x 110
Set 2 - 3 x 110
Set 3 - 4 x 110
Set 4 - 4 x 110
Set 5 - 4 x 110

BB Military Presses
Warm up set 1 - 6 x 65
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 65
Set 1 - 7 x 95
Set 2 - 7 x 95
Set 3 - 7 x 95
Set 4 - 7 x 95

My previous record for squats was 165 for 5 reps, and I managed to get 6 reps on my last set, so I'm really happy about that. I guess I could call that a new personal record, but I want to save that until I hit 170 on Friday.

And just as a side note, man are my glutes ever sore! Haha. I mean, I can feel my quads and hamstrings working when I squat, too, but I'm going as deep as I can with them and my glutes just burn like crazy. Haha.

 

[DangerousK]

Just finished today's workout! Here's how it went:

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 115
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 115
Set 1 - 5 x 170
Set 2 - 5 x 170
Set 3 - 7 x 170 - New personal record!

BB Bench Presses
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 115
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 115
Set 1 - 6 x 155
Set 2 - 5 x 155
Set 3 - 5 155
Set 4 - 6 x 155

Bent BB Rows
Warm up set 1 - 7 x 75
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 75
Set 1 - 7 x 115
Set 2 - 8 x 115
Set 3 - 8 x 115
Set 4 - 8 x 115 - New personal record!

Deadlifts
Set 1 - 5 x 205
Set 2 - 5 x 205
Set 3 - 5 x 205
Set 4 - 6 x 205

BB Shrugs
Set 1 - 10 x 185
Set 2 - 10 x 185
Set 3 - 11 x 185

Dips
Set 1 - 10 x Bodyweight
Set 2 - 8 x Bodyweight

EZ Bar French Presses
Set 1 - 8 x 50 plus bar

DB French Presses
Set 1 - 9 x 25

DB Hammer Curls
Set 1 - 9 x 29.5 plus dumbbell bar
Set 2 - 8 x 29.5 plus dumbbell bar

EZ Bar Curls
Set 1 - 8 x 60 plus EZ-curl bar

Woohoo! New personal records, baby!

I was really happy with the workout. Not only did I squat more weight than I ever have before, but I was able to do so for two more reps than I thought I could, which is awesome! I also pretty much blew past my previous record for bent BB rows (which was 110 for 5 reps), so overall it went about as well as I could have hoped. On a less exciting note, even though I was able to get up all of the reps that I needed for the bench presses, it felt heavier than I thought it would. That's one lift that I've had extreme trouble increasing my weight on, so it will be interesting to see if I can hit all 4 sets of 5 at 160 lbs next Wednesday.

Also, this weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I will inevitably have to forgoe my diet for a day or two. The good news is that I'll be able to stuff my face with as much turkey I can handle, and I won't have to worry about getting enough calories.

Thanks again for reading, everyone! Take care!

 

[DangerousK]

Kind of a weird one today. I'm leaving to go see my relatives for Thanksgiving in a few hours, and I just found out I won't be able to work out again until Tuesday, so I decided to lift this morning before I left. So Monday/Tuesday will be my off days, and starting on Wednesday I'll be back on my normal schedule again. Anyways, here's how it went:

Power Cleans
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 75
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 75
Set 1 - 3 x 115
Set 2 - 4 x 115
Set 3 - 4 x 115
Set 4 - 5 x 115
Set 5 - 5 x 115

BB Military Presses
Warm up set 1 - 6 x 65
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 65
Set 1 - 7 x 100
Set 2 - 7 x 100
Set 3 - 7 x 100
Set 4 - 7 x 100

I decided to skip the squats for today since my legs were still a little burnt out from Friday's workout, and I want them to be as fresh as possible for Wednesday.

Also, I wanted to post my short(er) term goals for lifts. These are the numbers I'd like to achieve (for 5 reps) in the near future:

Squats - 225 lbs
Bench Presses - 185 lbs
BB Military Presses - 135 lbs
Power Cleans - 165 lbs
Deadlifts - 275 lbs

I don't know what kind of time frame is realistic to increase my lifts to those numbers, but I'm determined to hit them sooner rather than later.

Anyways, thanks again for reading, everyone!

 

[DangerousK]

Week 4!

Okay, I guess last workout could have been considered the first workout of week 4, but whatever.

Here's how today's workout went:

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 135
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 135
Set 1 - 5 x 185
Set 2 - 5 x 185 - New personal record!
Set 3 - 2 x 185

BB Bench Presses
Warm up set 1 - 6 x 115
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 115
Set 1 - 5 x 160
Set 2 - 5 x 160
Set 3 - 5 x 160
Set 4 - 5 x 160 - New personal record!

