sword chucks' new journal. The battle between iron, sword, and chucks continues here.

[sword chucks]

EDIT: This is where I will put my long-term strength and weight goals
goals for the end of the end of the 6 week training cycle
deep squat 160 x 3
bench press EDIT: using DBs now
Deadlift 255 x 3
other lifts: I want to be military pressing around 100, and doing cleans and barbell rows with 135, for 3-5 reps.
(edited 5/2/04)

the new split, original post below

training

Mon/Thurs
A 1 Flat DB Bench
2 BB Row
B 1 Incline DB Bench
2 Chins
C 1 Overhead press
2 DB Curl
D 1 CG Bench
2 Bent DB lateral

Tu/Fri
A 1 Squat
B 1 Deadlift
C 1 Good morning
2 Crunches
D 1 Back deadlift
2 Neck work
E 1 Static hold

Wed/Sat/Sun are cardio

diet

Base metabolism = 2500

CARB CYCLING

Monday- low
Tuesday- High
Wednesday- no
Thursday- low
Friday- high
Saturday- no
Sunday- low

f/c/p/cals/#carb meals

Low carbs: 58 / 148 / 239.5 / 2070 / 4X
High carbs:61 / 305 / 242 / 2736 / 6X
No carbs:38.25 / 39.5 / 219.5 / 1400 / 1X (small post workout meal)

Average daily calories: ~1800

[sword chucks]

Ok, first of all, anyone know why the rule lasts for 65 seconds, and not a minute? A minute would make much more sense, than 65 seconds, IMO.

April’s Goals + Plan of Attack:

My overall goals for cutting are:
-To to get that vein in the middle of biceps to bulge
-To have thick veins in my forearms
-To lose facial fat
-To get visible abs
-To have a 29-31 inch waist
-To lose fat on my chest, shoulders, and legs, too
-Weigh 120-130 pounds while in this cut up stage and have kept all of my muscle

My goals for my first 3 weeks of cutting (by may 1st) are:
-to lose 5 pounds of fat
-to gain strength on my bench press, squat, and deadlift
-to keep maximum lean mass

Plan of Action
-I will not miss any meals, and I will never go under my daily nutrition recommendations
-I cheat at a maximum of once per week: to avoid cheating, I can bring my own food to people’s houses and school, and invite people over instead of going to their houses at dinnertime
-I will drink one gallon of water per day, that’s 8 16 oz bottles each day as a minimum
-I will lift weights with intensity and never miss a weightlifting session
-I will do cardio as good as I can: its only like 20 minutes, I have to suck it up and run


measurements

In inches

Shoulders 44
Chest 39.5
Arms 13.5R/13.4 L
Waist 34
Forearms 11 R/10 1/2 L
Neck 15
Thighs 22 R/22 1/8 L
Calves 14 1/8


Abdominal status

I can see an outline of the outer abs if I look in the right light and flex. So not too good. I used to be able to see them pretty good flexed, so in a few weeks a little definition should show up.

[sword chucks]

Time: 9:00-9:40 (doesnt include 15 min warmup)

Squat 135 x 2 115 x 5 120 x 1 115 x 5 115 x 5
-I wasn’t sure about how much weight to use. I thought 135 was too much, so I went down to 115, and that felt good. At 120 I found my back rounding so I went back to 115 for the last 2 sets.

Front Squat 75 x 12 80 x 6 When using actual working weight these are a lot harder. The bar slipped on the last set so I caught it and put it back, that’s why I only got 6 reps.

Leg Curl 90 x 6 95 x 5 95 x 4
90 was pretty tough, and 95 was hard, too. I was pulling hard for these.

Standing Calf Raise-135 x 12,135 x 15,135 x 15
-I decided to use a light weight but go really, really slow for all calves exercises because of a mishap that I had when using 250-something pounds at a fast tempo. Basically, the bar missed the uprights and it fell. It was scary. When I flexed hard at the top and resisted the negative these were actually pretty hard.

Crunches- BW x 6,Bw+5 x 6,Bw+10 x 6,Bw+10 x 5
-After the last set I held the contraction for as long as I could with 20 lbs. I went slow and focused on only my abs by flexing them. My new bench has a little arch in it and that made the ROM longer.


Overall: Good workout. After the last set for each muscle I would do an extreme stretch for that group. For example, after my front squats, I went to my knees and did a Quad expansion for 20 seconds. I did something like this for every muscle. I think this was a good idea because the muscle was pumped up as much as possible right before and so I got the fullest stretch that I could. My legs are feeling tight already, and I hope that they are not too sore tomorrow, because I have to do HIIT.

I think training with a higher volume was great. This workout had me tired out after the squats, since I am used to doing such low-volume work. I feel like I really worked my calves, too, which is something I usually don’t feel.

I feel like I may have lost a little strength on my week off. But I know that next week I will be back to normal and ready to lift at my usual intensity. Also, I haven’t squatted intensely in about 2 weeks, because of my back twinge on max day.

I was surprised that the workout only took 45 minutes, that’s only a little longer than my average HIT session. Maybe next week, since I won’t be changing weights so much, it will only take 35 minutes. That would be pretty cool.

Next week goals:
Squat- 125 x 5
Front Squat- 90 x 12
Leg Curl- 100 x 6
Standing Calf Raise- 145 x 12
Crunches- BW+15 x 6

[zackmurphy]

Hey - just a quick note. Since you're so young, I wouldn't worry so much about your raw body weight. Your weight will increase in the coming years, no matter what you do. So while you're getting through the teen years, don't worry about mysterious weight gain.

I remember being 5'11" and about 140 pounds when I was about 17. By age 22, I was 5'11, about 165 and just as thin. You just get thicker, and it's not something you can diet away.

So I'm glad you're on top of your diet, but don't get fixated on weight.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by zackmurphy
Hey - just a quick note. Since you're so young, I wouldn't worry so much about your raw body weight. Your weight will increase in the coming years, no matter what you do. So while you're getting through the teen years, don't worry about mysterious weight gain.

I remember being 5'11" and about 140 pounds when I was about 17. By age 22, I was 5'11, about 165 and just as thin. You just get thicker, and it's not something you can diet away.

So I'm glad you're on top of your diet, but don't get fixated on weight.

Im not worried too much about weight, but I want to drop some fat. I know that your bones, muscles, tendons, etc grow as you age until a certain point, but I can still add more muscle than I have now. I want to lose bodyweight because I know that it will be mainly fat.

Thanks for posting btw

[supadave]

Nice plan sword chucks. Good luck with it.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by supadave
Nice plan sword chucks. Good luck with it.

Thanks man. Im eager to see my progress, and how quickly I can reach my goals.

Living life one workout at a time!

[sword chucks]

Heres the entry

Tuesday- HIIT Cardio TIME: 8:50-9:02
HIIT interval
HIIT 15 sec fast/45 slow x 4
Notes:
I warmed up with 4 min jog and cooled down with 3 min jog. I had to make it quick because my mom had to be driven to work. Since the weather sucked I went in the garage and did jump roping for the cardio. I would do 15 Mississippi of ballistic jump roping and shorten the rope, and then make it longer and do 45 seconds of light jumping rope. That was pretty tough and I was breathing pretty hard after. I guess I’m not in the best shape. Hopefully, Thursday will be nice so I can do sprints and jogging.

This was a short and brutal cardio session. On Thursday I will do 15/45 x 5. My plan is to add one interval each cardio session until I reach 15/45 x 15. That will be in about 5 weeks. Then I will make it even worse and do 20/40 x 12, raising by one interval every Tuesday. By this time I will also be doing clean cardio on Saturday mornings for at least 10 x 3's.

[sword chucks]

Wednesday- bench day- TIME: 3:20-3:50

Bench Press 110 x 5 115 x 4 115 x 4,110 x 3,105 x 4
-Nobody was there to spot me so I didn’t want to risk failing a rep at 115, since I didn’t think I was aligned with the safety spotters correctly on set 2. I guess more sets kicked my ass, I lost a lot of strength output over those last 2 sets.

Incline db press 38’s x 4 35’s x 4
-The first set was on 30 degrees, and the second was on 40 degrees. I got a better feel in my chest from the 40 degrees presses so I did them for the last set.

Shoulder Press 60 x 4 60 x 2 + 1 55 x 4
-These kicked my ass. I knew that since the top was tris, the bottom was the part with shoulders, so I had to use the fullest ROM that I could. I touched down to chest height before pressing it back up.

Rear Laterals 7.5’s x 6 9’s x 8 9’s x 8
-9 pound dumbbells… ha. I really felt the burn, which is great. I will add weight for next week.

Close Grip Bench 80 x 3 75 x 5
-80 pounds was too much after this higher volume so I went down to 75.

Standing extension 45 x 4 45 x 2 I went all the way down and tried to keep my elbows tucked. This was not the most comfortable exercise but I need to get used to it.
Overall: I was surprised to have finished in 30 minutes. I was really sweating after this workout was done. I like higher volume much better, though.

Since this is my first week back the weights are a little low for me, but next week it should be much better. The safety spotters saved my ass more than once, which is why the power rack is awesome. Next week my goals may seem high but I think I will hit them because my strength probably will rebound next week.

I did something new today and ate 3 times in school. I had half of a protein shake with oats before lunch, and half after (about 2 hours before or after). Grinding up the oats did not take a blender, like I thought it would. But I need to grind them up better next time because the shake was a little grainy. I like the new plan better than the old (where I ate 2X in school).

Next week goals:
Bench- 120 x 5
(40 degrees) Incline DB Press- 37.5s x 6
Shoulder Press- 65 x 6
Rear Laterals- 10’s x 8
Close Grip Bench- 80 x 6
Standing Extension- 45 x 6 (elbows fully tucked and pointing up)

[sword chucks]

Good cardio today, I really got my calories burning!

15/45-60 interval x 5 ----> 15 min jogging

Overall: I didn’t really want to do cardio but it was a great day out so I just did it. I did a 3-4 min jog first, then the intervals, and then ran for about 15 minutes. In the last 15 minutes I would randomly burst into sprints for 10-15 seconds every 3-4 minutes.

The interval that it says there is a little off because I did 15/45 for the first 3 and then let myself get a little more rest so I could hit a good BPM for the sprint. I wanted to let my hr get down a little bit before sprinting, since that it the point of HIIT, to bump the heart rate up and down. I really pushed myself on the last 15 minutes because it was pretty hard. I did not let myself stop running, my feet were going the whole entire time.

I think I really jacked up my metabolism. Also, my full body felt pumped up after this, and my veins were showing more than usual.

Overall, today was a good cardio session. Next week I will do one more interval of 15/45-60.

I weighed 147 directly after cardio, so I guess I did a good job, since I lost a few lbs of water.

I can’t wait until tomorrow’s workout!!!

[sword chucks]

Friday- Deadlift day- TIME: 3:10-3:50

Deadlift 225 x 5 225 x 4 225 x 3 225 x 2 205 x 4
-These were hard. I thought I would do more than this, though. Week off = sucks.

Pull ups 3+3 assisted 1+3 assisted 6 assisted
5 assisted
-These really burned in my arms, but I felt the stretch in my back. I tried to focus on scapular retraction, and closing my shoulder blades, but it still burned in the arms.

Bent over Rowing 75 x 4 70 x 5 70 x 2
-My arms were burning pretty badly at this time so I couldn’t handle as much weight as usual. Im not too happy with these, but I will get better at them.

DB Curl 30s x 6 30s x 3 30s x 2

-The first set was fairly easy. The second was a lot harder, and the third, was hardest. I swung out a few reps after the last set.

Wrist Curl/Ext Ext 45 x 3 -Curl 65 x 6 Ext 45 x 1- Curl 65 x 3
-I am going to use the standard weights for extensions next week so I can handle the weight for 6 reps.

Overall: I expected to just use the same weight for each set, like 225x5x5, but the volume was killer for me and my reps were cut in half for nearly each set most of the time. But I understand that this is after a week off and it will take another week to get back to normal. As I said, next week my strength probably will rebound greatly.

I was really sweating after this workout, so I know it was another good one.

Next week goals:
Deadlift- 235 x 5
Pull ups- 4 in a row
Bent over Rowing- 70 x 6
DB Curl- 31.25s x 6
Wrist Curl- 70 x 6
Wrist Extension- 40 x 6

[sword chucks]

Week of 4/12/04 overview

Weekly questions

1-did I progress in all exercises from last week?
I did not lift weights last week but I think I did lose a little bit of power from my week off.
2-how much weight did I lose this week?
4 lbs (since it’s my first week probably a lot of water weight)
3-did I do all of my cardio and weight lifting?
Yes, and I did it intensely.
4-do I feel worn out this week? What muscle groups got sore?
No, except yesterday I felt tired. I probably just didn’t get enough sleep.
All of my muscles got sore from the lifting weights. However, cardio did not make me sore. I am going to throw in a cardio session on Saturday next week.
5-do I feel like I am leaner than last week?
A lot leaner
6-did I feel the urge to cheat on my diet?
Yes, with pizza on Friday. I resisted, though.
7-did I cheat on my diet at all? If so, with what foods?
Fajitas were cooked on one day of the week, I had only the chicken, but the mix had 4 carbs in it. But now I have these chicken breasts that I can cook right up so that I will not have to even come close to cheating. I also got some salmon patties, which have a good amount of protein in them. Neither of them have any carbs.

