MarkY's attempt to bulk thread

[MarkY]

I enjoy reading all these journals so I thought I would join the ranks. I figure it will keep me motivated and accountable. I’m sure my cyber friends will give me a kick when I need it as well as some encouragement. I think I might be missing out on some fun if I don’t start participating.

In a nutshell, my goal is to increase mass. I’m going to attempt this by doing a slow bulk as I’m not a big believer in gaining a bunch of weight fast and then cutting. I’d rather just bulk slow and keep my bodyfat somewhat respectable.

Quick stats….

Age: 46
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 153 (bodyfat approximately 11%, was callipered at 10.2 a month ago at 150 lbs.

Maintenance calories approximately 2300, will up this to about 2600. My macros are about 35/35/30. I’m hoping that by the end of January 2007, I’ll be up to about 170 with my BF no more than 12%. Then I can spend February, March, and April losing any unwanted BF for the summer. Maybe another abs contest. ;)

I’m planning on doing a 3 day split, but the days will sometimes vary due to officiating high school football. Game days vary so I’ll adjust my workout days accordingly but won’t lift 2 days in a row. Once football is over (Thanksgiving), I’ll be able to do a 4 day split.

The sets listed below are working sets. I was originally just going to do Day 1 and Day 3, but I’ve rearranged some things in my schedule and found some time to squeeze another workout day in. Plus, I found Venuto’s arm blast routine and that sounded fun.

DAY 1:
Squats: 2 x 8
Weighted Chins / Weighted Pullups: 2 x 8
Dumbell Incline Press: 2 x 8
Weighted Dips: 2 x 8
Arnold Press: 2 x 8
Side Raises: 2 x 8
Standing Calf Raises: 2 x 12

DAY 2:
Barbell wrist curls: 3 x 10
A1 – EZ bar Reverse Curl: 3 x 8
A2 – Hammer Curl: 3 x 8
A3 – EZ barbell Curl: 3 x 8

B1 – Tricep Pushdown reverse grip: 3 x 8
B2 – Tricep pushdown (rope): 3 x 8
B3 – Tricep pushdown regular grip: 3 x 8

DAY 3:
Deadlifts: 2 x 8
Dumbell Rows: 2 x 8
Barbell Bench Press: 2 x 8
Lunge: 2 x 10
Leg Curls: 2 x 8
Military Press: 2 x 8
Abs

My cardio consists of one or two 30 minute runs / week in addition to the football.

I’m open to any suggestions or criticisms. I’m a referee, I have thick skin. It feels good to be on board, thanks for any help.

[Hibiscus09]

Hi Mark! :) Glad to see you starting a journal!



I’m planning on doing a 3 day split, but the days will sometimes vary due to officiating high school football.

God, I love football!! :)

That's my input for tonight. ;)

[jtroster]

Yeah! New Journal!

Interesting split. You might want to add one more shoulder exercise - naybe to your day 2.

[dbx]

Welcome Mark. Yeah, very interesting split. If you want to add mass I'd consider trying at least 3 sets on most exercises, instead of 2. You also are doing squats one day and then lunges 2 days later. You might want to try to keep certain exercises together on the same day.

For instance, you might want to try these on the same day:
Squats
Deads
Calf raises
Lunges
Leg curls

There are many ways to split, but yours doesn't look to me like it's the most beneficial for you. I'm sure others will help you here.

Anyway, look forward to watching your progress.

[Gunn27]

Great to see you starting a journal. :)

[MarkY]

Welcome Mark. Yeah, very interesting split. If you want to add mass I'd consider trying at least 3 sets on most exercises, instead of 2. You also are doing squats one day and then lunges 2 days later. You might want to try to keep certain exercises together on the same day.

For instance, you might want to try these on the same day:
Squats
Deads
Calf raises
Lunges
Leg curls

There are many ways to split, but yours doesn't look to me like it's the most beneficial for you. I'm sure others will help you here.

Anyway, look forward to watching your progress.

Thanks for the input. I will probably revise this split in the next week or so. What I was originally going to do was an abbreviated full body routine 2 days a week. Prior to this I was on a 4 day split and my body was getting burned out. I never felt like I fully recovered and my progress was stalled. Then I found Venuto's arm routing and thought I would have some fun with it, so I threw that in there.

What I really want to do is have a good 3 day split. I'll probably have to work out M, W, Sat due to football. I'll also throw a cardio day in there. I've also found that I seem to make more progress if I work the same body part no more than once every 6 days. In other words, I seem to be able to add more weight or do more reps if I've had 5 days to recover. Blasting the same body part more often doesn't seem to work for me.

If I add an additional set, I'll probably cut out one exercise so I'll be doing 18 sets per workout.

Thanks for the help.

[MarkY]

I normally don't work out on Sundays but I have a football exam tomorrow so I did my normal Monday workout today. I did one more set than usual for most everything. Workout took 60 minutes.

Squats - 240 x 8 (3 sets)
Weighted pullups - 20 x 12 (2 sets) 20 x 4 (failure)
Dumbell Incline Press 45 degree - 52.5 x 10 (2 sets), 52.5 x 4 (failure)
Should I do inclines at 30 degree instead if I want to hit the chest?
Weighted Dips - 15 x 12, 15 x 8, 15 x 4
Arnold Press - 40 x 6 (2 sets)
Side Raises - 20 x 10, 20 x 12
Standing Calf Raises - 275 x 12 (3 sets)

I know my split seems odd to some of you but I'm making progress with it. However, I'm open to suggestions on how to make this more beneficial for my goal which is to gain mass. I'm limited to 3 days / week during football season.

Hope everyone's week is a good one.

[jtroster]

I always do inclines at 45 degrees.

[ChocoChick]

Hey Mark, welcome to journaling.