Bent BB Rows
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 80
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 80
Set 1 - 7 x 120
Set 2 - 6 x 120
Set 3 - 7 x 120
Set 4 - 7 x 120 - New personal record!

Deadlifts
Set 1 - 5 x 215 - New personal record!
Set 2 - 5 x 205

I ran out of the smaller plates (2.5's, 5's and 10's), so I figured instead of using 170 again on the squats today, I'd try going for 185, and it almost paid off! Haha. I managed to get in all five reps on my first two sets (barely), but got stuck on the very bottom of my 3rd rep on the 3rd set. What I noticed is that it was extremely hard for me to get the weight from the bottom position to the point where my thighs are just below parallel to the ground, but from that point I can just shoot the weight up no problem. Once my glutes and lower back get stronger, I think I'll be able to lift the 225 I'm after, which would be way too awesome.

I was also planning on doing 4 sets of deadlifts (as usual), but the back pain I was experiencing earlier came back, so I figured it was best to just stop before I made it worse. I really made sure to keep my chest up this time while doing them (to make sure my back isn't rounded at all), so I really have no idea why I keep experiencing this problem. I think I might lower the weight next time and see if that helps at all.

Thanks again for reading!

 

[DangerousK]

I just finished today's workout. Here's how it went:

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 135
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 135
Set 1 - 2 x 185

Power Cleans
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 70
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 70
Set 1 - 3 x 120
Set 2 - 3 x 120
Set 3 - 3 x 120
Set 4 - 3 x 120
Set 5 - 4 x 120

BB Military Presses
Warm up set 1 - 6 x 70
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 70
Set 1 - 7 x 105
Set 2 - 7 x 105
Set 3 - 7 x 105
Set 4 - 7 x 105

BB Shrugs
Set 1 - 12 x 195
Set 2 - 10 x 195
Set 3 - 15 x 155
Set 4 - 8 x 205

DB Hammer Curls
Set 1 - 9 x 32 lbs (plus dumbbell bar)
Set 2 - 8 x 32 lbs (plus dumbbell bar)

Tricep Pushdowns
Set 1 - 9 x 40

DB Tricep Extensions
Set 1 - 8 x 25

Not the greatest workout I've ever had, but it went okay. I think I'm going to eliminate the squats on all of my Wednesday workouts, because 3 times a week is too much for me to handle right now, especially since I'm trying to add weight every time I do them. I tried squatting at the beginning of my workout, but my lower back was so dead from Wednesday's workout that I could only get 2 reps up. That being said, I decided to stop there and wait until Monday when my legs/back are fresh(er) again. The military presses felt good, but it literally took me 8-10 seconds to push up the last rep of the last set. I just sat there pushing as hard as I could and the bar was barely moving. Hahaha. I did manage to get 7 reps up for all four sets, though, so that was great. My previous max was 110 for 5 reps, so I'm really confident I'll be able to break through that without much problem next workout.

AND, since I've officially completed 4 weeks of this routine, I will be updating my stats tomorrow, so be on the look out for that! I'm curious to see just how much bigger I've gotten (if I've gotten any bigger at all, that is. Hahaha).

Thanks again for reading!

 

[DangerousK]

I'm now one month in and it's officially measurement time! I still need to get a scale (I'm going to get one tomorrow), but here's how I've changed over the last month:

Neck - 15 1/2" (gained 1/2")
Shoulders - 47" (gained 2 1/2")
Chest - 39 1/2" (gained 1")
Right Bicep - 13 1/2" (gained 1/4")
Left Bicep - 13 3/8" (gained 3/8")
Right Forearm - 11" (gained 1/4")
Left Forearm - 10 7/8" (gained 1/8")
Waist - 31 3/4" (gained 3/4")
Hips - 35 1/2" (gained 1/2")
Right Thigh - 22 3/4" (gained 3/4")
Left Thigh - 22 3/4" (gained 3/4")
Right Calf - 14 1/4" (no difference)
Left Calf - 14 1/4" (no difference)

Overall I'm really pleased with my progress, although I'm pretty sure I measured my shoulders wrong the first time because there's no way I've added 2.5" to them in 4 weeks. Hahaha. I didn't think I'd put 3/4" on my waist already, but I guess that's bound to happen on a bulk. I'm just not sure how much of a gain is considered normal in this time frame.

