The Donut Shop (aka Cops Place)

[cops25]

Alright, I've finally grown the nuggets to start my own journal. My hope (other htan growing like a mofo) is that my workouts will get picked apart, and the constructive critisism will flow (just dont laugh at the light weights).
Right now, my specs are as follows:
33y.o., 6', 225lbs. 21%bf I tried calipers, but I'm not sure how accurate I am with them...and the fat is all below the bellybutton line. My upper abs are starting to poke through (three-pack ), and I cant "pinch an inch" anywhere else but in that area, So I have no clue. I'll keep hammering away at the nutriotion/exercise for awhile, and see what happens. I've been following Jodi's nutrional info for a month now, and while I dont have it perfected yet, it's 200% better than I used to be.
Ummm, what else....oh, measurements (all taken cold):
Chest: 46.5
Upper Arm: R:15.5, L:15.75
Forearm: R: 12.5, L: 13
Thigh: 25
Calves: 16

Obviously theres mucho room for improvement, just give me time

 

[cops25]

I had planned on starting this Monday, but didnt get around to it until today, so I'll backtrack and post this Mon and Weds workouts here.

8/16/04 Chest/Bi
Weight: 224
DB Flat bench: 8x50, 7x60, 6x65
DB Incline: 8x45, 5x50, 8x50 (dont know what happened during that middle set...)
Dips (BW): 1x5, 1x3 (yea, they suck, but it was my first attempt ever)

BB Preacher: 6x75, 9x65, 7x60
Machine Curl: 6x50, 8x50, 6x60, 4x60 (this machine puts your arms up over your head, I dont know what it's called though)
Cable curl: 10x20, 10x20, 15x30


8/19/04 Back/Tri
Weight:225
Cable Row: 15x90, 10x110, 8x130, 8x130 (Just started the row this week...Hopefully next week is better)
One Arm Row: 8x55, 7x55, 6x55, 6x60
Reverse Flye (mach): 8x90, 4x110, 6x110
Pulldowns: 8x110, 8x120, 6x130, 6x130
Tricep Press: 8x55, 8x60, 8x60, 8x60
Pushdown Machine: 8x160, 8x160, 8x160, 7x170 (another machine I dont know the name of...you sit down, and there is a handle on either side, and it uses plates)
Cable Pushdowns (rope attatchment): 10x100, 10x100, 8x120, 10x120

 

[cops25]

Alright, now I'm caught up to today...legs. I burned out early, as it was hot as hell (95 and humid), and guess what day the AC in the gym breaks down?

8/20/04 Legs/Shoulders
Weight: 223
Leg Press: 10x270, 10x340, 10x410, 8x430, 8x430
Hamstring Curl: 8x110, 8x110, 6x110, 12x100
Quads: 6x100, 10x120, 8x120, 8x120
Standing Calf: 8x110, 3 sets (first time on a standing calf...I used to use the sitting calf machine)

DB Press: 6x60, 6x55, 6x55, 6x55
Lateral Raise: 6x20, 3 sets (I dont know why the weight is so low compared to everything else...gotta work on that)


As far as forearms, I hit them twice a week (on tri and bi days), 25lbs to failure each way (palm up, palm down), I neglected to add that above.
For abs, I do 3 sets of crunches (25 reps) three times a week at home.

 

[atherjen]

Best of luck with your goals! It all looks good to me, perhaps post your diet as well for constructive critisicim in that area too.

 

[cops25]

I'm still working on that area...as a general overview, here are the basics:
Meal 1: 2 scoops protein shake (50g pro) in 16oz lowfat milk, 1tbsp extra vir. oil (I cant tolerate any solids that early in the am...if I try, I gag)
meal 2: one can tuna, 1tbsp mayo (on w/o days, I'll eat it on 4 slices ww bread...otherwise, I'll eat it plain)
meal 3: 1lb ground beef
meal 4:another protien shake, set up as in meal 1.
meal 5: varies...usually meat (beef, turkey, chicken) with a starch
meal 6: 4 hardboiled eggs, 1 cup cottage cheese

I drink 1.5 to 2 gallons water a day as well. 1 multi-v in am, one in pm. If I get hungry in between meals, I'll have 2 eggs, or a protien bar.


My short term goals (by the end of Dec), I'd like to add .5-1 inch to chest, arms, legs, and get that bf down to 15 or lower...I dont know how realistic it is, but I'm striving to hit it.