My $.02 is that you are working arms three times a week, which is a lot, especially in light of your comment that you get best results when you've had at least 5 days to rest a part. Also, you've only got one day between day 3 (sat) and day 1 (mon), so if you are looking for a 5-day rest, then you might want to do something more along the lines of an upper/lower split so that the first week it'd be upper/lower/upper and the next lower/upper/lower and so on. This would maintain your 5-day spacing and allow you greater concentration per day.

[kimsquit]

Hi Mark,

I think dbx and dbfl made some good observations. Looking at your 3-day split by bodypart rather than by exercise, it seems a bit unfocused to me:

DAY 1:
Quads
Lats
Upper Chest
Triceps
Shoulders
Shoulders
Calves

DAY 2:
Forearms
Forearms/Biceps
Forearms/Biceps
Biceps
Triceps
Triceps
Triceps

DAY 3:
Hamstrings
Lats
Chest
Quads
Hamstrings
Shoulders
Abs

My overall advice is to restructure all of your days to group bodyparts together but if you want to keep your groupings as they currently are, then I'd recommend revising your split so that bodyparts follow each other in a less random way.

As an example, you could reorganize Day 3 this way while keeping the same bodyparts for that day:

DAY 3:
Quads
Hamstrings
Hamstrings
Shoulders
Chest
Lats
Abs

That way you're starting with your largest leg muscles - which will release more natural test. I tend to work my shoulders before my chest so that they're all warmed up before I bench press - I find it reduces shoulder injuries.

:)

~ Chris

[MarkY]

I’ve decided to use the advice of the more experienced here and change my split a bit. I’ve come up with two different routines.

One is an upper / lower routine that will be done on MWSat or MWT. I will do upper/lower/upper followed by lower/upper/lower the following week.

Upper
Flat Bench: 3x8
Incline Press: 3x8
Weighted Pullup: 2x8
Military Press: 3x8
Tricep Extension: 3x8
Weighted Dips: 2x12
EZ bar curl: 3x8

Lower
Squats: 3x8
Lunges: 2x10
Deadlifts: 3x8
Leg Curls: 3x8
Standing Calve Raises: 2x12

The second routine is a 3 day bodypart split that will also be done on MWSat or MWT.

DAY 1: Chest / Back
Chest
Flat Bench: 3x8
Incline Press: 3x8
Weighted Dips: 2x12

Back
Weighted Chins: 2x8
Deadlifts: 3x8
Barbell Rows: 3x8
Shrugs: 1x10

DAY 3 : Legs
Squats: 3x8
Lunges: 2x10
Leg Curls: 3x8
SLD: 3x8
Calve Raises: 2x12

DAY 5: Shoulders / Triceps / Biceps
Shoulders
Military Press: 3x8
Arnold Press: 3x8
Standing Lateral Raises: 2x10

Triceps:
Narrow Grip Bench: 3x8
Extensions: 2x8

Biceps:
Barbell Curls: 3x8
Hammer Curls: 2x10

Wrist Curls: 2x10

Any comments on these routines would be most appreciated. Since my goal is more size than strength, is one of these routines more favorable than the other? Is there anything I’m missing or something you would change?

Thanks for the help.

[jtroster]

I prefer a 3 or 4 day split over an upper/lower split so I'll comment on your 3 day split.

Chest/Back looks like a real heavy day compared to Shoulders/Arms. You might want to move deadlifts over to Shoulders/Arms. Also, you might want to try alternating push and pull exercises to give a little more time for your muscles to recover so you can hit them harder.

[kimsquit]

Hi Mark

These splits have better structure - good on you for the revisions! I'm personally biased towards "bodypart days" but I know that others have used upper/lower splits with lots of success.

But since I'm not an upper/lower split kinda guy, I'll limit my observations to Routine #2 and leave more experienced folks to comment on Routine #1:



DAY 1: Chest / Back
Chest
Flat Bench: 3x8
Incline Press: 3x8
Weighted Dips: 2x12

Back
Weighted Chins: 2x8
Deadlifts: 3x8
Barbell Rows: 3x8
Shrugs: 1x10

Chest/Back is a tough combo - because it involves some of the heaviest lifts and presses. You may find that by the time you get to your back, you've run out of steam...or you won't have pushed as hard on your chest because you're saving your energy for your back.

An alternative is to switch it up so that it's Chest/Back one day and Back/Chest the next time.

I also suggest moving the deads as your first back exercise (with one or two warm-up sets first) as this is probably the heaviest weight you'll lift with your back and the longer you leave it towards the end, the more likely you'll injury yourself through exhaustion. That way you're also doing your rows right after your pullups.[/QUOTE]


DAY 3 : Legs
Squats: 3x8
Lunges: 2x10
Leg Curls: 3x8
SLD: 3x8
Calve Raises: 2x12 The same applies to your SLDs - I'd do 'em after your Squats and put the lunges as your third quad exercise.


DAY 5: Shoulders / Triceps / Biceps
Shoulders
Military Press: 3x8
Arnold Press: 3x8
Standing Lateral Raises: 2x10

Triceps:
Narrow Grip Bench: 3x8
Extensions: 2x8

Biceps:
Barbell Curls: 3x8
Hammer Curls: 2x10

Wrist Curls: 2x10It appears that you're doing a lot of front shoulder work here. I've always found that my front delts get sufficient work from my chest exercises, so my delt work is primarily laterals and rears. - and I'm not seeing any rear delt in your plan. Rear delt work will add a lot of strength to your bench, keep your posture upright by pulling your back in tighter and also keep you from getting that "slouched shoulder" look that comes from having overdeveloped front delts.