Anyways, that's the tale of the tape! I should also mention that I will be switching up my workouts slightly, starting tomorrow. I've decided I'm probably better off squatting just two times a week (Monday and Friday), so my new routine is built around accommodating that. Here's how it looks:

Week One
Monday - Squats, BB Bench, Bent Rows
Wednesday - Power Cleans, Deadlifts, Military Presses
Friday - Squats BB Bench, Bent Rows

Week Two
Monday - Squats, Power Cleans, Military Presses
Wednesday - BB Bench, Bent Rows, Deadlifts
Friday - Squats, Power Cleans, Military Presses

etc.

Anyways, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's workout! Hope everyone had an awesome weekend, and thanks again for looking!

 

[DangerousK]

Week 5!

Alright, just got done with today's workout. Here it is:

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 115
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 135
Warm up set 3 - 5 x 155
Set 1 - 5 x 185
Set 2 - 5 x 185
Set 3 - 3 x 185

BB Bench
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 115
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 135
Set 1 - 5 x 165
Set 2 - 4 x 165
Set 3 - 5 x 165
Set 4 - 3 x 165

Bent BB Rows
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 95
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 95
Set 1 - 6 x 125
Set 2 - 6 x 125
Set 3 - 6 x 125
Set 4 - 8 x 125

I wasn't happy with this workout at all. It was one of the worst ones I can remember having, and definitely the worst one since I started this journal. Everything was going good until my back went out on me again on my 3rd set of squats, and then it just went downhill from there. My concentration was shot, my form was crappy on every exercise, everything felt heavy and I just wasn't into it at all. It's really hard for me to push up through my heels when I squat, so I usually end up bending forward when I do them (which is why I screwed up my back again doing them today). It probably doesn't help that I have long legs, either. The back pain isn't anything serious, it usually goes away in a day or two, but I'm going to drop the weight back down to 160-ish and REALLY focus on getting the form down right before I try to up the weight. I'm also going to stop being cheap and buy some more 2.5 and 5 lb. plates so I don't have to jump directly from 170 to 185 again.

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to try making up for this workout by having one of the best ones ever on Wednesday.

Thanks again for reading!

 

[King Silverback]

SOLID and impressive workouts in here DK, and fantastic job on your gains too, very good there!!! Excellent goals too my friend, keep at it...... remember... Believe To Achieve"!!!

 

[DangerousK]

SOLID and impressive workouts in here DK, and fantastic job on your gains too, very good there!!! Excellent goals too my friend, keep at it...... remember... Believe To Achieve"!!!

Thanks, man! That means a lot coming from someone like you, so I really appreciate the kind words! I've been following your journal (as well as a bunch of other journals on this website), and seeing the progress that you guys are making is helping inspire me to get in the gym and do the same.

 

[King Silverback]

Thanks, man! That means a lot coming from someone like you, so I really appreciate the kind words! I've been following your journal (as well as a bunch of other journals on this website), and seeing the progress that you guys are making is helping inspire me to get in the gym and do the same.

I am honored you visit my journal and will always be more than happy to help out, this board is an excellent place for inspiration!!!

 

[DangerousK]

I am honored you visit my journal and will always be more than happy to help out, this board is an excellent place for inspiration!!!

Thanks a lot man! I appreciate it more than you know.

Anyways, my computer broke so I'm posting this from my PS3, even though it will probably take 2 hours. Haha. Here's how today's workout went:

Power Cleans:
Set 1 - 4 x 95
Set 2 - 4 x 95
Set 3 - 3 x 130
Set 4 - 3 x 130
Set 5 - 3 x 130
Set 6 - 3 x 130
Set 7 - 3 x 130

BB Military Presses:
Set 1 - 5 x 75
Set 2 - 5 x 75
Set 3 - 7 x 110
Set 4 - 7 x 110
Set 5 - 6 x 110
Set 6 - 7 x 110

Deadlifts:
Set 1 - 5 x 155
Set 2 - 5 x 155
Set 3 - 5 x 155
Set 4 - 5 x 155

Got a new personal record on military presses, and decided to drop the weight down and perfect my form on the deadlifts. Overall, I'm very happy with this workout and can't wait to do it again on Friday.

Thanks again for reading!

 

[King Silverback]

Awesome job on the PR, Great workout!!!

 

[DangerousK]

Awesome job on the PR, Great workout!!!

Thanks!! My previous record on the military presses was 110 for 3 sets of 5, so I'm really pleased that I was pretty much able to get 4 sets of 7 with the same weight.