Weekly Stats for 4/18/04
Weight 145
Waist 33.25
Arm 13.25 R-13 1/8
Forearms 10 7/8 R-10 3/8 L
Legs 21 7/8 R-21.5 L
Calves 13.5 R-13.75 L
Neck 14.75
Face 20.5
Chest 37.5
Shoulders 44
-I lost 5 lbs and ¾ inches on my waist in a week, which is pretty good. I bet a lot of it was water. I am glad that I kept my shoulders at 44 so far. My chest got smaller probably by losing a lot of water. I did have a lot of fat there, too. Now it looks more ripped than before. My face is bigger in between the nose and mouth. Everything except those things got smaller.
-I am going to see how much weight I lose for next week, and since that will be more accurate, I will adjust my calorie intake according to that.

Weeks of school left: 10

[sword chucks]

I think its annoying how my topic has over 100 views.. but less than 15 posts.

Since Im only 145 now I think chins and squats should be a little easier next week.

My lower back ios kinda sore so I hope it doesn't hurt my squat day too much.

Im gonna add in clean cardio saturday morning. Ill just do 10 sets of 3 to get started. Ill probably use a light weight. Ill edit my split.

[sword chucks]

Monday- squat day- TIME:3:10-4:00

Squat 115 x 5 125 x 5 120 x 5 120 x 1 115 x 5
-These were hard. I really feel my lower back fighting to stay upright when I do these. Especially on the last set. For the 120 x 1, my lower back lost, and I dropped the bar (onto the safety spotters). 115 x 5 was good. I find myself having to take a breath after the 3rd or 4th rep, not because its too hard, but my cardiovascular shape isn’t great. Next week I will definitely minimize this.
Front Squat 65 x 12 65 x 6
-I went down to 65 to learn the motion since the damn bar would not stay on my shoulders. I really felt my abs pulling to keep me upright, which I think is because it’s the opposite side of normal squats working. I don’t know how the hell Layne does Front Squats with 315.

Leg Curl 100 x 4 95 x 4 90 x 3
-I almost hit my goal here. Im happy with it because since the temperature was really high, that probably made me lose a few reps.
Standing Calf Raise 145 x 12 145 x 12 145 x 12
-These felt good. I noticed that my mom has this aerobics block which is higher than my 20-pound cement plates. I might try using that next week, and lower the weights a little bit. I know getting a full ROM is very important. Every inch of pushing means more calf development!

Crunches 10 x 6 15 x 3 10 x 6 10 x 3
-set 1 went up easy, but then 15 x 3 was tough. It was probably because the 1st set was with 2 5’s, one on either side of my head. And for the last sets the weights were behind my head. Having a weight behind my head definitely feels better though.

Overall: It was really hot out in my garage. This had an impact on my strength because it had a negative effect on my cardiovascular system. I had just ran a .5 mile in gym, the first lap I went easy, but the teacher told me he was timing us when I got to lap 2, so I sprinted the second lap. I guess that got me a little worn out, but I doubt it.

I will definitely be practicing front squats for a higher number of reps until the bar stays on my shoulders. Also, I am going to train my deadlift HARD because I need to get my lower back stronger. I was relieved that my lower back wasn’t sore when I worked out, though. It was a little sore in school but when I got home it felt fine. I found that having my hands out furthers feels a lot more sturdy.

Everything else felt great, I am hoping that it won’t be so hot next workout so I can put up more weights.

I picked up a bag of frozen chicken breasts so I can just cook them up in 10 minutes (defrost, then grill on the george). So I can really be serious about my diet. I had one Saturday, one Sunday, and I will probably have one today (unless my parents make chicken already). I usually just eat a lot of lettuce and celery with it and that’s it. I also bought salmon patties, and since I only have a few pieces of chicken left, I am going to cook them up later today.

Next week goals:
Squat- 130 x 5 IN A ROW
Front Squat- 65 x 2 x 15 with it on my shoulders the whole time (practice)
Leg Curl- 102.5 x 6
Standing Calf Raise- 135 x 12 (since I will be using a new calf block weights will be lighter).
Crunches-15 x 6

update on abs status:
I flexed them after working out today and I can see them a little. Maybe I can be done cutting by the time school is over? That would mean a whole summer to bulk up. I have to stick to my diet!

Is anyone even reading this?

[Bicep_craze]

yeah man my abs should look similar to yours. Im training that meat with a workout that i invented (i dont know whether ther is already one like this lol). I called it 'Upright Middle-Upper abs squats'. Yeah sounds stupid but The workout in itself isn't tough, or at least it doesn't seem to be!

Well the principle in getting those robust abs is to squeeze them hard and to keep them in constant tension during workout. Therefore one MUST keep his stomach in, irrelevant whether you are doing hanging leg raises or some other more well know exercices such as sit-ups.

I used this principle for this exercise that greatly hits the upper and middle abs mostly. I usually do an 8-12-15 rep of hanging leg raises with 6 to 8 sec lockouts KEEPING MY STOMACH FIRMLY IN. This is important since your aim is to hit those abs hard i.e feeling the 'burn' when stopping in the middle of the rep to perform the 'lockout'. Then I proceed with the former mentioned exercise, yup, the 'Upright Middle-Upper Squats!'

How to do this:
Step 1-Stand upright with both legs firmly close together

Step2-contemporarly keep the butt 'tight', as if you had to keep that s**t in there before rushing to the toilet. Yeah it sounds gay lol

Sep 3- Make sure to keep your back STRAIGHT throughout the process, youre standing upright remember.

Step4- Move your neck to look towards your feet. Don't move any muscle tough except your neck (ok your head too obviously hehe)

Step5- SQUEEZE THOSE ABS as you do this and keep them in tension. Obviously your back won't be completely upright but you should get an idea. repeat for 8reps, rest 18secs- then 12 reps, rest 20 secs- then finally for 15 reps.

Then do as many torso twists as you can, this trains the obliques (those muscles at the sides of the abs.


A (horrible) Graphical representation of this singular training is attached below. You should get an idea.

Introduce this exercise in your regular workout-it doesn take much time, remember to keep the stomach ALWAYS IN and make sure that you feel the 'burn' in your abs after some reps.

Enjoy!

Ah, and for the abs to show off you have to fall between the 10%-13% body fat level. Else they won't show off nicely.

[scott_donald]

wow you type alot...

looking good tho...

[sword chucks]

Thanks Bicep_Craze, that sounds interesting. Im not really interested in direct ab work besides some crunches and leg raises, though.

The way my abs look is that you can see the outside of the top 2 when I flex them... vaguely. Id say I'm around 18-20% bf, what do u think?

And I know, I write a lot :p. I think its a good idea to keep all of the details. I write everything in office word but I also copy-paste it onto here.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

[supadave]

Things are looking good sword. Take care of that back though, you don't want to get injured bro.

[sword chucks]

the cardio

15/45 x 6

I just did a warm-up and then HIIT and then a cool-down. It was pretty tough. I’m getting into better shape, though.

I decided that I would add total into my 30 min post-workout meal with milk. This should add good vitamins and minerals into my diet which I need.

Its getting really nice out but also I am smelling more tasty stuff like French fries. It is hard not to cheat and have some, but I am dedicated to bodybuilding. No cheating!!!



Originally posted by supadave
Things are looking good sword. Take care of that back though, you don't want to get injured bro.

Thanks man, I already had a lower back scare actually (see old journal). Its ok though. Its probably more hamstring weakness than back though because I can keep my lower back arch just fine. Its the extending my upper body that always has to keep up. I am going to try putting the bar lower on my traps, which I think will change the gravity around a bit.

[supadave]

Originally posted by sword chucks
I am going to try putting the bar lower on my traps, which I think will change the gravity around a bit.

That'll help some. Don't forget to keep your head up also.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by supadave
That'll help some. Don't forget to keep your head up also.

Yeah, that was the problem with te first lower back scare that I had.

[sword chucks]

Wednesday- bench day- TIME:3:10 to 4:00

Bench Press 115 x 5 120 x 3 120 x 2 115 x 3 115 x 2
-115 x 5 went up easy. I probably should have rested a little longer before going for 120 x 5, since I only got 3 reps. I am pretty sure that I could have gotten 120 x 5 if I had done it first. I should go for 120 x 5 next week. 5 pound jumps is a lot at a time. I wonder if they make 1 pound Olympic plates. If not, I will make my own.

Incline db press 38’s x 6 40’s x 3
-The 38’s for 6 went up easy, but the next set was harder. These felt good in my whole chest. I will go for 40’s x 6 next week. I liked the strength increase in these a lot.

Shoulder Press 65 x 5 55 x 6 55 x 5
-I made a good strength gain in these; I did 5 more lbs, and only sacrificed one rep. I went all the way down to 55 because I really wanted to stay in my target rep range. I want to get 70 x 4 next week.

Rear Laterals 9’s x 6 12’s x 6 12’s x 6
-I realized the 12’s were easy the first time so I made sure that I was doing them more to the front than to the back. I was. Next week I will use 14 pound db’s.

Close Grip Bench 85 x 3 75 x 5
-Good strength gain in these, too, my 3rm went from 80 to 85. But I want to get 85 x 6 next time because that is my target rep range.

Standing extension 45 x 4 35 x 6
-I went down to standard weights for these because the bar isn’t too heavy. I cant wait until I can use the bar though, these are annoying to set up because of the spin-locks. Next week I want to hit 40 x 6 since these were fairly easy.

Overall: I ran the mile today, which might have caused some strength loss. I didn’t go 100% though, and I only got 7:15. Last time I got one minute less. We’re running it again on Friday and I am going to try and beat that. I don’t think it affects my workouts too badly. If anything, I will see a tremendous jump in strength next week, because I don’t even have PE on my workout days.

As usual, I stretched out each muscle after I was done exercising it.

When I hit positive failure I lowered the weight and it was a hair above my neck when it was on the safety spotters. I slid out from under though.

I’ve been getting a lot of **** about my weak benching at school, so I really want to get to 135 x 5 in the next month. That would be a great strength gain for me.

Next week goals:
Bench- 120 x 5
Incline DB Press- 40s x 6
Shoulder Press- 70 x 4
Rear Laterals- 14’s x 6
Close Grip Bench- 85 x 6
Standing Extension- 40 x 6

[sword chucks]

Its not fair that when I edit I dont get a new post to my count. :/ Just thought I'd mention this.

Everything seems to be going by so fast. I can't wait to get stronger and leaner. I have to get jacked :p

[Bicep_craze]

hehe :) look it in this way-the more you work ( you seem youre doing well) the more you'll reach your objective quickly. BUT DONT BE EVER EVER SATISFIED OF YOURSELF. TRAIN THAT MEAT HARD :)

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by Bicep_craze
hehe :) look it in this way-the more you work ( you seem youre doing well) the more you'll reach your objective quickly. BUT DONT BE EVER EVER SATISFIED OF YOURSELF. TRAIN THAT MEAT HARD :)

Hell yes!

Gotta get lean!


Btw I think that I am going to do 5 x 15 for powercleans. I like the higher-reps plan better.

And instead of 5 x 5 I might do 5 x 3. This is because my hypertrophy sets are about the same reps as my power sets. And I am going to increase the reps on the hypertrophy sets so that I am always above my target reps.

[ComfortEagle]

Wow, really detailed journal. Nice job, man.

[sword chucks]

HIIT 15/45 interval x 7

Oh the brutality! It was so hot that by the time I was done my shirt was sticking to my back. The thing was like a saturated rag. Instead of running back and forth in my backyard I did sprints around the house. I accidentally jammed my side into a thing halfway through but I kept going, its fine. Good session, it really uplifted my bored spirits.

I realized that a friend of mine will be done with baseball soon. That means that maybe we can lift together. That would be cool, I need a training partner. It would make lifting, which is already awesome, even better. Since he's pretty strong already that means we would be using weights only 20-25 lbs apart from each other, and I think the gap would clear up within a few months. Also, hes over 200, so thats why. I think Im gonna ask soon when baseballs over. My parents wont let a 6th grader lift with me but maybe a kid in my grade with 50-60 lbs on me would be able to?

This week is goin by fast. I feel leaner already, my stretch marks on my stomach cleared up for good, even though they weren;t too bad to begin with.

Almost up to week 3! Im interested to see how much I weigh on sunday.


Originally posted by ComfortEagle
Wow, really detailed journal. Nice job, man.

thanks

[Bicep_craze]

Originally posted by sword chucks
Hell yes!

Gotta get lean!


Btw I think that I am going to do 5 x 15 for powercleans. I like the higher-reps plan better.

And instead of 5 x 5 I might do 5 x 3. This is because my hypertrophy sets are about the same reps as my power sets. And I am going to increase the reps on the hypertrophy sets so that I am always above my target reps.

Good thinking mate. That is called 'thinking muscle' bro. Good job.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by Bicep_craze
Good thinking mate. That is called 'thinking muscle' bro. Good job.