Hammer curls, like reverse curls, tend to aggravate the elbow joint and the forearm muscles (http://vrlab.epfl.ch/~maurel/CHARM/WP3/Anatomy.html). They're a good exercise, but be mindful of going heavy on them or you may end up sidelined.



~ Chris

[ChocoChick]

I have done and like both the splits you posted. I agree with Chris that on a chest/back day you should alternate starting with chest one time and then back the next. I also agree with his re-ordering of leg exercises.

That said, I prefer the upper/lower split because I think hitting parts once every 4-5 days gives better growth than just once a week. Particularly for an intermediate lifter.

So since no one else has commented on the upper/lower deal, I will. ;)

When I do an upper/lower, I tend to alternate between Upper A and B and Lower A and B.

Upper A
Flat Bench: 3x8
DB Flyes or cable crossovers
Weighted Pullup: 2x8
Seated Row
Military Press: 3x8
Tricep Extension: 3x8
EZ bar curl: 3x8

Upper B
Pull-Ups
Bent Over Rows
Incline Press: 3x8
Dips
Close grip bench
Rear delt raises
Lateral raises

Lower A
Back Squats
SLDL
Lunges
Lying hamstring curls
Standing calf raises

Lower B
Deadlifts
Leg Press
Step-Ups
Seated hamstring curls
Seated calf raises

[Hibiscus09]

I prefer doing two bodyparts per workout, with abs thrown in sometimes and I do like a 4 day split best. I also feel that I benefit more size-wise from working each bodypart once a week. I suppose everyone's different and you have to figure what works out best for you that doesn't feel like overtraining. I know I've read on this site that some people think the concept of overtraining is exaggerated, but my body actually does not like working parts more than once a week and it does wear me out and I don't see growth doing it. If I hit a bodypart sufficiently enough when I train it, it needs the rest. The older I get, the more this is the case.

That being said, many people like doing the upper/lower thing and can handle it just fine.

[Original Poster]

I have never been a fan of Upper and lower body WO's but I know a lot of people use them. Like Hib, I am a firm believer in rest. Intensity yes...but proper rest is a must.

For most people over 35 I'd venture that they can overtrain quite easily (the definition of overtraining being debatable) going on only 4-5 days rest per muscle for too long. A few weeks I can see maybe.....but not much more then that. If someone is on gear, that is a different story.

I guess if someone eats properly sleeps enough (deep rem sleep) doing this type of routine can be fine and produce results. Everyone has to experiment and hopefully they don't loose too much muscle or spin their wheels too long before they find what works for them.

I myself prefer a 4 day split. I did 5 day splits for a while but found 4 day splits to allow my body more recovery, which I seem to need more of as I age. While I am 40 going on 39 (yes, I am going backwards now.....a benefit of being the PAN........LOL) I still need sufficient rest. Otherwise, I burn out and end up hampering my efforts and feeling like ****.

[dbx]

One is an upper / lower routine that will be done on MWSat or MWT. I will do upper/lower/upper followed by lower/upper/lower the following week.

Upper
Flat Bench: 3x8
Incline Press: 3x8
Weighted Pullup: 2x8
Military Press: 3x8
Tricep Extension: 3x8
Weighted Dips: 2x12
EZ bar curl: 3x8

Lower
Squats: 3x8
Lunges: 2x10
Deadlifts: 3x8
Leg Curls: 3x8
Standing Calve Raises: 2x12
.

Now you're talking . I'm partial to this ^ split, as it looks exactly like mine :D. I do it on a revolving basis of Lower/Upper/rest. In other words, I don't take weekends off. There have been occasions (only a few) where I wish I'd had one more day to rest, but generally, 3 days between sessions for each group is good for me, and I'm 47.

As Dbflgirl pointed out, it's good to switch up on certain exercises even while using the above type routine. For instance, I almost always do all the major compound exercises, but I'll switch stuff like shrugs, lat raises, fwd delt raises, curls, tris etc., on Upper Body day. Leg day is a bit harder for me to change up, as it seems I'm more limited workoing out at home, but it can be done too.

[MarkY]

Decisions, decisions. The last 8 weeks before football started, I was doing a 4 day split (MTTF). Towards the end, I was feeling a lot like Chi-town. Burned out, no intensity, pretty much feeling like crap. I also got a damn twitch in my eye that someone said could be from over training. Not too sure on that.

Up until turkey day, 3 days / week will be all I can handle. I appreciate everyone's input and I'll probably settle on something soon and post it for all to critique. I do know that at 46 and my activity level, I need my rest. Sometimes easier said than done.

I like the idea of working a specific body part only once per week. I seem to make better progress with that. I'm going to review everything and post what I come up with.

Thanks for all the replies, keep them coming if you got them.

[ChocoChick]

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=06-017-training
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=04-068-training
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=293pend2
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=217hyp2
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=26train
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=211more2

[Original Poster]

Decisions, decisions. The last 8 weeks before football started, I was doing a 4 day split (MTTF). Towards the end, I was feeling a lot like Chi-town. Burned out, no intensity, pretty much feeling like crap. I also got a damn twitch in my eye that someone said could be from over training. Not too sure on that.



I have never felt like that. LOL........yes I have. We all live and learn what we can and can't handle.

Good luck with your routine Mark !

[Original Poster]

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=06-017-training
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=04-068-training
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=293pend2
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=217hyp2
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=26train
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=211more2

While I have found many of these articles very interesting, I am still a firm believer that there is NO.... ONE SIZE FITS ALL way to train.


Many of those articles are great reads and have helpd many.

[MarkY]

Well today I just did my arm workout while I decide on what my new routine will be.