 

[atherjen]

Meal 1: 2 scoops protein shake (50g pro) in 16oz lowfat milk, 1tbsp extra vir. oil (I cant tolerate any solids that early in the am...if I try, I gag)

olive oil in a shake? gross. lol but if you can tolerate it.

meal 2: one can tuna, 1tbsp mayo (on w/o days, I'll eat it on 4 slices ww bread...otherwise, I'll eat it plain)

get rid of the bread. switch it for old fashioned oats, brown/wild rice, sweet potatoes or if you choose bread make it whole grain and only 2 slices.
no mayo either. switch to a lower fat version if u must. cottage cheese is just as good mixed in tuna.

meal 3: 1lb ground beef

thats overkill. cut wayyy back on this serving size. Id also suggest extra lean grnd beef. add in some fiberous veggies.

meal 6: 4 hardboiled eggs, 1 cup cottage cheese

are those whole eggs? if so perhaps cut back to only 1-2 egg yolks.

 

[cops25]

I'm not gonna quote everything...it'll get me confused

I can tolerate the oil pretty good...I've gone as high as 2tbsp without a problem as long as the drink is shaken up well....gotta remember, it's in 16oz of other fluid, cant even taste it

I could probably do without the bread at all, but I thought the carbs would be a plus on workout days...I'll try it for a few weeks without. The mayo is lowfat (I failed to put that in there)...I haven't found any of the alternatives (canola, etc) yet. I'll try cottage cheese in there...sounds kinda nasty, but I'll give it a taste before judging.

The meat is lean (I have to check the label to see if it's xtra), I should still cut back? anyhting I can add in there? that's usually my "hungry time"

I'll follow the 1-2 yolk...should I add another white to make up the protein? I dont know how much (if any) is in the yolk.

Told ya I still needed work on it
But I'm getting closer

 

[atherjen]

Your right, you are defintly in the right direction!

The carbs are good for your workout yes, just not all that bread. Opt for one of the options I suggested.

Yes, even if the beef is extra lean, you should cut back, you dont need an entire pound of meat at once! Add some vegetables to that meal so its more filling.

If you had 1(or 2) yolk(s) and 4 egg whites along with the cottage cheese that is plenty.

 

[cops25]

cool
I'll have to hit the supermarket this weekend for some sweet potatos

I'm glad the eggs/cheese are ok, That what I bring to work...it's about the only thing I can snack on no matter how busy I am (some nights are unreal...it's good to have stuff you can chomp down on enroute to calls)

Do you think there'd be anything wrong with adding a third shake? not to replace any meals, just to get some added cals without the carb hassle (there would be 7 meals instead of six)


~EDIT~ I forgot to add, I have 1 or 2 lowfat yogurts per day as a snack.

 

[DeadBolt]

Well Well Well look who decided to make a journal. LOL.

Glad to see ya here brotha....I hope you stick to this b/c I know it sure helped me a ton. Workouts look solid, weights are good....me and you are just about equal.

As for the diet, atherjen's words are golden heh. When she starts going she turns my brain to mush with all the info she spews out I love it. Try and get rid of the sugars if BF loss is what you are looking for. Things like yogurts and such ussually have lots of sugar as well as milk. I don't think the milk will bother you to much for now but when it comes time to tweak think about switching to water, you can drop about 48g's of sugar just from shakes....o yea and I use to use olive oil in my shakes as well, you don't even taste it.

I know the job is tuff to keep a decent diet but it looks like you are managing just fine. Just a quick question, how many carbs are you taking in a day? All I see are the breads (now going to a good carb) and then your meal 5 which is another carb source. Almost seems to low, but if jodi and atherjen seem to disregard it then so be it heh.

 

[cops25]

I dont have an exact carb count (I've been aiming to keep the protein up), But I get some from the bread (gonna switch to whole grain), and the yogurt (which I see I should be cutting out), along with my starch at meal five. I guess I should hit Jodis shopping list again, and see what I can add....may throw some pasta in there somewhere.

I almost miss being ignorant about the nutrional end...back then, I just ate whatever wasn't moving LOL. But that's what got me that spare tire

I'm still far from tweaking the diet...I have a long ways to go. I dont know if I would specify what I'm doing as bulking or cutting...I'd like to gain some LBM, but I'd like to get the love handles down (I know you can't target it per se', but there's nowhere else for me to lose any). I've read some of the other members bulking cycles where they've kept the bf down, but they were low (or lower than I am now). I guess I'm in the "getting my s**t straight" phase

What I have been wondering is, if I set my calories at a level set for my LBM (If I am at 21, that would put me at 180+/-), as opposed to my total weight, would that make a difference?

 

[cops25]

Wow...I just checked...52 grams of sugar from my 4 servings of milk, and 40 grams from 1 serving of yogurt. That's 92 grams a day just in those two alone, not counting the other foods I eat

 

[DeadBolt]

I believe you set it at the total weight not the LBM..but I am not 100% sure honestly sorry.