Which one was good thinking? The higher reps or lower reps sets? :p thanks tho

[Bicep_craze]

Both :) You know they are

[sword chucks]

Friday- Deadlift day- TIME: 3:10-3:50

Deadlift 225 x 4 235 x 2 215 x 5 215 x 5 220 x 2
-I didn’t hit my goal of 235 x 5, but I should have known that I wouldn’t add 10 pounds in one week. This workout reminded me of how my deadlifts always used to plateau early. I will not let that happen though! I will go for 235 x 5 next week. The sets of 215 were pretty explosive. I did a cool-down set of 135 x 10 and the bar felt so damn light. It was like the bar weighed nothing. Pretty cool.

Pull ups 4 1 + 5 ass. 1 + 5 ass. 1 + 5 ass.
-Goal hit. I did 7 pull ups just to the chin at school for fitness testing today. The teacher didn’t count the 7th because I was stuck (but still moving) so he pulled me down. But my chin was there!!! Damn! For the last set the shoes came off.

Bent over Rowing 75 x 6 75 + 2 cht. 65 x 6
-These were better than last week. I felt them in my lats more than in my arms. My arms actually weren’t burning after the chin ups, so I can assume that my back did more of the work. I had to cheat the top of the last 2 reps of the second set. Next week I wanna hit 80 x 4. After this I held the stretch of a db row (with both arms at different times) and then a pull up stretch.

DB Curl 31.25’s x 3 27.5s x 6 27.5s-6
-I went lower than usual after the first set so that I could do more reps. I noticed my right arm is a little stronger than my left especially today. 6 reps next week.

Wrist Curl/Ext- 30 x 7 ext/65 x 6 curl 30 x 5 ext/70 x 6 curl
-Hit another goal- 70 x 6 wrist curl. I was having trouble getting the position of my arms right across the bench which was annoying. I made sure I got a complete contraction at the top. Next week Ill go for 75 x 3 on wrist curls and 35 x 6 on extensions, since these were not too hard this week.

Overall: Good workout, didn’t hit my goals on curls and deadlifts, but that’s ok. I didn’t do any real exercise in gym today so that can’t have been a problem. I guess I overestimated the strength rebound.

That’s another week of training almost gone, and I have made some gains. I just have some clean cardio tomorrow.

I got a protein powder that I do not really like so I am going to increase my protein intake by 1 scoop a day- ½ a scoop extra in my shake for school, and in my 30 min post-workout meal. That’s another 23 grams of protein to my diet right there. I don’t think this will help strength too much but it can’t hurt. I am going to add ½ scoop to my cup of milk in the 30 min post workout meal today. The stuff tastes like really ****ty candy. And I got 5 lbs of it. That’s 2273 grams. If I eat 4 scoops a day, which is 112 g, that’s enough for 20 days. But I have noticed that even if I pack down the scoops at 3 scoops per day I have enough for more than a month. 5 pounds should last me about a month. And I have a little vanilla left. Oh, how I will savor that vanilla. I should have gotten a 2 pound bucket of strawberry, not a 5 pound one. At least it tastes good with OJ in the post workout shake.

Next week I warm up lighter for deadlifts to make sure I am completely ready to deadlift with intensity.

I noticed that I almost always go to positive failure on most exercises. By the 6th rep I usually can not do another one. I also rest for only 20 seconds or less for some sets: I just let go of the bar, check the plates, tighten the locks, and do more reps. That doesn’t take too long so I think that I should rest a little more for bigger muscles.

Next week goals:
Deadlift- 235 x 5
Pull ups- 5 in a row
Bent over Rowing- 80 x 4
DB Curl- 31.25s x 6
Wrist Curl/Ext- 75 x 3/35 x 6

End of May Deadlift goal: 255 x 5 (time to do edit the first post now)



Originally posted by Bicep_craze
Both :) You know they are

i thought so too. If I hit a higher rep range I preserve the bigger fibers and if I go lower reps it is easier to add weight every week. I will do 5 x 5's next week and then lower reps the week after. Thanks man,

[sword chucks]

clean cardio 9:05 am to 9:25 am

Power clean
-65 x 15
-75 x 15
-75 x 12
-65 x 15
-65 x 12
-65 x 12
-45 x 20
-55 x 20

Overall: I also warmed up/cooled down with 3 minutes of jump roping, and with some sets of 45 on power cleans. I think I could have handled more weight but I didn’t want to go under 10 reps for any set. My arms were feeling pretty burnt out by this. I made sure to do an explosive shrug and then give leg drive. I found that if I grip the flat part of the bar instead of the bumpy part it is more comfortable. I used a grip that was shoulder width or a bit less for most of my sets, but I experimented with a snatch grip for others.

Next week I want to use more weight and reps, and just keep using the same weight so that I don’t need to switch the weights around so much. I think I will be able to handle 85 next Saturday. I think I rested too much in between sets because I was not too winded by the time I was done.

I would like to do this in place of another cardio session but Bench day is Wednesday so I wouldn’t want to over train my shoulders. More sets next time though.

Another week of training is done! Good workouts this week. I can’t wait to see my progression next week. I love how heavier weights feels like the lighter one last week with free weights because my whole body adapts, not just the muscles being worked.

next week goal : 85 x 15

[sword chucks]

I'm running low on salmon patties so idk when I can get to the store and buy more. Tomorow I have a school project that I have to do, and Monday is squat day. Hopefully my parents will cook plain chicken today so I can eat it and not my salmon.

I might have to just hvae canned chicken for a few days, but the sodium won't kill me.

On yesterday night I didnt have cottage cheese and so I had some ground beef. instead. And this morning I had a protein shake in place of my eggs because we didn't have those either. The nutrition profile that day was basically the same though.

I can't have any cheat meals because I want to get back to bulking ASAP. Cheat meals will only hurt my progress. I thought of a cool program that I want to do but I have to finish cutting first. (its basically a 4-day split with bench, squats, and deadlifts for the focus of the first 3 days, and then power cleans and shoulders on the last day). I hope all of the weeks go by as quickly as this one.

Tomorow I post the stats.

[Heisman]

On the deadlifts you shouldn't have done 225x4 before attempting 235x5. You tired yourself out too much. Next time do 220x1, rest for 3-4 minutes, and then try to do 235x5. :)

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by Heisman
On the deadlifts you shouldn't have done 225x4 before attempting 235x5. You tired yourself out too much. Next time do 220x1, rest for 3-4 minutes, and then try to do 235x5. :)

The reason I stopped at 4 was to make sure I didn't get too tired out actually. I bet I could have gotten 6-8 reps. I am definately warming up better next time, 135 might be too heavy to warm up with since I'm only working with 135.

I really don't rest a lot between sets though, only 1-2 minutes, and that's only for squats, bench, and deadlifts.

What do you think of doing sets of 2-4 reps instead of 5 to develop strength, since my form is perfect now? I would do 5 x 2-4 instead of 5 x5 .

[Heisman]

Originally posted by sword chucks
The reason I stopped at 4 was to make sure I didn't get too tired out actually. I bet I could have gotten 6-8 reps. I am definately warming up better next time, 135 might be too heavy to warm up with since I'm only working with 135.

I really don't rest a lot between sets though, only 1-2 minutes, and that's only for squats, bench, and deadlifts.

What do you think of doing sets of 2-4 reps instead of 5 to develop strength, since my form is perfect now? I would do 5 x 2-4 instead of 5 x5 .

Bro, even if you didn't feel tired from doing 225x4 you still were.

The less reps you do for each set the more time you should rest. I suggested resting 3-4 minutes if you are just going for a new PR because you want to be as fresh as possible.

I would do 3-4 reps instead of 2-4. When you do doubles the chances of something going wrong is a lot higher than triples IMO. You could do 3-4 reps on the heavy compound exercises and do 6-8 reps on the other exercises. Then you should get good strength and size gains.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by Heisman
Bro, even if you didn't feel tired from doing 225x4 you still were.

The less reps you do for each set the more time you should rest. I suggested resting 3-4 minutes if you are just going for a new PR because you want to be as fresh as possible.

I would do 3-4 reps instead of 2-4. When you do doubles the chances of something going wrong is a lot higher than triples IMO. You could do 3-4 reps on the heavy compound exercises and do 6-8 reps on the other exercises. Then you should get good strength and size gains.

I understand where you're coming from since doubles is nearly maxing out. I also agree with you about doing 3-4 for heavy compounds and 6-8 for other exercises, thats how I put together most of the routines that I think of.

[sword chucks]

Week of 4/19/04 overview

Weekly questions
-did I progress in all exercises from last week?
Yes, not as much as I thought though.
-how much weight did I lose this week?
2 lbs might still be a little bit of water leaving.
-did I do all of my cardio and weight lifting?
Yes and an extra session of clean cardio on Saturday.
-do I feel worn out this week?
Not at all, I need to get more sleep, but I did not feel tired when it was workout time and I do not feel worn out now.
-do I feel like I am leaner than last week?
Yes! I feel much harder and look sharper IMO.
-did I feel the urge to cheat on my diet?
Yes but I will definitely not cheat on my diet. I’m not weak like that. I can stay clean.
-did I cheat on my diet at all? If so, what foods did I cheat with?
Nop
e! Ate clean even at dinner, by having my own food. I strayed from my diet with other clean foods when I did not have the usual ones in stock but it doesn’t really qualify as a cheat meal.

Weekly Stats
Weight 143
Waist 32 5/8 (lost 5/8 inches on my waist! Sweet)
Arm 13 each (evened out now!!!)
Forearms 11 R/10.5 L (a gain on each? I might have flexed differently last time)
Legs 21.5 each- evened out again
Calves 13.75 R/13 5/8 L
Neck 14.25 (-.25 inches)
Face 20 (.5 inches)
Chest 36.75 (-.75 inches)
Shoulders 44.25 (+.25 inches)

Looks like I have gained in a few areas… shoulders, calves, and forearms. Some of my body parts evened out, which is good. I was not expecting a gain in anything, but it’s most likely increased bone mass, not fat or muscle.

My chest feels a lot more muscular and a lot less fatty now. I’m very happy. I have shed a lot of the fat that I thought I would have trouble with losing. I am also losing a lot of waist size. My whole body feels harder and looks sharper as well.

9 weeks of school left

[sword chucks]

1) Add some efas to diet:

Gonna tweak my diet a little and eat this tomorow

Meal 1: 6:30-7:00 AM
4 eggwhites- 4/0/12
0.5 scoop whey- 1/.5/12
2 pcs wheat bread- 1/24/6
Multi

Meal 2: 9:00-9:15 PM
0.25 cup oats- 1/6/1.5
0.75 scoop whey- 1/1/17.25
4 oz milk- 1/6/4

Meal 3: 11:00 AM
2 pcs wheat bread- 1/24/6
2.5 oz tuna- 1/0/18.5

Meal 4: 1:00 PM
0.25 cup oats- 1/6/1.5
0.75 scoop whey- 1/1/17.25
4 oz milk- 1/6/4

Meal 5: post workout: 3:30-4:00 PM
12 oz orange juice- 0/40/0
1.5 scoops whey protein- 1.5/3/35

Meal 6: 4:00-4:30 PM
1 serving total- 1/23/2
8 oz milk- 2.5/12/8
0.5 scoops whey- 1/.5/12

Meal 7: 6:00-6:30 PM
Chicken breast or salmon patty- 1-2/0/17-24
1 serving flax seeds- 9/9/6
Vegetables

Meal 8: 8:30-9:30 PM
2 serving’s cottage cheese- 5/12/22
8 oz milk- 2.5/12/8

Totals f/c/p
37.5 g fat (337.5 cals)
183.5 g carbs (734 cals)
206.5-211.5 g protein (828 cals)

1899.5 cals (18/39/44)


2) get a tan

I have to get a tan so I am not so pale this summer. Once it gets warmer I am going to ask the boards for advice on how to do this.

thats about it kthxbai

[sword chucks]

-Full squat
125 x 5 easy
130 x 5 not too hard
130 x 3 hip extension failing from now on
130 x 1 see above
115 x 4 see above
It didn’t work having the bar lower on my back, it kept slipping. I did not use the towel on my shoulders for squats because I didn’t feel like doing it. My hips missed on the last 2 sets. I am definitely changing the routine to help this problem. Next week I want to hit 135 x 3.

-Front squat
65 x 15 learning
65 x 12 learning
Slipped on rep 13 of the second set. These actually burnt a good deal. Once I can get 65 x 2 x 15 I will go up to 75... And keep adding up.

- leg curl
102.5 x 4
90 x 6
90 x 4
These are not helping my squats at all. I am going to revamp the routine for the next month. I have been having trouble adding weight at these anyway.

calf raise standing
-145 x 15
-155 x 12
-160 x 10 nice
15 lbs. pr since last week. I didn’t use the calf block for these. Since I have planned to change the routine starting next Monday, I am going to just change it next week.

crunches
-10 x 6 hard for some reason
-12.5 x 4
-10 x 6
- 10 x 5
These were actually hard. I don’t think I gained much strength at them.

I forgot to stretch at first for a few things but I still did stretch out later than usual.

Overall: Today at school went by fast. I didn’t get much sleep last night due to a proj, that hurt the workout a little. My legs are killing me now, though, so the workout was pretty good. I am disappointed in my hamstrings for the hip extension weakness. But now, like a bodybuilder, I have detected the weakness, and now I have to target it to improve my weak point and then I will be much better at the movement.

I made some good pr’s today though. I am happy with that.