Barbell wrist curls: 3 x 10
A1 – EZ bar Reverse Curl: 3 x 8
A2 – Hammer Curl: 3 x 8
A3 – EZ barbell Curl: 3 x 8

B1 – Tricep Pushdown reverse grip: 3 x 8
B2 – Tricep pushdown (rope): 3 x 8
B3 – Tricep pushdown regular grip: 3 x 8

I think I'm going to be able to sqeeze a forth day of workouts in spite of doing football. I'm off work every other Friday, so I think I'll be able to work out MTTF on my off Friday and MTTS on my work Friday.

After doing a ton of reading and the fact that I think I might be able to make some (haven't been lifting all that long) quick gains, I'm leaning towards a 4 day upper/lower. I think I might try a workout similar to what Dbflgirl posted and see where I stand after 4-6 weeks. If I find that I'm burning out, I'll go back to a 3 day split.

I'm planning on starting this new workout late next week. My wife and I are going to La Jolla for a long Labor Day weekend. Need to recharge our batteries.

I'll post the workout when I get it settled. Thanks for all the help.

[Hibiscus09]

Nice workout, MarkY! :) Good luck on your new plan. Hopefully, you will see the gains you'd like to see.

We're doing the long Labor Day weekend thing also and I'm looking forward to it! :)

[MarkY]

Thanks Hibi. I referee a football game on Friday night, then my wife and I will be heading for the coast Saturday morning. I might even eat some abnormal food. We're supposed to go to a BBQ with some friends and there's no telling what all they'll have.

[Hibiscus09]

That sounds like fun. :) I have to make my football days my cheat meals this Fall. I prepare the food for our tailgate experience and my family and friends would not be too amused if I showed up with healthy fare. :p :D

Be sure to send positive vibes to my Gamecocks -- they play on Thursday evening on ESPN! :)

Happy Wednesday!

[MarkY]

Be sure to send positive vibes to my Gamecocks -- they play on Thursday evening on ESPN! :)

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday to you too. Positive vibes sent.

My Sun Devils play on Thursdy as well. Go Cocks, Go Devils.

[MarkY]

Today was a cardio day.

Brisk 1/2 mile run followed by six 100 yard sprints. I can't let those high school kids make me look too bad on Friday night. Felt good.

[jaguarr]

I like the looks of the adjusted split, Mark. Give it a few weeks and see how it goes and evaluate whether you need to make any more tweaks or not. :cool:

jag

[MarkY]

Today was my last workout before heading out of town for several days. I'll start my new program late next week. I was interrupted by some personal issues today and had to cut the workout a tad short.

Deadlifts:
205 x 8
205 x 8
205 x 8

Dumbell Rows:
52.5 x 8
52.5 x 8
52.5 x 8

Flat Bench:
165 x 7
165 x 7
165 x 4 (failure)

Dumbell Extensions:
40 x 10
40 x 10

I've been doing a bit more reading and I'm thinking of trying one of Tom Venutto's workouts from BFFM. It would be a three day split that I would work MTTS. That way I'm hitting each body part about every 5 days. My body seems to respond well to this. I'm bringing my laptop with me on vacation so I should have my new workout posted this weekend.

I've also increased my calories about 300 per day. Over the past three weeks I've gained a whopping 2 pounds :D. No change in the way my pants fit so maybe I'm growing somewhere (albeit sloooooowly) other than my waist.

[MarkY]

Good morning all. My wife and I are in La Jolla just kind of relaxing. Didn't do much of any working out other than a nice hike we went on. It has been nice to be in 75 degree weather instead of the usual 100+ we've been having in Phoenix.

I hope to post my new workout later today or tomorrow. Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend.

[MarkY]

I just returned from a much needed long weekend in San Diego. Good people, good weather, good food, and a battery recharge. On Friday, I’ll start my new workout with the hopes of gaining some size. I plan on eating about 300 calories / day above maintenance with the idea that I’ll be able to put on some size with minimal fat increase.

I’ve decided on a three day split and will work each muscle group once every four days. This is real close to one of Tom Venuto's workouts. This will be MTTF or MTTS depending on my schedule. Groupings will be as follows:

Legs / Abs
Squats – 3x8
SLD – 3x8
Lunges – 2x10
Leg Curls – 3x8
Standing Calf Raises – 2x12
Crunch / Reverse Crunch – 2x20

Shoulders / Bi / Tri
Barbell Press – 3x8
DB Rear Laterals – 3x8
Barbell Curls – 3x8
Preacher Curls – 3x8
Tricep Extensions – 3x8
Close Grip Bench – 3x8

Back / Chest will alternate with Chest / Back the next session
Deadlifts – 3x8
Barbell Rows – 3x8
Weighted Chins/Pullups – 2x8
Flat Bench – 3x8
Incline DB Press – 3x8
Weighted Dips – 2x12

My goal for this is hypertrophy. With that in mind, any comments regarding exercise selection, set/rep combination, etc are greatly appreciated. I'm curious if I should go with less weight and higher reps. Hopefully, I can can 2 or 3 pounds of muscle per month.

[jtroster]

Looks like a good plan. If your goal is hypertrophy then try doing the exercises in push-pull supersets. You might want to also play around with the sets and reps by changing them every 1-2 weeks. I benefitted a lot by switching around 3x12, 5x6, 6x3 and 2x25.

[MarkY]

I benefitted a lot by switching around 3x12, 5x6, 6x3 and 2x25.

Thanks Joel, I might have to give that a try.

[MarkY]

Didn't get to workout last night, I had my Fantasy Football draft. I'll do some cardio tonight and since I'm off work tomorrow, I'll workout in the morning.

I'll start out the new program with Shoulders/Bi/Tri since I don't want to fry my legs before my football game tomorrow night.

[MarkY]

Tonight was cardio after work. Ran 1/2 mile and 4 100 yard sprints. Tomorrow I hope to start my Shoulder / Bi / Tri workout if I'm not called into work. Otherwise, I'll start on Saturday.