Anyways, I had my last workout of the week today! Here's how it went:

Squats
Set 1 - 5 x 135
Set 2 - 5 x 135
Set 3 - 5 x 135
Set 4 - 5 x 135
Set 5 - 5 x 135

BB Bench Presses
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 115
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 135
Set 1 - 5 x 165
Set 2 - 5 x 165
Set 3 - 5 x 165
Set 4 - 4 x 165

Bent BB Rows
Warm up set 1 - 6 x 95
Warm up set 2 - 6 x 95
Set 1 - 6 x 130
Set 2 - 5 x 130
Set 3 - 5 x 130
Set 4 - 6 x 130
Set 5 - 12 x 110

Dips
Set 1 - 12 x bodyweight
Set 2 - 10 x bodyweight
Set 3 - 10 x bodyweight

BB Shrugs
Set 1 - 12 x 135
Set 2 - 10 x 185
Set 3 - 8 x 205
Set 4 - 8 x 205

DB Hammer Curls
Set 1 - 8 x 32 (plus dumbbell bar)
Set 2 - 9 x 32 (plus dumbbell bar)

I dropped the weight for the squats down by a lot to focus on the form, but I hope to be back up to 170+ in two weeks time. They felt good, and I can feel my quads working a lot more now that I'm pushing up through my heels. I used to do tons of deep knee bends, so it's really hard for me to break the habit of pushing through the balls of my feet, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

I almost got 4 sets of 5 on the bench presses, but my chest was just way too bombed on the last set. I am definitely getting stronger on my bench presses, though, which seemed like a virtual impossibility just a few months ago, so I'm really happy with that.

Overall, I thought this was a great workout, and I think I'm going to have a hard time staying out of the gym until Monday. It's official...I'm addicted.

Thanks again for reading!

 

[King Silverback]

Excellent progress my Friend!!! Solid workout!!!

 

[DangerousK]

Week 6!

Excellent progress my Friend!!! Solid workout!!!

Thanks again for leaving all of these positive comments in this thread! It's really helping keep me inspired each workout.

So it's the beginning of week 6 and I just finished today's workout. Here's how it went:

Power Cleans
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 95
Warm up set 2 - 4 x 95
Set 1 - 3 x 135
Set 2 - 3 x 135
Set 3 - 3 x 135
Set 4 - 3 x 135
Set 5 - 4 x 135 - New personal record!

Squats
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 135
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 135
Set 1 - 5 x 145
Set 2 - 5 x 145
Set 3 - 7 x 145

BB Military Presses
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 75
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 75
Set 1 - 6 x 115
Set 2 - 6 x 115
Set 3 - 5 x 115
Set 4 - 6 x 115 - New personal record!

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good workout. I'm finally power cleaning with a real plate on each side of the bar, which isn't much to brag about, but at least I don't feel as week as I used to. Hahaha. I tried squatting with bare feet today instead of with the athletic shoes I usually wear, and it felt like it helped my form so I'm going to continue doing that from now on and see if it helps.

Thanks again for reading!

 

[King Silverback]

Pretty good???
How about FANTASTIC!!! 2 more PR's in that workout, that is GOLD my Friend!!!

 

[DangerousK]

Pretty good???
How about FANTASTIC!!! 2 more PR's in that workout, that is GOLD my Friend!!!

Okay, maybe I'm being too modest.

I was very, extremely, insanely happy with this workout today!!

Better?

 

[King Silverback]

Okay, maybe I'm being too modest.

I was very, extremely, insanely happy with this workout today!!

Better?

 

[DangerousK]

OH YEAH. Hahaha.

Just finished today's workout!

BB Bench Presses
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 135
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 145
Set 1 - 5 x 170 - New personal record!
Set 2 - 4 x 170
Set 3 - 3 x 170
Set 4 - 3 x 170

Bent BB Rows
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 95
Warm up set 2 - 5 x 95
Set 1 - 5 x 135
Set 2 - 5 x 135
Set 3 - 5 x 120
Set 4 - 8 x 120
Set 5 - 11 x 115

Deadlifts
Warm up set 1 - 5 x 135
Set 1 - 5 x 185
Set 2 - 5 x 185
Set 3 - 5 x 185
Set 4 - 5 x 205

I was pretty happy with the workout today. I managed to get 5 reps with 170 on my first set of bench presses, which I'm really happy about, but fell short on my last three sets. I know I'll be able to hit at least 4 sets of 4 next time, though, so I'm not too disappointed.

I started doing my bent rows with 135 (which would have been a new personal record), but I wasn't feeling it much in my back and it felt more like I was just heaving the weight up, so I dropped it down a little bit. I'm going to try the 135 again next time, though, and see how it goes.

I also discovered that along with the squats, the athletic shoes I was wearing were also what was screwing up my deadlift form. I did the deadlifts today barefoot and they really felt great. No back pain at all this time except for the good kind.

Anyways, as always, thanks again for reading!