I will post the new routine on Sunday. Also, for the month of May, I plan to have a “re-feed� day every Monday by adding an extra ½ cup of oatmeal to my protein shake for school, as well as an extra 2 oz of milk. Before bed on re-feed days I will have 1.5 tbsp of flax seeds. Finally, I will try to have 3 servings of cottage cheese before bed every day instead of 2 and 1 cup of milk. This is mainly because of milk’s higher calories.

So, basically, the routine and diet get switched up starting next week.

I was 140 lbs this morning… that’s 5 pounds lighter than last week. I hope that the re-feed and extra flax help me to lose a little less weight at a time

Next week goals:
Squat- 135 x 3
Front Squat- 65 x 2 x 15 no slipping
Leg Curl- n/a
Standing Calf Raise- n/a
Crunches- 12.5 x 6

[sword chucks]

8 intervals of 15/45

Overall: Very sore legs today!!! It was really hard to do this. But it was not a bad session, next time I do 9 intervals.

Other stuff: I decided once I finish cutting I will continue to train for mainly strength before I go into dfht. I was to be putting up some decent weight. So I think I will do a 4-day split training each body part twice a week for 8 workouts, then take 1 light week, before doing another 4 weeks. This means more chances to add weight to my lifts.

[sword chucks]

My protein shake blew up in school, because somebody threw my backpack, before I could have it. The day went by really fast but it felt like ****. I am really pissed.

Im gonna work out around 3:45 since I ate some chicken, peanuts, milk, and protein powder at 3

I also want to get done in 45 minutes or less.

Ill post the workout after I do it.

[sword chucks]

Before you go on, this workout was complete ****, so most of my numbers are pretty low even for me. I didnt have my usual strength for reasons I don't know, so I went for higher reps than usual.

Wednesday- bench day- TIME: 3:45-4:30

-Bench Press
125 x 1
120 x 2
120 x 1
105 x 7
105 x 4
95 x 5
****ty!!! For some reason warm ups felt too heavy and I could only get a few reps of the same weight as last week. I dropped weight a lot to get a good workout. It is just one of those days.

Incline db press
40s x 4
37.25s x 5
Where is my strength today???

Shoulder Press
70 x 2
50 x 7
50 x 3
These felt good in my shoulders but the weight it terrible even for me.

Rear Laterals
14s x 6
14s x 6
14s x 7
These felt ok, I hit my goal of them. Not too bad.

Close Grip Bench
90 x 2
80 x 4
The 90 x 2 is something that I am a little happy with, I wanted 90 x 3, but this is good too. 80 x 4 felt ok.

Standing extension
40 x 5
40 x 4
Nice, I almost hit my goal on these, good strength gain though.

Overall: Today some dumbass threw my backpack and my shake blew up, so I had to just eat at 11 instead of times in between. I kicked his ass and threw him out of the window becuase I was so pissed. At 3, I got home, ate some peanuts, chicken, milk, and whey, and then waited to work out. I guess I didn’t have my usual energy and I felt like **** all day.

My arms and shoulders are really feeling tight though.

I want to start doing a period-ized split or something to maximize strength gains because this workout doesn’t seem that good.

I also will start writing the workouts out going down instead of in the chart, I like it better.

By the way I didnt really throw anyone out the window.

Dont know my next week goals because I don't know how normal of a workout it will be

[sword chucks]

Im gonna jump right into this next week:

Monday- torso A
-chest: flat bb x 3, incline db x 2
-lats: pull ups x 3, bent rows x 2
-shoulders: military press x 3, power clean x 3, rear laterals x 2

Tuesday- limbs A
-thighs: squat x 4, deadlift x 3, sldl x 2
-calves: standing calves x 2
-arms: db curl/cgbp superset x 3, static hold x 2
-abs: crunches x 2

Wednesday- cardio
HIIT 15/45 interval, adding each week

Thursday- torso B
-chest: flat bb x 3, lf dips x 2
-lats: pull ups x 3, yates row x 2
-shoulders: military press x 3, power clean x 2, side laterals x 2, neck circuit (hand- resistance on all 4 sides) x 2

Friday- limbs B
-thighs: squat x 4, deadlift x 3, leg curl x 2
-calves: sitting calves x 2
-arms: hammer curl/overhead ext superset x 3
-abs: crunches x 2

Saturday- cardio
HIIT 15/45 interval see wednesday

sunday off
might add cardio to this day

All sets are of 6-8 reps but of squat, deadlift, cleans, and bench where I might go to 3-4 reps. And all are stopped before failure. I dont think I can do that many pull ups either. Not sure about dips.

I am going to cycle volume so that its like this:
wks 1-2: what it says
wks 3-4: add 5-6 sets per workout
wks 5-6: minus 3-4 sets per workout
wk 7: light
Workout duration will remain constant at about 45-50 minutes each, but by adding or taking volume intensity is increased.

I am just going to jump right into this next week starting Monday, it will be a little weird but I really want to do this split.

Any suggestions?

[sword chucks]

hiit 10 intervals, 15/45 each

Overall: Good cardio workout, it really woke me up. I did not get too much sleep this week so far. I am going to try to get to bed by 8:30 and just lay there until I fall asleep tonight. I will probably read beforehand.

I have had 2 bad experienced now with flax seed. First, in one of my shakes, it tasted terrible and made the shake really thick. I put one tbsp in my cottage cheese last night and it was really bad, too. I am just going to use the oil, once I get it.

I am excited about my new workout schedule. I am still working out the kinks though. I think it will really maximize strength.

Today, I noticed that my stomach feels a lot softer. That must mean fat is becoming less dense and so it will start to go away more.

Later

[sword chucks]

Friday- Deadlift day- TIME: 3:10-3:50

deadlift
235 x 5
240 x 3
235 x 3
225 x 3
235 x 2.5
YESSS!!! Very pleased with the 240 x 3 pull. That’s + one rep, and + 5 pounds, since last week. I made sure the bar touched my legs the whole time and it really helped. 235 was easy after rep 1. On the last set I got stuck and just lowered it. I warmed up with 95 first before 135 and I think this helped.

Pull ups
4.5
2
2+3 a
1+5 a
Meh, didn’t hit my goal but these felt ok.

Bent over Rowing
80 x 4 + 1
70 x 5
70 x 4
Not bad, I felt my back pulling a lot more than I normally do.

DB Curl
31.25s x 3
31.25s x 3
31.25s x 2
-Not good. I had to swing a little for the last rep of the last set. I am not pleased with myself on these, so I am switching over to db incline curls to minimize swinging. I will go with 27.5 pound dumbbells to begin with.

Wrist Curl/Ext
E- 40 x 3
C- 75 x 6
E-30x6
C-75x 4
-Good pr at wrist curls. I should have gone lighter on the extensions though. Next week I am going to do static holds instead of forearm curls.

Overall: Very pleased with my deadlift, and pull ups were done pretty well also. I thought this would be another bad workout but it really surprised me when 235 felt easy.

I really need to change up my exercises. I have been doing forearm curls and extensions, db curls, bb military presses, leg curls, and standing calf raises since day 1. I am keeping the bb presses and calf raises but I will replace everything else.

Also, I realized that once I start my new split the workouts might take a little longer. I think I will take carbs out of my protein shake and put the oats, and ½ scoop of whey in another shake. This way daily calorie intake remains constant but timing is switched around to make it easier on me. This meal will be about 30 minutes prior to my workout.

I felt a small pinch in my front right shoulder but its not much of a problem.

Next week goals:
Deadlift- 245 x 3
Pull ups- 5 in a row
Bent over Rowing- 80 x 6
Changing up the other exercises.

[sword chucks]

Clean cardio in an hour

I wanna hit 50 posts in this journal so hopefully more people will post.

[Heisman]

Originally posted by sword chucks
Clean cardio in an hour

I wanna hit 50 posts in this journal so hopefully more people will post.

Sorry, I've been slacking lately.

Click here for help on keeping the bar in place with squats (http://www.fortifiediron.net/invision/index.php?showtopic=11729) The person who made that thread is awesome. :D

Good job on the deadlifts. You'll most likely hit your goal next week.

Good luck with your new split. It might be hard to go that heavy on each of the big 3 twice a week. You could turn do them heavy one day and have the other day you are supposed to do them be a speed rep day. Do you know what that is?

Give this program a try, and if it doesn't work well then I'll help you make another one if you want me to.

[sword chucks]

Today I did clean cardio. I didnt put up too big of weights and didn't go heavy, but I kept rest to 15-20 seconds and kept weight almost constant.


Originally posted by Heisman
Sorry, I've been slacking lately.

Click here for help on keeping the bar in place with squats (http://www.fortifiediron.net/invision/index.php?showtopic=11729) The person who made that thread is awesome. :D

Good job on the deadlifts. You'll most likely hit your goal next week.

Good luck with your new split. It might be hard to go that heavy on each of the big 3 twice a week. You could turn do them heavy one day and have the other day you are supposed to do them be a speed rep day. Do you know what that is?

Give this program a try, and if it doesn't work well then I'll help you make another one if you want me to.

Thanks, Heisman. I would not be going to failure on any days. If I feel like I have to go light I will definately do so.

I made up a new split though, its more heavy stuff, and broken up into upper and lower days. I like the way it looks, what do you think?

Mon/Thurs- Upper day (20 sets)
-bench x 3
-incline db x 2
-military press x 3
-close grip bench x 3
-bb row x 3
-pull up x 3
-incline curl x 3

Tu/Fri- Lower Day (19 sets)
-squat x 4
-deadlift x 3
-cleans x 3
-good morning x 3
-crunches x 2
-static hold x 2
-neck work x 2

Wed/sat
-HIIT cardio 12 intervals of 15/45

*3-6 reps for all sets

I don't really like breaking it into ME and DE days, one reason being I dont understand ME exercise cycling, and the other one being that I think DE days speed exercises sound dangerous. I dont think my elbows would agree with speed benching. Also, I would rather do the exercises normally and do better at them each time. I have been reading about ME/DE a lot at elite fts, though.

Only 2 more posts and Ill be on my second journal page!

[sword chucks]

Weekly questions
-did I progress in all exercises from last week?
Almost all
-how much weight did I lose this week?
2-3 lbs
-did I do all of my cardio and weight lifting?
yes
-do I feel worn out this week?
no
-do I feel like I am leaner than last week?
yes
-did I feel the urge to cheat on my diet?
Yes
-did I cheat on my diet at all? If so, what foods did I cheat with?
I had tuna instead of cottage cheese one night because cottage cheese wasn’t in stock. No junk food though.

Weekly Stats
Weight 139-140
Waist 31 7/8
Arm 12 7/8 R, 13 L
Forearms 10 5/8 R, 10.25 L
Legs 21.25 each
Calves 13.5 each
Neck 14
Face 19.5
Chest 36.25
Shoulders 44.25

****. I want the fat on my face to go away!!!!! I had just eaten when I took this waist measurement, I will do it later also to be sure it’s accurate. But I made a good loss on waist size anyway. My arms are still hovering around 13, which is good. I finally am losing forearm fat, though, so veins must not be far off. Shoulders are still the same. Hopefully waist size will continue to go down, shoulder size will remain the same, and I will lose fat on my face.

8 weeks of school left

[sword chucks]

April overview:

I think that I have made good progress so far but I want to start a new split next month which I think will be more effective.

Questions
-did I lose 5 pounds this month? Do I feel leaner?
yes
-did I gain strength on my bench press, squat, and deadlift? (How much strength did I gain in each exercise?)
Yes: I added 15 to my deadlift 3rm, 15 to my squat 5rm, and 5 to my bench 3rm but the last workout of the month sucked.
-did I improve at every exercise?
yes
-do I feel like I am losing muscle tissue?
Not too much
-how many times did I cheat?
None!
-did I stick to my diet?
As much as possible but sometimes the foods were not in the cabinet
-were all of my weight sessions and cardio sessions done with 100% intensity? Did I feel good after them?
All except for the last bench session were good
-did I drink all of my water, every day?
yes
-do I feel out of energy or do I feel confident and stronger?
Confident, and stronger!

I think its cool that I set these questions up 3 weeks ago and now I have made it far enough into my cutting to answer them. Lets seee where another month brings me.

[Heisman]

I like how you ask yourself questions. It's a cool idea.

One quick thing, now that this is on the front page, copy the url and put it in your sig. The other one is too long and makes it hard to read everything, but if you get the url while it's on the front page then it should work.

The new split looks okay. I would only do 3 sets of squats though. You want to have a lot of energy for the deadlifts.

Also, what kind of good mornings are you doing? You could change that exercise to a different one to help your weakness on squats or deadlifts.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by Heisman
I like how you ask yourself questions. It's a cool idea.

One quick thing, now that this is on the front page, copy the url and put it in your sig. The other one is too long and makes it hard to read everything, but if you get the url while it's on the front page then it should work.

The new split looks okay. I would only do 3 sets of squats though. You want to have a lot of energy for the deadlifts.

Also, what kind of good mornings are you doing? You could change that exercise to a different one to help your weakness on squats or deadlifts.

I dont know what you mean by taking the url and putting it in my sig. I wrote a lot of stuff on the first page though :p

I am taking it down to 3 sets of squats. I am also going to rest for 3 minutes before starting oto warm up for deadlifts.

I am going to do medium stance gm's, so that my hip extension gets stronger. That is my weak point on squats. My deadlifts are going pretty smoothly so far, as long as I keep the bar close to my legs.