[Gunn27]

Nice job on the sprints, I look forward to seeing how you like your new program/split.

[MarkY]

Happy Friday everyone.

Today was Shoulder / Bi / Tri day. Before I worked out I had a "trainer" at the gym measure me. From the prior month, I weighed 153 (plus 2 lbs), and my bodyfat was calipered at 10.2%. No change from a month ago.

Barbell Press – 3x8
DB Rear Laterals – 3x8
Barbell Curls – 2x8, 1x7 (failure)
Preacher Curls – 3x8
Tricep Extensions – 3x8
Close Grip Bench – 1x8, 2x7, 2x6 (failure)

Tonight I referee a football game which will give me a little extra low intensity cardio.

[MarkY]

Today was leg and ab day:

Legs / Abs
Squats – 3x8
SLD – 3x8
Lunges – 2x20 These are brutal
Leg Curls – 3x8
Standing Calf Raises – 2x12
Crunch / Reverse Crunch – 2x20

My legs feel like jello and my lower back was feeling the stiff leg deads. A pretty good workout, especially for a Monday.

[SV1000]

Mark, it looks like you have a great foundation to start a slow bulk :D

[Hibiscus09]

Very nice workouts, MarkY! :) My bootay is pretty darn sore from lunging up and down my driveway -- aren't they a great exercise?!

Hope you have a great day!

[justtryn]

Hey there Mark - thought I'd drop in to say "hi." I like the looks of your split. Like Jag said earlier, keep at it for a few weeks then make an eval of how it's going.

Keep it up!

[jtroster]

We all love to hate lunges.

[MarkY]

Greetings all. Today was back and chest day. Big time DOMS from my leg workout yesterday.

Deadlifts – 3x8
Barbell Rows – 3x10
Weighted Chins/Pullups – 2x8
Flat Bench – 3x8, 1x6
Incline DB Press – 3x8
Weighted Dips – 2x12

One question. My macros for the past month have been 35/33/32. Since I'm trying to gain mass, should I change these up a bit or do they look OK?

[Original Poster]

If you have been gaining and fat gain is minimal.........don't change them IMO.
But if you find you are a bit down in your WO's, I'd up carbs (good carbs only) and drop fats a bit.
A tad bit more protein might not hurt either.

Listen to what your body, BF% and mirror are telling you.

[MarkY]

Thanks Chi. My body composition is on the right track but my workouts seem a tad sluggish. It might be the new program I'm on. Yesterday when I did back and chest, my chest workout wasn't as great at I would have liked.

Kimsquit warned me about that. I'm going to go another week on it and if I don't think anything is improving I'll up the carbs and/or alter the split so I'm not working back and chest on the same day.

[jaguarr]

Back and chest on the same day are pretty damn rough. To the point that I don't think I'd take that approach. Everyone's different, though. A few more carbs might make a difference for you.

jag

[MarkY]

Happy Thursday everyone. Today was Shoulder / Bi / Tri

Barbell Press – 3x8
DB Rear Laterals – 4x8
EZ Barbell Curls – 2x8, 1x10
Close Grip Bench – 3x10
Tricep Extensions – 3x12
Concentration Curls - 3x12

I increased my reps with the thought that I might increase hypertrophy. I'm still juggling the weights per set since I have some new exercises. I also ordered some Xtend today hoping it will allow me to recover a little faster. I also upped my carbs a tad. 40/35/25. I'm eating about 245 grams of protein and my lean body weight is 137. Anyone think I should adjust these ratios?

My legs are feeling a lot better from Monday's workout. This is a good because I have to referee a football game tomorrow night.

Hope everyone has a happy Friday. :)

[jaguarr]

I really like the Xtend, Mark. It does aid in my recovery, I'm convinced. Just make sure you're drinking enough water to support that protein intake. I don't think you want to listen to your kidneys scream. :D

jag

[MarkY]

Thanks Jag. I'll post my thoughts on the Xtend after I use it for a while. I'm wondering if my protein intake is a little high. I usually drink a little over a gallon of water a day. Do you think I should drop it down a little?

No real workout on Friday, just refereed a football game Friday night. Today I have a small "honey do" list to get taken care of. My wife has this wild thought that she wants to redo our kitchen. We're supposed to go look at counter tops and some new appliances. Lucky me.

This week I'll probably workout on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. Thursday I have another game and I leave for Vegas for the weekend on Friday.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

[Gunn27]

I don't think your protein is too high, provided it is spread out evenly over the course of the day, which I'm sure you do. And you are drinking lots of water, so no worries there (I'm between 1.5 and 2 gals a day).

I laughed at your "honey do list". Enjoy the counter & appliance shopping the best you can, and the rest of the weekend! :)

[MarkY]

Well I took a gym break over the weekend but did accomplish a few things. I damn near erased my "honey do" list and then spent considerable time shopping for new appliances and counter tops with my wife. I see a dent coming to our savings account. Oh well, a happy wife is a happy husband.

Yesterday we went over to my mom's for some family birthdays. Homemade manicotti, two slices of garlic bread and a nice salad. I also ate a piece of birthday cake. Shouldn't hurt me too bad on the bulk.

I'll be doing legs later today. Hope everyone has a great week.

[MarkY]

Well after a couple of days off, today was leg and ab day:

Legs / Abs
Squats – 3x8
SLD – 3x8
Lunges – 2x20
Leg Curls – 3x8
Standing Calf Raises – 2x12
Crunch / Reverse Crunch – 2x20

Below is a progress pic, hopefully I'm doing something right with my leg workout. They sure feel like it. Hard to get up and down the stairs.

[dbx]

Below is a progress pic, hopefully I'm doing something right with my leg workout. They sure feel like it. Hard to get up and down the stairs.