Wow 92 grams of sugar heh, I don't eat that in a week. I bet if you were to cut out sugars and all the processed breads, pasta's, etc and stick to the good stuff that atherjen listed you could probably keep building while slimming down some. Everyone says you can't lose BF and gain LBM but if you are some what knew to the whole diet thing just keeping it clean will do wonders.

 

[cops25]

yea...I think I have to find me a protien that actually mixes with water (the stuff I have now says it does, but I tried it, and it aint pretty). But I can cut the yogurt out (I have a few more that the wife bought...if I dont eat them there will be hell to pay), and put that towards some more clean carbs.

As far as the calories, everything I've found says to use your current weight, but I couldn't help but wonder.

I am making gains, my legs are getting tight in my jeans, and my uniform shirts are really staring to get snug...and, although the caliper hasn't shown any change in the love-handle area, those three ab muscles started peeking out of nowhere...I think the directions I got with the caliper are screwed...it only tells you to measure that one area, whereas others I've seen say to use three sites (but didn't have the details on what to do with the three measurements). I tried one of those electronic scales that supposedly measure bf, but it's shown a low of 18, to a high of 35, all within a week...I dont think my body changes that quick

I dunno...I'm gonna cut the sugar down (not totally out yet...still need the milk), and see what that change brings.

 

[atherjen]

Im in total agreement with Deadbolt! if your consuming that much sugar(even being natural sugars from milk) I would cut back. In exchange as mentioned you may consider adding more complex carbs. No bread, no pasta either. The above things I mentioned earlier would be great.

What do you have post workout?

 

[cops25]

immediatly after my WO, I have my shake (I bring it to the gym), then approx an hour later is meal 5.

 

[DeadBolt]

If the protein mix is a problem simple get a shaker in a Vit Shop or buy a blender. I use Optimum Nutrition or now I have kinda been into the Labrada's ProV60 or something like that. I would definatly try to cut the milk out and those yogurts. Finish whay you have and I wouldn't recomend buying anymore.

Also try to stay with the complex carbs, don't add pasta or anything into your diet yet. here is a list of a few complex carbs that are great:
Brown rice
Oats (Slow Cooked Preferred)
Sweet potatoes or Yams
Fiber One (All Bran) Cereal
Starchy Veggies (corn, peas, etc.)
Beans/Legumes

For your post w/o, that shake is not ideal. The fats from the milk(even though its lowfat and not skim) and the olive oil are a no no post workout. You want straight carbs and protein, no fats. Fats slow the protein and carb from getting into your body which is the opposite of what you really want. Post workout you want a fast digesting protein(whey). Many people go with oats and whey post workout followed by a protein source and some complex carbs an hour or so later.

The calipers are something you really need to practice with. There are many sites you can judge your BF from on your body, whether it be 3/5/7. You also need someone else to take the measurments for you though, it doesn't work as well when you do it yourself. These links may help you to find your proper BF% or closer to it.

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/BodyComp.html
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/BodyCompSites.html

 

[cops25]

8/23/04
Weight:222
Well, I thought today was gonna be a wash, as I spent the weekend upstate for a family gathering, and anyone who comes from an Italian family wll tell you, the food is not exactly diet freindly. Sat and Sun I think I ate nothing but some sort of variation of meatballs, sausage, pasta, and green peppers. When I woke up today, I felt bloated and lethargic, but got back on track...w/o turned out okay.

Chest
DB Flat Bench: 8x55, 7x65, 7x65, 4x70
DB Incline: 8x55, 6x55, 4x65 (I wanted to do 6x60, but the 60lb DB's were MIA)
Dips: 1x5, 1x3 (This sucked...I thought I could at least go one more than last week, but nogo. I did do three negatives after the second set, maybe I can force out an extra rep next week)

Biceps
Preacher bench: 8x75, 6x75, 4x75
Conc. Curl: 8x20, 7x25, 8x25
Mach Curl: 10x40, 8x50, 8x60

That was it for today. Chest actually got a pump going, which it never did before I revised my chest workout.

As always, critiques welcome

 

[DeadBolt]

Hey glad to see ya back in action. Eh don't worry about the weekend everyone has em. I know first hand what you are going through the italian in me is torture when it comes to family gatherings. Just keep truckin and you'll be fine.

Some nice lifts my man....nice 70'sx4 some improvements. Lookin solid keep everything rolling and in time all the lifts will gradually go up. I noticed one thing though, if you don't feel it then you wont out do your previous weeks lifts. Sometimes if you match your previous weeks your upcoming weeks provide much greater jumps in your lifts. You don't need to try to max out every workout, maybe knock it down just one level and really explode the next week......always works for me.