[Heisman]

If you look at your sig, the link to your journal is so long that it extends your sig into the purple space. You probably made the link when your journal was on page 2. Now that it is on page 1, do it again.

[supadave]

Good job on your April overview. You have it planned good sc.
I like the new split, kinda like what I've been doing, except I use different exercises each of the days. Looking forward to seeing how you like it.

[sword chucks]

***Workout: upper- TIME 3:35 (3:45 start work sets) - 4:20
Bench Press
-125 x 2, 2, 1
-I made sure to warm up a good amount for my flat benching. I accidentally put a 10 instead of a 5 on each side, so the bar was 115 for my last warm up, and got 3 easy reps. I then got a challenging single of 120, and went up to 125. Next workout I want to get 4 or 5 reps of 125.

Incline DB Press
-40s x 8, 6
-the 20 degree incline is much easier than the 40. I will add weight next time. I noticed that I could kick the weight up with ease to get started today.

BB Row
-85 x 6,
-75 x 9, 6
-I wanted to take it easy on my back/biceps because I just trained them Friday.

Pull up
-assisted x 6, 6, 6
-I am going to use less assistance next time.

Military Press
-70 x 4, 3, 4
-nice!!! I got 2 more reps than last time. I want to hit 6 to 8 reps before I increase weight.

Overhead bb extension
-42.5 x 4, 3
-35 x 5
-I did these sitting and it made it a little harder. I couldn’t get the last rep on a few sets because I didn’t want to go to failure, so I had the bar stuck behind my head. I had to maneuver my arms around the bench to put the bar down safely. I am going to use the Olympic bar next time.

Rear Laterals
-14s x 8, 6
-I am going to add weight next Monday.

Overall
-Good workout, even though I forgot to stretch some muscles. I was surprised that it only took 35 minutes to do all of the working sets. I am mostly going to try to do more reps next week. I had oats and whey protein 30 minutes before the workout started so I had a good amount of energy to lift heavy.
-I am going to do rear laterals as the last exercise on Mondays, and incline db curls as the last one on Thursdays. I don’t really want to do supersets.
-Tomorrow is lower body day! Woo! I am going to go light on the deadlifts because I did them hard on Friday, and medium on the cleans/good mornings to make sure I have the form down.

***What I ate: will try to write when I have time


Yesterday I was at a party for my friend, I had to eat all of my food really quickly, since I was rushing around all day. I managed it though.

He has this universal gym with a vertical chest press, which I have a good story about. Me, my friend, and his cousin were sittng around by it and so his cousin (whos 17)puts the pin in 100. He does that a few times. Then he jumps down to 200 (the full stack) and can't even move it. So he lowers the weight to 170, and can't do that either. He then took a little break and went for 140, and didnt get it. I guess he overestimated himself? He wanted to see how much I could do so I warmed up and then lifted 170 on it. I was going to go for 180 but my common sense kicked in that I had to bench tomorow. It's not like this will happen every weekend, so it doesn;t matter.



If you look at your sig, the link to your journal is so long that it extends your sig into the purple space. You probably made the link when your journal was on page 2. Now that it is on page 1, do it again.

What purple space? I dont see any purple space :o


Good job on your April overview. You have it planned good sc.
I like the new split, kinda like what I've been doing, except I use different exercises each of the days. Looking forward to seeing how you like it.

Thanks, man. The reason I am doing the same of some exercises is to continue to master form and add weight or reps each time. I probably wont do this for the next 6-week cycle though. Rihgt now I am going to keep doiing bb rows, benching, incline db benching, and military presses every upper workout but the other exercises will change from workout to workout.

I like training upper body all together. Lower body is going to be awesome.

[supadave]

The reason I am doing the same of some exercises is to continue to master form and add weight or reps each time.

I see what you're saying. Your weights are going up good, keep it up man. Nice story, I'm sure that made your day :D

[sword chucks]

***Workout: lower- TIME 3:40 (4:00) - 4:35
Squat
-135 x 2
-140 x 2, 0
-115 x 3
-I tried to focus on getting a strong hip extension on these but it didn’t help. My reps were with good form and a slow descent but I got stuck at the bottom of 140. From now on I am going back down to 115 and going for 8-12 reps so that I perfect form. I’m sick of being unsure about if my form is correct. However, I did hit a good weight considering last week I only lifted 130 x 5.

Deadlift
-225 x 3, 3, 3
-light because I went hard on deads Friday

Cleans
-100 x 1,
-90 x 3, 3, 3
-nice! I want to go for 100 x 3 next time.

GMs
-55 x 10, 10, 8
-learning form today and next lower body workout before I add too much weight. Next workout I will go up to 75 though.

Static Hold
-185 x 20 sec
-135 x 20 sec
-my attention span sucks!!! I have to focus on this next workout.

Crunch
-5 x 3, 6
-I don’t like training abs, they never seem to get any stronger!!!

Neck
-used my hand on all 4 sides for 2 sets.

Overall
-I did not focus too well today because it was basically a light workout to learn form or not get in the way of recovery from previous workouts. Next time will be full throttle for deadlifts, and I will focus on static holds.
-I wasn’t too sore from yesterday, which is good.
-I am going to try to learn better squatting form by lowering weight and using sets of 8-12 reps.
-I have to remember to stretch!!!
-Tomorrow: cardio



Originally posted by supadave
The reason I am doing the same of some exercises is to continue to master form and add weight or reps each time.

I see what you're saying. Your weights are going up good, keep it up man. Nice story, I'm sure that made your day :D

Thanks again. I'm glad that I didn't try hard to get 180 because I would be dead for yesterday's session. Good times, good times.

[Heisman]

Maybe are screen resolutions are different.

Good luck on mastering the form with squats. The deadlifts look good.

[scott_donald]

nice lower workout day... looking good...

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by Heisman
Maybe are screen resolutions are different.

Good luck on mastering the form with squats. The deadlifts look good.

Thanks. My form is pretty good but I don't like doing doubles of squats and getting caught under the bar before the last rep. I probably will go to around 130 because I did that for 5 last week. Just a little lighter than normal. I need to keep my legs stimulated.

Hopefully I can deadlift 235-240 for 5 reps on Friday. It seems like after I squat I still have a lot of energy. All of today's deads were extremely explosive.

[sword chucks]

***Workout: HIIT- TIME 3:40-4:00
15/45 x 12
-glad that it’s over
-tomorrow: upper, triceps, delts, and upper back are still sore but hopefully it will be gone tomorrow
-pre-workout I had peanuts instead of oats since I do not need carbs to sprint
-After I finish cutting, I will either start Westside or another linear progression split. I think it will be the linear one for now, but I definitely want to power lift after summer. I made up a WS split as an example and it actually has enough volume to add mass next to strength.

[sword chucks]

***Workout: upper- TIME 3:40-4:30
Bench Press
-125 x 2
-115 x 3, 3
-Meh. Didn’t get any better, the second rep was actually harder this time
Incline DB
-41’s x 8
-45’s x 4
-pr
BB Row
-85 x 6
-90 x 5, 3
-Pretty good
Pull up
-BW x 1, 1, 0
-assisted after bw x 0, 4, 4
-Hopefully I will get 2 or 3 next Thursday.
M Press
-75 x 2
-70 x 6, 4, 2
-I felt a pain in my left front delt from going too low so I stopped the bar around nose level. Good strength increase here.
CGBP
-85 x 5, 1
-75 x 6
-My elbows weren’t tucked well for the 85 x 1 so I stopped.
Incline DB Curl
-25s x 6, 2, 3
-I need to use a higher incline next time

[supadave]

nice increase on the military press sc.

[sword chucks]

***Workout: lower- TIME 3:35 (3:47)-4:27
Squat
-115 x 4, 3, 3
-This was terrible. I keep going forward. Next workout I have to stay UPRIGHT for squatting!!! In a week or two good mornings hopefully will end this problem.
Deadlift
-240 x 3, 1.5
-225 x 4
-I was happy to get 240 for 3 this time even after wasting energy on my ****ty squats. After my first set I put the weight down and a thing popped off of the side of the bar. It was one of the silver ends that cover the black circle things. But it didn’t affect my workout at all.
Cleans
-95 x 6, 4, 4
-I missed a try of 105 after the first set but I think I can get it next time.
GMs
-75 x 6,
-95 x 6, 6
-I’m moving more weight than I thought I would be doing on these. Next week I will continue piling on weight.
Static hold in seconds
-135 x 20, 30
-I squeezed the hell out of the bar and these were kind of hard. I will add weight next workout.
Crunches
-+10 x 6
-+15 x 3
-did them on a flat bench. I’m trying to find the best way to do these; I don’t think that was it.
Neck
-hand resistance on all 4 sides for 2 sets.

Overall:
-Pre workout I had an extra ½ cup of oats since this week I have been running on empty. I plan to do this every Tuesday and Friday because it only adds 150 cals to my intake and I burn them off with my grueling leg work anyway.
-This was a decent workout but by working hard on my lower back, hamstrings, and squats the efforts combined will produce a much stronger squat.
-I might add in some more work for quads, like deadlifts to the back, if I continue to do ****ty on squats.
-I MUST STAY UPRIGHT FOR SQUATS DAMMIT!!! This is really getting me down. I can’t stand doing SQUATS with such light weight…
-tomorrow is cardio



Originally posted by supadave
nice increase on the military press sc.

Thanks man!

[sword chucks]

***Workout: HIIT- TIME 9:45-10:05
15/45 x 12
-I had to do this in the garage because my neighbors were having something done on their yard and running around like a moron kind of embarrasses me. I paid for my shyness by getting a ****ty cardio workout. I chopped my feet fast like in football for the fast part and ran in circles (in my garage) for the recovery. I don’t feel tired about it or anything. I almost feel like I didn’t even need the 35 grams of sugar afterwards, but it was pretty intense. Tomorrow I am just going to do my sprints on a different side of the house. At least it was better than jumping rope HIIT.

[sword chucks]

stats of the week

Body part stats
Weight 135-136
Waist 31.5
Arms 12.75R,12 5/8 L
Thighs 21.5
Forearms 10 ¼ R/10 L
Calves 13.25
Shoulders 43.75
Chest 35.75
Neck 13.75
Face 18.5
Abs visibility Upper ones a bit when flexed

overview of the week
Week overview

1-did I progress in all exercises from last week?
-Yes
2-how much weight did I lose this week?
-3-4 lbs: I might have to add cals if this loss keeps up
3-did I do all of my cardio and weight lifting?
-yes
4-do I feel worn out this week? What muscle groups got sore?
-yes this week I felt very tired and kind of depressed, about my lower workouts which were sucking, and about other things. My upper body got a little sore and so did my neck buyt not so much my legs.
5-do I feel like I am leaner than last week?
-yes and no... I feel like I am losing some mass along with the fat. My chest is still fatty and the only place I really have gained noticable definition in is my abs, after one month of cutting.
6-did I cheat on my diet at all? What foods tempted me?
-I am going to have some ham at my grandmother's today (mothers day) btu it will be lean. That's all I'm eating there, too, since everythign else will probably be all butter and grease.

Weeks of school left: 7

[sword chucks]

My parents had company last night so I couldn’t go to bed until midnight, and I woke up this morning at 10. I am going to do cardio in a bit.

***Workout: HIIT- TIME 11:30-11:50 AM
15/45 x 12
-I almost skipped it because of my late night yesterday and because I thought we were going out early for mother’s day, but luckily I got to do it. I feel better now than I did this morning.

***What I ate:
10:00 was breakfast
11:00 pre workout
11:50 post workout (had to throw in some sunny d because I was low on OJ)
12:20 total, milk, whey (30 min PW)
I am probably going to have ham at my grandmother’s but I might not, actually I am because it is leaner than I thought (I looked it up).

rest of day will be normal

[sword chucks]

***Workout: upper- TIME 3:30-4:15
Bench
-125 x 2, 2, 2
-I easily had a third/fourth rep on the last set but didn’t do it for some reason. I am pissed that I have done 125 x 2 for the past 3 workouts, on Thursday, I am just putting 130 on the bar, and blasting through this plateau.
Incline DB
-46s x 3,
-42s x 3
-Next workout I will go for 4-6 reps of the 46s. My goal is to use 50 lbs plus the db weight, so I have a 25 lb. plate on each side of either dumbbell.
BB Row
-95 x 4.5, 4, 1
-Nice increase here. I will add 5 next week.
Chins (underhand)
-BW x 3, 3, 3
-I thought I would do these underhand and it was a good idea, I really felt my back pulling hard. I was able to keep the same strength for all 3 sets. Thursday I will get 4 or 5 chins. Once I get 6 I am adding some weight.
Military press
-75 x 5, 4, 3
-I’m very happy with how much strength I am gaining on these. Thursday I will go up to 80 lbs for 2-3 reps.
Overhead extension
-45 x 3, 4, 2
-It seems at first that I haven’t gotten any better at these but then I remembered that I had had my elbows completely out last time I used 45 for them. This time they felt really good on my triceps.
Rear lateral
-16s x 6, 4
-not as easy as I expected but these were still not too hard. Next week I will add a little bit of weight.