Oh yeah, you're doing something right. Calfs looking strong too.

[Hibiscus09]

Looks like your teardrop is developing well & that's an awesome calf muscle!! :)

[MarkY]

Today was chest / back day.

Deadlifts - 3x8
Barbell Rows – 3x8
Weighted Chins/Pullups – 3x8, 1x6 (failure
Partial bench, flat Bench – 2x10,10 1x6,6
Incline DB Press – 3x8
Weighted Dips – 2x12

On my bench I did 10 partials followed by 10 full. I got this idea from Chris, the partials were a lot harder than I thought.

[MarkY]

Long time no journal update..... haven't been happy with the workouts of this split. I was in Vegas for a few days last week and spent some time thinking about changing up routines. Did a little research and I'm thinking of giving HST or Starr's 5x5 a try.

From what I can tell, HST leads up to 5x5 after four weeks. The first two weeks are reps of 15, followed by two weeks of reps of 10. The you get into 5x5. All of these are full body routines, 3 days per week. Starr's program starts out with 5x5.

Both of these would fit my schedule. One week I would work out M,W,F and the next week M,W,Sa. I would do this for the next 8 weeks which would put me at the end of football season.

Any thoughts on either of these programs? I've read a lot of success stories, just curious how they might be for a 46 year old. I might have to make a small change and only squat twice per week. I'd substitute deadlifts the other workout.

[Original Poster]

Great WO and awsome progress.

Calves look good !

[ChocoChick]

I'm always the last to know about pics. :( I think there needs to be an option for being notified when someone posts pics! LOL.

Nice legs, Mark. Your calves are coming along very nicely. :)

[MarkY]

Today was arm day:

Pullup/Chinup 4x10
Barbell Curls – 3x8
Concentration Curls – 3x8
Tricep Extensions – 3x8
Close Grip Bench – 4x8

Next week I'm going to concentrate on my 15/10/5 max lifts. I think I'm going to give HST a try. I'll alternate between workouts A and B, MWF one week and MWSat the next.

Workout A
Squats
Leg Curls
Flat Bench
Chin-ups / Pull-ups
Rear Delts
Shrugs
EZ Bar Curls
Tricep Extensions
Calves

Workout B
Deadlifts
Leg Curls
Dips
Rows
Rear Delts
Shrugs
EZ Bar Curls
Tricep Extensions
Calves

I'll do some ab work on one or two of my off days. Any comments or experiences with this would be greatly appreciated.

[widebody195]

That's a lot of tough exercises to pack into one workout. Let us know if you can get through it and finish strong. Good idea with HST, though, keep up the good work.

[ChocoChick]

How about something other than leg curls on the B workout since you're already doing them on the A. Hack squat? Leg press? Something quad-targeted.

[dbx]

That's a lot of tough exercises to pack into one workout.

What he said ^. :) Sqyats, BP and pull ups are enough to waste you in one session. Let us know how it goes. On the other hand, I do a lot of volume using my upper/lower split and you get used to it.

[MarkY]

How about something other than leg curls on the B workout since you're already doing them on the A. Hack squat? Leg press? Something quad-targeted.

How about lunges? Everybody loves them.

[MarkY]

What he said ^. :) Sqyats, BP and pull ups are enough to waste you in one session. Let us know how it goes. On the other hand, I do a lot of volume using my upper/lower split and you get used to it.

How about this edited version?

Workout A
Squats
Leg Curls
Flat Bench
Chin-ups / Pull-ups
Rear Delts
Tricep Extensions
Calves

Workout B
Deadlifts
Lunges
Dips
Rows
Close grip bench
EZ Bar Curls
Calves

[MarkY]

Friday was an off day for working out. I did referee a high school football game that took 2.5 hours. These damn kids are getting bigger and faster by the day. I can still out run most of them though. ;)

[MarkY]

About time I got around to updating this. I've had one heck of a last 4 days.

Friday - referee football
Saturday - an off day spent shopping for new appliances
Sunday - wife and I babysat the grandbaby
Monday - the granite countertop person came over to measure, price, etc
Tuesday - went to pick out the granite

Today - Finally got a chance to work out. Worked at getting my 15 rep max for squats, leg curls, and SLD.

On top of all this, it is a real crunch time at work and I've been working 10 hour days.

I don't know whether to **** or bake a cake. Hopefully, I'll be back to my regular scheduled program soon. My wife has really wanted to redo the kitchen and it was good to get all this done. Our wallet took a big dent, but a happy wife is a GREAT thing. She's my sweetie.

Happy lifting everyone.

[Hibiscus09]

We have granite counter tops! They're wonderful. :) They don't seem to scratch and you can put anything hot on them. (Including your wife! ;) )

[ChocoChick]

I don't know whether to **** or bake a cake.

I vote for the cake. :)


Our wallet took a big dent, but a happy wife is a GREAT thing.

You are a wise man. ;)

[jtroster]

This should motivate you to do more of the cooking.

[MarkY]

I vote for the cake. :)

You are a wise man. ;)

Me too except I don't need any cake. My wife said a cake is the first thing she is going to try in her new convection oven. She promised to bring it to work though, I don't have the will power to avoid one of my wife's cakes.

[MarkY]

This should motivate you to do more of the cooking.

You're right Joel. My wife and I split the cooking pretty even. I fix her breakfast every morning while she packs our lunches. We share cooking dinners.

[MarkY]

Hey MarkY
made it over here to say good morning! Sounds as though you are getting plenty of workouts in with all that appliance shopping! It can be fun, as well as torturous especially when it all starts looking the same! A happy wife makes for a happy home! Ha, my hubby know that well! Have a good one!
Thanks for stopping by Lori. I learned long ago to keep my bride happy. I'm pretty successful at it.... I think.