 

[cops25]

8/26/04
Weight: 221
Today went pretty good. Still working on cleaning up the diet more...instead of having a shake for breakfast, I now have a bowl of oatmeal with a scoop of ON 100% whey in it, So thats one less glass of milk (and less sugar).

BACK:
Cable Row: 10x110, 10x130, 8x150, 7x150
Pulldown: 8x110, 6x130, 6x140, 2x150 (I burned out on that last set...I came close to 3, but I'm only counting strict reps)
Rev. Flye: 8x100, 6x110, 6x110
1 Arm Row: 6x60, 6x60, 6x60, 4x65
Shrugs: 12x60, 15x60, 15x60, 19x55

TRICEPS:
O.H. Tri Press: 7x65, 8x65, 6x65, 6x65
Mach Pushdown: 10x160, 8x170, 6x170, 5x170
Cable Pushdown: 15x100, 8x110, 8x110, 6x110

My youngest kid starts fulltime school this Sept, and I'm thinking of going to a 4 day week:
Monday: Chest/Shoulders
Tuesday: Back
Weds: Off
Thurs: Arms
Fri: Legs

Comments/Critiques on the w/o and plan welcome, as always.

 

[cops25]

Oh yea, Dead, if you read this...I now have the ON Whey as well. Do you mix that with water? I was gonna give it a shot, but I thought I'd ask first.


Another question for anybody: Am I doing too many back sets? I've been thinking of dropping either cable rows, or the one arm row...Just seems redundant.

 

[myCATpowerlifts]

Hello
Just found your journal, and i thought you seemed cool and in some ways similar to me, so i decided to post

Ok first, your back workout is fine, its all working diff. parts
Shrugs- traps
Cble row/pull down - mid back
reverse flys are more rear deltoid than back though

and the one arms are great for balancing
so like i said, i would stay with your current back routine, but thats just me

 

[myCATpowerlifts]

and i know what you mean about the milk
I drink at least5-6 cups a day which is about 70 sugars from that alone...but its one of my biggest sources of protein...so...

 

[cops25]

Yea, I figured it to be 52 grams for the 4 servings I was drinking in my shakes (not counting a 5th glass I drink during the day). Some of that is lactose, so I don't know if that affects anything.

 

[cops25]

Hello
Just found your journal, and i thought you seemed cool and in some ways similar to me, so i decided to post

Ok first, your back workout is fine, its all working diff. parts
Shrugs- traps
Cble row/pull down - mid back
reverse flys are more rear deltoid than back though

and the one arms are great for balancing
so like i said, i would stay with your current back routine, but thats just me

Thanks for the reassurance...I was hoping I wasn't duplicating an exercise...

 

[myCATpowerlifts]

 

[cops25]

Oh, and FWIW, the tuna/cottage cheese combo Atherjen suggested aint too bad (considering I was eating the tuna straight from the can at times, it's a welcome change)

I could reeeeeeeally go for a Gino's cheesesteak right now though (If you've ever been to Philly, you'll know what I mean. drooooooooooool), but the ends justify the means, so I'll see it through.

 

[DeadBolt]

Hey whats up man, back workout looks solid. You could even throw in some deads if you wanted. Limit all the lifts to 2 sets each and add 3 sets of deads for a complete back workout...but I just love deads so much I could do em 10 times a week. Lifts are lookin really solid to, nice and strong.

ON is awsome but if I were you I wouldn't add it to hot oatmeal, it kills the proteins. better off mixing it with water and chugging it seperatly. I mix mine with water and if needed add some ice and a few packets of splenda. Sux warm needs to be cold heh. Def try to cut back on the milk and once you start drinking your shakes with water you get use to it real fast. I'm not even really big on to much milk anymore.

MMMM Gino's MMMM stop reminding me of these things lol. Your the devil!

 

[cops25]

CHEESESTEAK WITH!
LOL.

I gotta hold off on the deads and squats a little longer, give the back more time to heal. I'm definately starting to feel the groove when I get going...I cant wait till I can up it a little with the deads and squats. Plus I'm really looking forward to starting 4 days a week in Sept.

I really got a boost when I went in Thursday, and one of the regulars I see there often commented how I'm starting to change. He said while I wasn't "small" when I started, I was a little on the soft side (he's tellin me!), but I'm getting harder, and its' really noticable now especially in my arms and calves.
(geez...sounded better in person...in print, it sounds like bad porn).

 

[DeadBolt]

Definalty hold off until your 100%, its just a suggestion for once you are ready.

Those are the best to hear in the gym, I always had one guy that I would see once a month and he would tell me whats lacking or progressing everytime I saw him. Its a great thing to have others observe you, provided they know wtf they are talking about. So whats up, we got you to post a journal now how about some progress pics? If I had the guts to post em of my lame ass I'm sure you can manage heh.