Overall
-good workout today!!! I really felt all of my muscles that were being targeted working. I am going to add weight to everything on the next workout except to the chest exercises since I am seeing awesome strength increases so far.
-Tomorrow is lower body, which I hope will go well. My plan is to bunch up the towel around the bar so that I have a cushion for my neck. My traps aren’t that built so the bar always hurts my neck.
-I might need a new bucket of protein soon.

[supadave]

last time you only got 1 set of 2 on bench, this time you got 3 sets, thats a good improvement sc.

[sword chucks]

***Workout: lower- TIME 3:30 (3:45) - 4:30
Squat ass-to-grass
-135 x 2
-140 x 2.5, 1
-I made a funny looking bar pad for these. I still found myself going forward. On Friday I will go for 145 x 2-3.
Deadlift
-245 x 3, 2.5, 1
-I felt that I was long overdue for some increases in Deadlifts. I probably had a few more in the tank after the last set but the rep was pretty hard so I stopped it. I am adding weight for Friday.
Cleans
-105 x 1, 2, 1
-my lower back cracked (the good way) after the first set. I will try to get more reps next workout.
GM’s
-115 x 5, 4, 3
-these were not too hard, on the last set I probably had more reps but the bar slid down a little bit and so I quickly racked it.
Holds
-140 x 5+20 sec, 20 sec
-the callous of my hands really were hurting from these static holds.
Crunch
-7.5 x 5, 5
-these are so ****ing annoying… my feet always come off of the bench even after I tied them down. On Friday I will try them with my legs straight out.
Neck
-hand resistance

Overall:
-I was happy with the deadlifts. Even though I wear gloves while I do them I still get messed up hands.
-I am going to start practicing front squat form and doing them before cardio sessions as well as after my workout. I will use just enough to get the feel for them.
-Very hot today in the old garage.

***What I ate:
-At breakfast I was up late so I had a protein shake with milk instead of eggs and plain protein.
-Had 1 cup of oats instead of ½ cup pre workout, and the same protein



Originally posted by supadave
last time you only got 1 set of 2 on bench, this time you got 3 sets, thats a good improvement sc.

Thanks supadave, I didnt notice that part.

[scott_donald]

nice workout... do you like good mornings...

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by scott_donald
nice workout... do you like good mornings...

I actually do like good mornings, I really feel them in my lower back, and my hamstrings a little bit. The only problem is that the bar digs into my trap area unless I put 3-4 inches of padding in between :). I plan to invest in an olympic bar pad this weekend. I am using a lot more weight than I expected for GMs, which I am very happy about. I think I will be doing 125-135 next workout for reps, I have just been doing them light so far.

[scott_donald]

Originally posted by sword chucks
I actually do like good mornings, I really feel them in my lower back, and my hamstrings a little bit. The only problem is that the bar digs into my trap area unless I put 3-4 inches of padding in between :). I plan to invest in an olympic bar pad this weekend. I am using a lot more weight than I expected for GMs, which I am very happy about. I think I will be doing 125-135 next workout for reps, I have just been doing them light so far.

thats great hat is one excercise i cannot do my body does nto want to do it... but others love it...

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by scott_donald
thats great hat is one excercise i cannot do my body does nto want to do it... but others love it...

I know what you mean, at the bottom all of the blood can rush into your head, thats why I try to not go past parallel. It is also not very comfortable to do, since you never really bend down that far with almost-straight legs.

[sword chucks]

***Workout: HIIT- TIME 3:35-3:50
12 intervals of 15/45
-hot as hell today… damn it
-my constant DOMS even makes it hard to walk up stairs in school… just imagine how intense sprinting affected my legs. I did not practice front squats too much (only 2 x 15 with the bar).
-tomorrow is upper body; I plan on moving up the weight in nearly all of the exercises. Just to remind myself, I will be doing 130 on bench, 100 on rows, 80 on military press, and 90 on Close grip bench, as well as other exercises.

[sword chucks]

***Workout: upper- TIME 3:30 (3:45) - 4:30

Bench
-130 x 2, 1
-115 x 2
-I felt like I could do another rep of 130 after the first set. Doing high reps really seems hard for some reason.
Incline DB
-46s x 3, 0
-43s x 4
-not much of a gain here I might have to switch exercises around soon if I don’t make progress.
BB Row
-100 x 4, 3, 2.5
-now I’m in the 100-rowing club. It feels good.
Chins
-BW x 4, 4, 3
-I could have gotten 1-2 more reps on these.
Military Press
-80 x 2
-65 x 4(slow), 7, 4(w/ bottom pauses)
-felt like changing it up a little bit.
CGBP
-90 x 2, 2
-75 x 5
Incline Curl
-25s x 5, 6, 4
-did the last set with both arms at the same time.

Overall:
-loading plates has started to get annoying; I want to move the plates to a better location where I can access them easier.
-I am gaining strength at an ok rate, not as good as I could if I were bulking, but still good.
-My temper was short after this workout for some reason. It is probably the heat, and that I am feeling hungrier and more tired by the day.
-Monday’s workout will probably be with a friend of mine but I will keep the same weights on everything and try to keep my strength constant throughout each set. I might add weight to BB row depending on how I feel. But on Thursday I will finally go for 135 x 3 on the bench press.
-I just filled in my PR list, and I have made a 10 pound increase in my bb row 4rm since last week. I made good gains on everything in the upper body. Pretty soon those 45’s and 35’s will be seeing a lot of use on Mondays and Thursdays…
-tomorrow I will do ass-to-grass front squats instead of normal ones, I feel good about my technique on them, so I will go for the 6-8 rep range. Probably using 115-120.

***What I ate:
Same as usual.

[sword chucks]

***Workout: lower- TIME _________
Full front squat
-120 x 1, 0
-100 x 3, 2
-this ****in sucked, I expected to really feel these in my legs and use a good weight, but neither happened. I am going back to normal squats Tuesday, **** front squats.
Deadlift
-250 x 2.5+1
-I stopped there because I must have rounded my back at front squats or something, which caused me to feel a pain in my lower back. I easily had another rep but I wanted to get rep 3 with the bar at my ankles. My deadlifts went up by 10 this week.
Cleans, GMs
-not done because of lower back
Static holds (superset with crunches)
-150 x 20, 20, 30, 22
-I am adding a load of weight next workout
+Crunches
-BW+ 15 x 6,5
-BW + 10 x 6, 12
-I found that tucking my feet under the bench works best.
Neck work
-2 sets with my hand

Overall:
-****ty workout. My deads would have been great if it weren’t for my lower back. It was even nice, cool weather in my garage and I ****ed it up.
-I tried to make up for lost intensity by supersetting crunches and holds but it didn’t make me sweat too much. I wasn’t sure if the sugars would even be used post workout.
-before I took a shower my waist looked and felt huge. I leaned forward and it hung out so much… I feel like **** about myself now because I feel fat and ugly. I have lost a lot of weight and size but I still look fat. My waist was 32.25 after my shake… what the **** is up with that… I had a 31.5 on Sunday morning!!! From now on post workout will be 4 oz of OJ, 1.5 scoops whey, and ½ cup of oats. Its basically the same total carbs but more complex ones so that I don’t suddenly feel fat.
-If I don’t look better later I will rethink my cutting. I really don’t want to give up, but I feel so tired and depressed all of the time, and even though I am losing size on measurements, my muscles don’t look more ripped. I will think about this more later.

[sword chucks]

Lower back feels ok today. I want to do my cardio today but I might not do it too early…. I woke up at about 7 and it felt ok and by 12 it might feel fine. I just don’t want to irritate it.

It’s now 10 and my lower back feels fine… good thing I didn’t worry about it too much… I am going to do the HIIT at 10:30.

***Workout: HIIT- TIME 10:20-10:35 AM
15/20 to 40 x 12
-what I did today was cut the recovery time down, since I usually find myself bored by the time I get through 45 seconds of recovery. I feel like I got my metabolism up better and I was fully recovered after 20-40 seconds. I was only doing 20 second recovery in the beginning but as the workout went on I think I may have gone up to 40 seconds for 1 or 2 intervals. The workout was much shorter.
-Yesterday I read an article by Layne Norton and one phrase just suck with me: “lift with attitude.” I put that into play today and sprinted faster than before. I am going to tape that phrase up all over my garage that way, no matter what direction I face in, I will LIFT WITH ATTITUDE.
-My new post workout meal is perfect. I think it has enough simple carbs to get me on the way to recovery and the rest are complex carbs to keep my insulin levels more steady. And, as usual, it has plenty of protein.
-Soreness in my thighs/hips was the only thing that bothered my today, no lower back pain, though. What a relief!!!!
-Tomorrow I am going to lengthen the sprint intervals to 20 seconds. I usually go back and forth across a section of my yard 3 times but tomorrow I will go for 4. I think cycling my intervals in HIIT will be a great way to keep the fat and cals melting off.

***What I ate:
-Pre workout I had 1 ½ tbsp peanut butter instead of a serving of peanuts. It tasted pretty good but I will go back to peanuts next time.
-Post workout meal is changed to this:
2 oz OJ, ½ scoop whey in a shake
½ cup oats and 1 scoop whey in a minute when the oats are heated up
And as much water as I need.
-I finished my strawberry protein bucket and I cleaned it out by eating the rest of the powder (there was about ½ extra scoops in there) so my protein intake is boosted. I actually have a lot more vanilla left than I thought.

[scott_donald]

this entry has lost me...

[supadave]

Good job with the benches and rows bro. Don't worry about the measurements too much, they vary sometimes. Probably not a good time to measure after squats. I'm sure you're doing fine, keep it up and take care of that back.

[sword chucks]

I might quit cutting depending on how things look tomorow.


scott_donald: this entry has lost me...

in one entry I felt like **** because my stomach looks bloated and I didnt get to finish my workout. In the next one I felt ok about it. Now, I feel like **** again because my waist still looks bloated.


supadave: Good job with the benches and rows bro. Don't worry about the measurements too much, they vary sometimes. Probably not a good time to measure after squats. I'm sure you're doing fine, keep it up and take care of that back.

Thanks man, I guess later in the day I have more water/food in me so I am bigger. But I feel like a lardass all the time, even now. I felt average last week but it feels like I gained a load of fat... I guess we'll see in the measurements tomorrow.

[sword chucks]

Sunday

hiit
-20/30-40 x 10
overall
-tiring…
duration
-15 min

weekly measurements
Measurements
pre-may wk 1 wk 2
BW(morning) 139,140 135,136 135,136
BW (night) 145? 142?
Waist 31 7/8 31.5 31.5
Shoulders 44.25 43.75 42 1/8
Chest 36.25 35.75 35.5
L Arm 13 12 5/8 12 7/8
R arm 12 7/8 12.75 12 7/8
L Forearm 10.25 10 10.25
R Forear 10 5/8 10.25 10.75
Thighs 21.25 21.5 21.25
Calves 13.5 13.25 13.5
Neck 14 13.75 14.25
Face 19.5 18.5 19
Abs- this week they look more ripped up top.

I made gains in some places but losses in others and BW stayed the same. Odd.


new diet

The totals come out to around this:

Day- f c p cals
M/Th- 67.5 214 228 2366.5
Tu/Fri- 70.5 241 231 2513.5
Wed- 77.5 193 231 2384.5
Sat/Sun- 95.5 177 237 2518.5

I want to boost my metabolism back up and with the loading of training volume I should still be below maintenance.

Gonna cheat later today, but ti will be modest.

week overview

:
****ty week… felt like quitting many times. But I really want to lean up for this summer. I am adding cals and hopefully the higher volume will make up for the added cals. My metabolism will come back up.

I plan on having a modest cheat meal later Sunday.

About my gains.. I increased circumference on some things and lost on others, while keeping weight the same. Kind of weird.

I did all of my working out, cardio, and water drinking this week so no worries there.

in other news

I am officially obsessed with excel now. I will be putting the same amoutn of stuff there but here the "comments" will not show up.

If there is any way I could put an excel file here that would be great.

[sword chucks]

Sunday

hiit
-20/30-40 x 10
overall
-tiring…
duration
-15 min

weekly measurements
Measurements
wk 2
BW(morning)- 135,136
BW (night) -
Waist- 31.5
Shoulders - 42 1/8
Chest- 35.5
L Arm- 12 7/8
R arm- 12 7/8
L Forearm - 10.25
R Forear - 10.75
Thighs- 21.25
Calves - 13.5
Neck- 14.25
Face- 19
Abs- this week they look more ripped up top.

I made gains in some places but losses in others and BW stayed the same. Odd.


new diet

The totals come out to around this:

Day- f / c / p / cals
M/Th- 67.5 214 228 /2366.5
Tu/Fri- 70.5/ 241/ 231/ 2513.5
Wed- 77.5/ 193/ 231/ 2384.5
Sat/Sun- 95.5/ 177 /237 /2518.5

I want to boost my metabolism back up and with the loading of training volume I should still be below maintenance.

Gonna cheat later today, but ti will be modest.

week overview

:
****ty week… felt like quitting many times. But I really want to lean up for this summer. I am adding cals and hopefully the higher volume will make up for the added cals. My metabolism will come back up.

I plan on having a modest cheat meal later Sunday.

About my gains.. I increased circumference on some things and lost on others, while keeping weight the same. Kind of weird.

I did all of my working out, cardio, and water drinking this week so no worries there.

in other news

I am officially obsessed with excel now. I will be putting the same amoutn of stuff there but here the "comments" will not show up.