[MarkY]

Today was more of establishing 15 rep weights in order to start HST. I did barbell bench, close grip bench, extensions, and EZ bar curls.

I should have my reps established next week, then I'll take a week off and then start the 8 week program.

[dbx]

I should have my reps established next week, then I'll take a week off and then start the 8 week program.

Heck, I need to go back in my journal and try to figure out how long it's been since I took a break. I haven't thought of it for a while.

I'll be interested to see how you like the new 15rep deal.

[Original Poster]

Today was more of establishing 15 rep weights in order to start HST. I did barbell bench, close grip bench, extensions, and EZ bar curls.

I should have my reps established next week, then I'll take a week off and then start the 8 week program.

Enjoy your HST !

I know others who have like HST, though I really never gave it a fair shot.

[kimsquit]

Lookin' good Mark!

:)

[ChocoChick]

We have granite counter tops! They're wonderful. :) They don't seem to scratch and you can put anything hot on them. (Including your wife! ;) )

See what happens when you ask for an X-rated thread? Your fellow forum members are only too willing to help. ;)

[MarkY]

We have granite counter tops! They're wonderful. :) They don't seem to scratch and you can put anything hot on them. (Including your wife! ;) )

Great idea. I'll just lift my wife up and place her on the island in our kitchen. I'll tell her I want to make sure I can put something hot on the granite. :p


See what happens when you ask for an X-rated thread? Your fellow forum members are only too willing to help. ;)

You warned me. :D

[jaguarr]

Ahhh, yes....I believe we were going to spice up MarkY's thread at his behest. Here's my first contribution:

http://www.enchantedfairygarden.com/pics/redlatexpair.JPG

jag

[jtroster]

Jag,
Looks like you have seen the movie Kinky Boots (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434124/).

[jaguarr]

Jag,
Looks like you have seen the movie Kinky Boots (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434124/).

Never seen it, but I'm willing to bet my own life makes that film seem like a children's story. :)

jag

[Hibiscus09]

Whoa! I just saw your new photos. :D You are looking sexy and buff!

[ChocoChick]

I was going to find some really raunchy photos to jazz things up around here (as per your request), but I wimped out. Here's the best I could do:

http://www.nerdyshirts.com/images/shirts_sexy.gif

[r_graz]

Ahhh, yes....I believe we were going to spice up MarkY's thread at his behest. Here's my first contribution:
Wow, looks like I checked in to this journal at the right time. Are those before or after shots? ;)

Seriously Mark, good luck with HST. I'm heading there myself in a few weeks, I've heard mostly great things about it. Though I've been doing a 5x5 so long now, I don't know if I can still count to 15 ;)

Looking forward to following your progress.

[MarkY]

Ahhh, yes....I believe we were going to spice up MarkY's thread at his behest. Here's my first contribution:jag

Great pic Jag, you're a fine man.


Whoa! I just saw your new photos. You are looking sexy and buff!

Thanks for the compliment Hibby, although you're the sexy one.


I was going to find some really raunchy photos to jazz things up around here (as per your request), but I wimped out. Here's the best I could do:

Thanks for honoring my request DB, you're so sweet.


Seriously Mark, good luck with HST. I'm heading there myself in a few weeks, I've heard mostly great things about it. Though I've been doing a 5x5 so long now, I don't know if I can still count to 15.

I will probably be full bore into it in a couple of weeks. Next week will be spent wrapping up my rep/weight ranges. I'm still fine tuning what exercises I'll be doing. I don't want to squat more than twice per week so I'll be doing an alternate quad exercise. I'd also like to keep my workout to no more than 6 exercises.

[MarkY]

Good morning all. Friday is a usual off day for me. The only workout I did was running around town with my wife looking for a sink and faucet. Then I did my usual Friday night football officiating. I actually did quite a bit of running last night, there was a pass happy team. They couldn't complete any, but they made me run a bit.

[mom24boys]

how is it I have not seen this journal before??? why didnt any of you girls tell me about these calves ? hehehe
Hiyas Mark looking good and nice to meetcha ;)

[ChocoChick]

how is it I have not seen this journal before??? why didnt any of you girls tell me about these calves ? hehehe
Hiyas Mark looking good and nice to meetcha ;)

Mark's a hottie and a nice guy. :)

[justtryn]

Hey, Mark - I just realized it's been a while since I've checked in on your journal. HST, huh? I did part of a cycle a little over a year ago... stopped when I got sick and didn't want to start all over again. Good luck with it!

[mom24boys]

stoppin by to say hey ;)

[MarkY]

Today's workout was my "break-in" from Alwyn Cosgrove's New Rules of Lifting. His hypertrophy routine is very similar to HST, only a little less rep calculating. Since I have the book, I'm going to give it a go.

Squats - 60 seconds rest
2 x 15 (I'm not used to reps of 15, kicked my butt)

Superset 2 x 15 - full rest
Static Lunges
Dumbell Rows

Superset 2 x 20 - full rest
Push-ups
Swiss ball crunch

Wednesday I'll do workout B of the "break-in" and continue this 3-4 times per week until I've completed 5 workouts of each. Then I'll start his Hypertrophy 1 workout. This program has 2 workouts that I'll do 12 times each. It rotates between three different rep ranges. The rest periods vary as well. Sounds like a good workout with a lot of variance.

[MarkY]

stoppin by to say hey ;)

Hi M24B, thanks for stopping bye.

[Hibiscus09]

I have that book also! I'll check it occasionally to make sure you're keeping up. :D

Nice job, MarkY! :)

[MarkY]

I have that book also! I'll check it occasionally to make sure you're keeping up. :D

Nice job, MarkY! :)

Thanks Hibby. I need someone to check up on me. Give me a good kick in the butt when needed.