If there is any way I could put an excel file here that would be great.

[sword chucks]

84.5f 239c 265p 2972.5 cals

Fitday says I burned 5000+ cals today... I bet I burnt around 3000 since I was outside for a while and I did intense cardio.

what I ate:
-about 5 onion rings
-2 pcs chicken
-a whole red gyro in a pita
-some salad in whatever dressing it was with a little feta cheese
-a few french fries
-some ketchup, bbq, and hot sauce

It comes out to around 800 cals... 22 fat, 71 carbs, and 62 protein. I guess it's a little late to be eating carbs (I was done at 7 PM) but I need to get my metabolism started again.

I am interested in a CKD and I am putting together all that I know to make one up right now.

[sword chucks]

Monday- week 3- volume loading

workout
BB Flat Bench Press 115 x 4, 130 x 0, 115 x 2, 1+1, 1
Incline DB 43s x 6, 3, 3, 3
BB Row 105 x 4 x 3
Underhand Chins BW x 4, 3, 3, 3
M.Press 80 x 3, 2, 2, 0
CG Bench 85 x 2, 3, 1, 2
Bent lateral 18s x 4, 3, 15s x 6
overall
duration 3:40(3:55)-4:35= 40 min lifting


overall
:I made some good gains today but I was also a little bit off. I will be lowering weight on everything so that I get 4 x 4 for my focus exercises and 4 x 6 for everything else. I will lower the bench to 115 for this but everything else for 4 x 4's I can increase.

The workout lasted only 40 minutes which was pretty intense. My pushing in general is not very good, i noticed. And my pulling is making gains much faster than it. I might be BB rowing 115 by the end of the month, which would be awesome.

I remembered to stretch everything.

Tomorow will be a high-carb day ( am now carb cycling) and lower body.

[sword chucks]

Monday- week 3- volume loading

workout
BB Flat Bench Press 115 x 4, 130 x 0, 115 x 2, 1+1, 1
Incline DB 43s x 6, 3, 3, 3
BB Row 105 x 4 x 3
Underhand Chins BW x 4, 3, 3, 3
M.Press 80 x 3, 2, 2, 0
CG Bench 85 x 2, 3, 1, 2
Bent lateral 18s x 4, 3, 15s x 6
overall
duration 3:40(3:55)-4:35= 40 min lifting


overall
:I made some good gains today but I was also a little bit off. I will be lowering weight on everything so that I get 4 x 4 for my focus exercises and 4 x 6 for everything else. I will lower the bench to 115 for this but everything else for 4 x 4's I can increase.

The workout lasted only 40 minutes which was pretty intense. My pushing in general is not very good, i noticed. And my pulling is making gains much faster than it. I might be BB rowing 115 by the end of the month, which would be awesome.

I remembered to stretch everything.

Tomorow will be a high-carb day ( am now carb cycling) and lower body.

my carb cycle plan:

I cant attach the fiLE since its too big but heres the general plan:

60 g fat per day
230-240 g prot per day
35 g carb=1600 cal=no (only in cottage cheese, and I have
148 carb=2100 cal= low
305 carb=2700 cal=high
averages out to 2100 cal per day over a week.

Monday-lo
Tu-high
W-no
Th-lo
F-hi
Sat- no
sun- low

[sword chucks]

Monday- week 3- volume loading

workout
BB Flat Bench Press 115 x 4, 130 x 0, 115 x 2, 1+1, 1
Incline DB 43s x 6, 3, 3, 3
BB Row 105 x 4 x 3
Underhand Chins BW x 4, 3, 3, 3
M.Press 80 x 3, 2, 2, 0
CG Bench 85 x 2, 3, 1, 2
Bent lateral 18s x 4, 3, 15s x 6
overall
duration 3:40(3:55)-4:35= 40 min lifting


overall
:I made some good gains today but I was also a little bit off. I will be lowering weight on everything so that I get 4 x 4 for my focus exercises and 4 x 6 for everything else. I will lower the bench to 115 for this but everything else for 4 x 4's I can increase.

The workout lasted only 40 minutes which was pretty intense. My pushing in general is not very good, i noticed. And my pulling is making gains much faster than it. I might be BB rowing 115 by the end of the month, which would be awesome.

I remembered to stretch everything.

Tomorow will be a high-carb day ( am now carb cycling) and lower body.

my carb cycle plan:

I cant attach the fiLE since its too big but heres the general plan:

60 g fat per day
230-240 g prot per day
35 g carb=1600 cal=no (only in cottage cheese, and I have
148 carb=2100 cal= low
305 carb=2700 cal=high
averages out to 2100 cal per day over a week.

Monday-lo
Tu-high
W-no
Th-lo
F-hi
Sat- no
sun- low

I am going to carb cycle so that I can continually make progress even if i decide to keep cutting after the next 5 weeks

[sword chucks]

Im gonna post each day separately

[sword chucks]

65 minute rule is such a waste of my time... >:(

[sword chucks]

I have a feeling this will be my favorite one...

[sword chucks]

I think my lower back mihgt be messed up

Full squat -135 x 3, 3, 2<-- low back pain

Clean cardio 85 x 12 x 6-12

overall
- It started out as an awesome workout with good potential… I was all carbed- up from my cups of oats and slices upon slices of whoel wheat bread. I was havign a good day at school, too. All the way through to my garage I was feeling awesome and ready to LIFT WTIH ATTITUDE... I wanted to squat 135 for 5 x 3 and deadlift 255 for 5 x 2. But on my third set of squats, where I was pulling very hard with my lower back, I felt a stab of pain. I racked the bar and waited for 10 minutes laying down to be safe. When I got up it did not feel right... so I stopped the workout there. I tried doing some leg extensions but my bench is not sturdy enough and the leg lever is too low. SO I did clean cardio to burn some cals... it didn't hurt my lower back since I went light. And I really got a good workout.

I was squatting with great form too... I guess my lower back wasn't completely healed. I will see as the week goes in if I will do lower body friday but it probably will just be a light workout and 15 sets of cleans to maximize overreaching. .

What a pity... I was looking forward to deadlifting 255+ by the end of this month.

Tomorow is no-carbs and hiit.

I applied for a job today at my freinds dads restaurant so this should help me pay for supps and other food. It went well but the restaurant won;'t be open for another month or so.
duration 3:30 (3:50)- 4:30

[scott_donald]

sorry about the back... pain is not good... are you warming up properly...

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by scott_donald
sorry about the back... pain is not good... are you warming up properly...

Thanks man. I usually spend a lot of time warming up but on the front squats friday I rounded my back by accident. So I guess I wasn't fully healed.

Hm... I like the way korte's 3 x 3 looks and I might start it since it will allow for me to use light poundages and give my lower back time to rehab itself. I would be doing BB Rows at the end of the workouts though.

[scott_donald]

just use a bench set at 40 degrees or so and row on that...

[sword chucks]

Did HIIT today... 15/20-30 x 12.

Not much to say... I was pretty tired from the lack fo carbs. ANd my legs were sore. The no-carb day did not live up to my expectations for its painfulness though... I actually enjoyed the cheese and mayo that I let myself have (for fats).

I am going to start the 3 x3 with this schedule:

Day---Diet-Workout

Mon---High-weights
Tu----low-clean cardio
Wed--Low-WEIGHTS
TH----No-HIIT
Fri----High-weights
Sat---Low-clean cardio
Sun---No--hiit

I will be throwing inn chins 1-2 times a week in place of one or two sets of BB Rows for the hell of it. I like chins.

FInally, I will be working out with a friend who will use the same program as far as weights go. But he won't be doing cardio with me.

I want to keep going with my program but I am looking at the future and I do not want to be the guy who thought his back could take it and could never lift again. The weights will be very light to begin with.


Originally posted by scott_donald
just use a bench set at 40 degrees or so and row on that...

I think that my lower back can take some light rowing but if I don't feel like it can I will use this. THanks.

[hotgymchick]

Try something like olive oil or natural peanut butter for fats, just because its low carb doesn't mean you are supposed to eat it.

[sword chucks]

workout 3:35(4:45)-4:30
BB Flat Bench Press
115 x 4, 3, 3, 2, 2

Incline DB
45s x 4, 2, 2, 1

BB Row
110 x 3/ 115 x 3, 2, 1

Underhand Chins
BW+5 x 3, 2/ BW x 2, 2

M.Press
85 x 2/ 75 x 4, 4, 1

CG Bench
75 x 8,6, 4

+DB curl
27.5s x 6, 6, 4

:good upper workout! I am starting korte's 3 x 3 next Monday and I will drop some weight on everything to work on form, etc.

I made good increases in pretty much everything. I was not happy with the flat benching though and I think I have hit a plateau. I made an awesome gain in bb rows and did my first set of weighted chins.. woo hoo! CG Bench felt great as well.

Tomorow: High carbs, light lower body and clean cardio after. Im just going to do squats with something pathetic like 75.


Originally posted by hotgymchick
Try something like olive oil or natural peanut butter for fats, just because its low carb doesn't mean you are supposed to eat it.

Yeah I know but.. omeletes are awesome.

With a total calorie intake of 1400 (I changed some things on no carb days) 2 g of saturated fats is not going to kill me.

I might drop the cheese if I feel the need to. Thanks tho.

[sword chucks]

This is the original Korte plan:

http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/korte.htm

I will be doing it a little differently.

Here are my "projected" maxes (rounded):

Squat: 195
Deadlift: 285
Bench: 150
BB Row: 135

Phase one will go like this:

week
exerx- sets x reps- workout 1 weight/wo 2 weight/wo 3 weight

I will be adding 5 to squats per workout, 10 to deadliffts per workout, and 5 to bench/rows on some workouts so that this routine has an HST-like effect as well as a strength increasing effect.

week 1 workouts
Squat- 4 x 12- 105/110/115
Bench- 4 x 12- 85/90/95
Deadlift- 4 x 12- 155/165/175
BB Row- 3 x 12- 75/80/85

week 2 workouts
Squat- 5 x 10- 120/125/130
Bench- 5 x 10- 100/105/105
Deadlift- 5 x 10- 185/195/205
BB Row- 3 x 10- 90/95/105

week 3 workouts
Squat- 5 x 5- 135/140/145
Bench- 5 x 5- 110/115/120
Deadlift- 5 x 5- 215/225/235
BB Row- 3 x 5- 110/115/115

week 4 workouts
Squat- 6 x 3- 150/155/160
Bench- 6 x 3- 125/130/135
Deadlift- 6 x 3- 245/255/265
BB Row- 4 x 3- 120/125/130

That is my plan for the weights and progression. Chances are I will be able to do more.

I will also do a 2 x 5 of chins or overhead presses after the workout on different days.

phase 2 will be with less reps and sets, and more weights.

[SoG]

I'd follow 3x3 as it is already laid out. It works well and really doesn't require tweaking. And adding more lifts than the big three is not necessary (besides ab work and MAYBE additional tricep work on an off day) since the workload is extremely high and exhausting.

Either way, good luck with your program!


-Dave

[sword chucks]

The workout is in the attachment.


I'd follow 3x3 as it is already laid out. It works well and really doesn't require tweaking. And adding more lifts than the big three is not necessary (besides ab work and MAYBE additional tricep work on an off day) since the workload is extremely high and exhausting.

Either way, good luck with your program!


-Dave

You're right. I doubt I could do half of those lifts without going to failure. I am just going to stick with my current program. Thanks for the input.

It wont let me post with an attachment for some reason.. give me a few minutes

[sword chucks]

here it is:

Fri

workout sets
Full squat 75 x 3 x 10- very light
Power clean 95 x 10, 8/ 85 x 6 x 8

Overall:
I was tired after this workout… I had just played a game of intense ULTIMATE FRISBEE in gym and so I was drained all day… and so I couldn't handle that much weight today..

I changed my mind again, I am not doing korte. I don't like it that much and I had made it so that I would be better off following my current linear progression scheme than doing my own.

I will be doing the lower body workouts with medium weights for the next week to get the feel for it and I will really load for 2 weeks after that.

Finally, I am changing to dumbbells for bench press. Why? First of all, I have to line up my bench exactly every time I want to flat bb bench . Also, I don't really like to do bb benching, and I barely feel it in any muscles. So starting monday I will be doing flat DB benching, and incline DB benching, for chest. The other exercises will stay the same though. Next week will be lower volume because I will not be loading lower body just yet, and I would rather volume load everything than half of everything.


it wouldnt let me post an atachment i will try later.

[sword chucks]

I think I might work out at school monday with my friend, that will be fun :)

Ill try to post the workout as an attachment now.. nope it still won't let me. It is the right size and in mspaint so I don;t know what the problem is.

[SavesTheMuscle]

Originally posted by sword chucks

Ill try to post the workout as an attachment now.. nope it still won't let me. It is the right size and in mspaint so I don;t know what the problem is.

I use Paint Shop Pro 8 for saving my attachements, they come out clearer then if I tried it on standard Paint.

Make sure to save as a .jpg

I like the workout attachement as well, now I can keep track of it on my comp as well as on here- to better monitor my progress :)

Can you post a regular attachement?

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by SavesTheMuscle
I use Paint Shop Pro 8 for saving my attachements, they come out clearer then if I tried it on standard Paint.

Make sure to save as a .jpg

I like the workout attachement as well, now I can keep track of it on my comp as well as on here- to better monitor my progress :)

Can you post a regular attachement?

I posted some other mspaint attachments above to show my high/lo/no carb days. What it is doing now is when I try to post a pic from paint it brings up one of those "this page is not availble" things and then when hit refresh it tells me "no thread was specified".

Ill try again, this time with todays workout, in my pictures in a little while.Thanks.

[sword chucks]

Diet = NO CARB

Instead of WPI I had tuna a few times because it costs less for me :p

I was haning out with a friend today and I felt really tired. No carbs must be to blame.

On Monday/Thursday I will be working out at school. I am going to bring a salmon sandwich on wheat for pre-workout if I do.

[sword chucks]

Did clean cardio today but I felt kind of un-focused and tired. I only went up to 85.

weekly measurements

Measurements

calculated BF- 17.2%
BW(morning)- 135
BW (night)
Waist- 32
Shoulders- 44.25
Chest- 36
L Arm- 12.75
R arm-13
L Forearm-10.25
R Forearm-10.75
Thighs-21
Calves-13.25
Neck-14.5
Face-18.5
Abs- :I look more ripped even though I didn’t lose any on my waist. Lower abs not showing yet

I dont really know whats going on with these measurements... theyre going up in some places and down in others... Ill just let what happens, happen, for the next week or two. I am going to meausre my waist on an empty stomach from now on.

week overview
I didn’t have any cheat meals.

I enjoyed my first week of carb cyclign.

It sucks that I couldn’t do lower body heavy this week.

I made gains and my BW stayed the same. I will give my body another week or two to adjust to the carb cycling before I start to lower calories. It probably is just beginning the fat loss.

[scott_donald]

so a good starting week was hard even although you missed a workout...

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by scott_donald
so a good starting week was hard even although you missed a workout...

Yeah, I wanted to get my deadlifts up to 255 x 3 at least this week. I am going to take next weeks lower body workouts light, but still do everything. I have slightly changed my upper and lower body days.

[SoG]

How tall are you, bro? 17.2% bf at 135 seems unlikely...

Are you bulking/cutting?

Good luck!


-Dave

[sword chucks]

I feel very lethargic today. I just did about 2 hours of chores too. So between that, cardio before, and low carbs, I am pretty ****ing tired.


Originally posted by SoG
How tall are you, bro? 17.2% bf at 135 seems unlikely...

Are you bulking/cutting?

Good luck!


-Dave

I'm 5'8 cutting. I used a calculator where you put in waist size and get a bf%. I dont think its too accurate either. I look really fat though.

[scott_donald]

Originally posted by sword chucks
I feel very lethargic today. I just did about 2 hours of chores too. So between that, cardio before, and low carbs, I am pretty ****ing tired.



I'm 5'8 cutting. I used a calculator where you put in waist size and get a bf%. I dont think its too accurate either. I look really fat though.

mmm no not accurate at all...

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by scott_donald
mmm no not accurate at all...

I didnt really think so, there are a lot of other things that need to be put in.. I think height would be important. Im still going to try to use it to gauge my progress though.

[scott_donald]

buy some electronic calipers... they can be bought from the main site here for only 20 dollars... very accurate - within one percent...

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by scott_donald
buy some electronic calipers... they can be bought from the main site here for only 20 dollars... very accurate - within one percent...

I want to but I dont think my parents would get it for me offline.

I could probably find them in the store, Ill keep my eye open

[sword chucks]

Workout is in attachment

The school weight room really sucks. I hated this workout. Someone was on the only bench so I had to use this stupid lever machine on it. I think the machine was broken or something though.

I really need to do more reps. What I am going to do is have 2 exercises that will be of 4+ sets of 2-3 reps, and then have the rest be 3-4 of 6-9.

I am not going to work out at school again.

The Incline bench only went down to 30 degrees so I had to use that. The chins had my hands a little wider than normal because the thing sucked. The 20s were too heavy and the 15s too light for lateral raises. I am going to stick at home for lifting from now on.

My lats are still adding strength but I am going to be doing higher reps for chins.

I want to use a more "holistic" training approach using more different rep ranges. I also really want to bulk up even though I am pretty fat. I think I could sustain a clean bulk until next year, pack on 50-60 lbs, then cut down to 150 something. I am too light and not very strong right now.

[sword chucks]

BIg Update.. important

I am taking the rest of the week off due to my lower back. I will be doing a basic diet every day and eatign more with my family at dinner. I will see how my lower back feels when the week is over. I can not rush it. I might take a second week off also. I have been training for about 6 weeks and I have done about 10 workouts for every body part so I think it is ok for me to have this week off.

[sword chucks]

My back doesnt feel too good, so its a good thing I didnt work out today.

I ate a slice of italian hero today at a science research symposium. It was good. I thought it would make me feel less depressed and less "out of it" but it didnt. I need to figure this thing out.

[Younglifter14]

what happened to your back?

hope it gets better, I know how you feel. I ****ed up my lower back and it continues to hurt still.

Young

[SoG]

It's nice to take a break from all the dieting and working out... Sometimes your body gets run down from all the beating it takes. Although it's probably not the smartest thing to do, I'm not sticking to my diet anymore for most of the summer... I find I have more fun eating whatever I want, as long as I take in a good amount of protein. I just make sure to do some type of cardio to keep my weight the same (endurance runs, HIIT, sled dragging).

Hope your rest is beneficial... Make sure you are getting out with your friends and having a good time... That is very important to do!


-Dave

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by SoG
It's nice to take a break from all the dieting and working out... Sometimes your body gets run down from all the beating it takes. Although it's probably not the smartest thing to do, I'm not sticking to my diet anymore for most of the summer... I find I have more fun eating whatever I want, as long as I take in a good amount of protein. I just make sure to do some type of cardio to keep my weight the same (endurance runs, HIIT, sled dragging).

Hope your rest is beneficial... Make sure you are getting out with your friends and having a good time... That is very important to do!


-Dave

Thanks SoG... I really think I was overreaching a little much and it made me feel kinda irritable/tired/depressed. I was going pretty much to failure every set and doing too low of reps. Combine that with a low calorie diet and I just got burnt out.

I am probably going to take 2 full weeks off for my lower back.

My diet is going to be composed of 23-2500 cals, coming from 95 g fats, 160 g carbs, and 210 g protein. When I start lifting again I am going to be bulking.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by Younglifter14
what happened to your back?

hope it gets better, I know how you feel. I ****ed up my lower back and it continues to hurt still.

Young

I was doing front squats a few weeks back and I leaned forward a little by accident. When I was doing some heavy deadlifts it started to hurt so I stopped. A few days later I felt ok so I did some squats and it felt like it exploded. I have been training up until now but I finally realized that I need to give it rest.

What did u do to your lower back, that made it continue to hurt even now? Did you rest it and everything?

[SavesTheMuscle]

Something similar happened to me on the Hack Squat machine.
I had gone too low an I REALLY strained my self to push it up an my back came off the pad. I felt a little pinch or something when it happened, but really felt it later that day.

Sadly, I kept working out hoping it would get better but I was only making it worse.

I worked out for like a month after that happened, then decided it wasn't getting any better so I better take time off. It started off as 1 week off, then 2, then next thing I knew I was already out for 3 months.

It finally felt better, an does not bother me at all now- well maybe a slight 'pop' when I sit too long, but nothing like the pain I experienced before (doing regular things in life like standing up and sitting down). It felt like I fell straight on my tail bone, ouch :(

I wish you a speedy recovery, and remember- we learn from out mistakes.

Good luck sword chucks :)

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by SavesTheMuscle
Something similar happened to me on the Hack Squat machine.
I had gone too low an I REALLY strained my self to push it up an my back came off the pad. I felt a little pinch or something when it happened, but really felt it later that day.

Sadly, I kept working out hoping it would get better but I was only making it worse.

I worked out for like a month after that happened, then decided it wasn't getting any better so I better take time off. It started off as 1 week off, then 2, then next thing I knew I was already out for 3 months.

It finally felt better, an does not bother me at all now- well maybe a slight 'pop' when I sit too long, but nothing like the pain I experienced before (doing regular things in life like standing up and sitting down). It felt like I fell straight on my tail bone, ouch :(

I wish you a speedy recovery, and remember- we learn from out mistakes.

Good luck sword chucks :)

Thanks man. I dont think what happened to me is as bad as your injury though. Hopefully after 2 weeks my back will be fine.

[Younglifter14]

Originally posted by sword chucks
I was doing front squats a few weeks back and I leaned forward a little by accident. When I was doing some heavy deadlifts it started to hurt so I stopped. A few days later I felt ok so I did some squats and it felt like it exploded. I have been training up until now but I finally realized that I need to give it rest.

What did u do to your lower back, that made it continue to hurt even now? Did you rest it and everything?

hurt it on deadlifts. I rested it for at least 2-3 weeks. Felt alot better but everynow again i still feel it while working out especially on lower body days

Young

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by Younglifter14
hurt it on deadlifts. I rested it for at least 2-3 weeks. Felt alot better but everynow again i still feel it while working out especially on lower body days

Young

yeah.. deadlifts can be pretty dangerous I guess. I am going to give lower body another week or so of rest. I might do a upper body session sometime this week though for the hell of it. I get bored when Im not lifting.

[supadave]

Hope your back gets better sc. Don't rush it.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by supadave
Hope your back gets better sc. Don't rush it.

Thanks supadave.

If I start to get bored I dont see how a little upper body work could hurt :)

[supadave]

yep, but I meant dont rush the lower back:)

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by supadave
yep, but I meant dont rush the lower back:)

I am definately going to be careful with the lower back this time.

[sword chucks]

I was getting bored so I did some light lifting. I easily did 85 x 8 on incline presses and my bodyweight x 6 on chins. I tried reverse grip presses and they felt awesome. I could not curl the oly bar without swinging at all so I am going to go light to keep form good. I tried reverse grip ez curls and I think they were the best part of this pseudo-workout. My arms were pumped up like balloons after I did them.

My lower back has been feeling kinda tight lately so I guess starting real training next week is not an option.

[sword chucks]

I was looking through my old logs and I'm really happy how much my deadlift has progressed. I was doing 210 for triples a few months ago and I did 250 for 3 a few weeks ago! My form wasnt that good in my old logs, but it gives me a good idea of how much I have improved.

I can't wait to start bulking up... this rest is killing me. I feel completely recovered though.

[supadave]

Thats a good improvement sc

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by supadave
Thats a good improvement sc

thanks sd, im hoping to make some more gains like that future!

Ill post my diet later. Ive been doing a lot of work in the yard so I upped the cals a little. I have been staying aroudn 135 lbs all week.

[sword chucks]

I am going to take this week off too. My shoulder was really sore yesterday and I don't think its safe to start just yet.

I might do some light upper work tomorow if I feel like it. Most likely, I will lift Thursday and Friday before I start my new routine.

I am going to start a new journal when I do. I will be doing dfht (the right way), and doing pretty much all different exercises, and bulking, so theres no reason to keep this journal.

[scott_donald]

best to keep the same journal... but ye sounds like you still need to rest....

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by scott_donald
best to keep the same journal... but ye sounds like you still need to rest....

I probably would have started today if it werent for this huge project I have to do :) But its not a good idea to rush it.

Why is it best to keep the same journal tho?

[sword chucks]

I'm jealous of all of the people updating their journals. I wanted to work out this morning :(

I think I might start supplementing with Vitamin C and a B complex on top of my WPI and flax, any thoughts? Im gonna do some reasearch right now.

[scott_donald]

best to keep the same journal so you can see the progress over time rather than have a different one after differnent one...

[supadave]

Originally posted by sword chucks
I will be doing dfht (the right way), and doing pretty much all different exercises,

Excellent choice sc. It's tough but you'll like the gains.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by scott_donald
best to keep the same journal so you can see the progress over time rather than have a different one after differnent one...

Hmm... Ill post links to my old 2 journals in the new one, just for you.


Originally posted by supadave
Excellent choice sc. It's tough but you'll like the gains.

Thanks. Have you ever done dfht?

[supadave]

yep, I've done it. It's a great program IMO.

[sword chucks]

Originally posted by supadave
yep, I've done it. It's a great program IMO.

Cool. Its the only form of periodization that really makes sense to me, which is why Im gonna do it.

Lately I have managed to take out the peanut butter and american cheese from the menu... so Im eating about 75 g fat, 180 carbs, and 210 protein, which makes 2200 cals, every day. Still staying around 135 lbs.

Um... in other news I think I am going to build my cable station today if I can make room in the garage. This way I can do pulldowns. My chin up form is not that good.

[Younglifter14]

what is your goal? to gain or lose weight? Gain I suppose?

Young

[supadave]

Originally posted by sword chucks

Um... in other news I think I am going to build my cable station today if I can make room in the garage. This way I can do pulldowns. My chin up form is not that good.

You'll like that, good luck with it..

[sword chucks]

I built my cable thing yesterday and did some pulldowns today in my workout. Its in my new journal:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?postid=3244210#post3244210

:D

Younglifter- I am hoping to gain muscle on dfht.

supadave- it was awesome. My bar has a camber in it so I was able to pull back extra far. I didn't feel it in my biceps/forearms at all, either.