[jaguarr]

Oh, man. Speed Squats. *hurl* Nice job, Mark!

jag

[jtroster]

Another convert to Cosgrove's workouts. I did Fat Loss I & II and Hypertrophy I. My current workouts are based on his principles.

Just wait until you have to superset squats and deadlifts.

[ChocoChick]

Just wait till you superset step-ups and Bulgarian squats! :eek:

[Hibiscus09]

Bulgarian Squats are the spawn of the Devil. :)

[Chubby Mom]

Good morning MarkY, good luck on the new work out plan sounds painful. hypertrophy? I ll have to read up on this one.

[Gunn27]

Another convert to Cosgrove's workouts.The Scottish guys really know their stuff! ;)

I'll be interested to hear how you like this routine, Mark. Impressive start.

[MarkY]

Well tonight was workout B of Cosgrove's "break-in" routine. These routines are giving me a run for my money. They're harder to do than they look on paper. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the 60 second rest, 15 reps, and the supersets. I'm not used to doing any of these.

Deadlifts - 60 seconds rest
2 x 15 (my lower back was feeling these)

Supersets - 2 x 15 full rest
Step-ups
Dumbell one arm shoulder press

Supersets - 2 x 15 full rest
Close grip lat pull down
Reverse crunch

Tomorrow is an off day, then I'll do workout A on Thursday. My legs are still a little like jello from yesterday, but they should be ready to go by Thursday.

Have a good evening everyone.

[justtryn]

Damn, Mark! You're a glutton for punishment, arent you!? Great job.

[MarkY]

Today is a rest day for my tired butt.

I've noticed over the last few days I've been getting hungry between my third and fourth meal. I usually eat about every 3 hours but between noon and 3, I've been getting a tad hungry. I increased my calories from 2700 / day to 2800. I've been gaining about 1/2 pound per week with 2700 but lately I haven't been gaining. Maybe I'm burning more due to my increased mass. :D ............ I wish.

[dbx]

I've noticed over the last few days I've been getting hungry between my third and fourth meal. I usually eat about every 3 hours but between noon and 3, I've been getting a tad hungry. I increased my calories from 2700 / day to 2800. I've been gaining about 1/2 pound per week with 2700 but lately I haven't been gaining. Maybe I'm burning more due to my increased mass. :D ............ I wish.

Perhaps try something as simple as an apple between those two meals Mark. Simple carbs, but they last longer than most, and can carry you for a couple of hours. Looking good bro!

[ChocoChick]

Today is a rest day for my tired butt.

I've noticed over the last few days I've been getting hungry between my third and fourth meal. I usually eat about every 3 hours but between noon and 3, I've been getting a tad hungry. I increased my calories from 2700 / day to 2800. I've been gaining about 1/2 pound per week with 2700 but lately I haven't been gaining. Maybe I'm burning more due to my increased mass. :D ............ I wish.

Those workouts burn a lot! I think it's ok to take your calories up a bit. Or add fats, which will help to keep you full longer.

[Hibiscus09]

Maybe you are! :)

Great job on the workout! I think those workouts are tougher than they look on paper also. :p

Happy Thursday, hottie!

[Chubby Mom]

MarkY do you think you might be getting hungry lately because of your new routine with the supper sets are kind of Anaerobic mix with Aerobic there for you may be using a lot more glycogen than you used to. I would agree with dbx eat an apple. :)

[MarkY]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I had some sunflower seeds today between meals and that seemed to help. I'll get some apples when I grocery shop this weekend.

Tonights workout was a little later than usual due to a tree trimmer being at my house. But.... it sure kicked my ass. I haven't done squats twice in one week in a long time and tonight I did them with just 2 days rest. I think I'm going to have to do this workout A,B,A one week and B,A,B the next. I must be an old codger, but my legs take a little longer to recover. In addition, my lower back was really sore between the deadlifts and the bent over rows. Well enough whining.

Squats - 60 seconds rest
2 x 15 (huff'n and puff'n)

Superset 1 x 15 - full rest (wanted to do another set but my back said otherwise)
Static Lunges
Dumbell Rows

Superset 2 x 20 - full rest
Push-ups
Swiss ball crunch

Tomorrow I referee a football game so I'll have an off day from lifting. Have a great evening everyone.

[justtryn]

Damn... your legs will be tired tomorrow when you're ref'ing! Great workout.

[mom24boys]

Have a great weekend

[Gunn27]

How did refereeing go the day after squatting? :eek: I am two days removed from my last quad work and I couldn't have reffed a game to save my life today, LOL. Kudos to you for being able to do that.

Have a great weekend! :)

[MarkY]

How did refereeing go the day after squatting? :eek: I am two days removed from my last quad work and I couldn't have reffed a game to save my life today, LOL. Kudos to you for being able to do that.

Have a great weekend! :)

Thanks Gunn. The game went pretty well. My legs were doing in the first half well but in the second half they were definately tired. It didn't help that the game was kind of a blowout so the team that was behind was trying to play "catch up" by passing damn near every down. Made for more running than usual. Plus, it started to rain making it kind of slippery.

I'm resting today, next week will be workout B, A, B. I might do some upper body work this weekend or go for a run. Phoenix is getting pounded by rain this morning, so the run might be tomorrow.

Have a great weekend yourself.

[kimsquit]

Hi Mark!

I see that you're still kickin' butt in your workouts!

I got as far south as Ely, Nevada...but there's always next year for another roadtrip to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas :)

~ Chris

[ChocoChick]

Hi Mark!

I see that you're still kickin' butt in your workouts!

I got as far south as Ely, Nevada...but there's always next year for another roadtrip to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas :)

~ Chris

And Florida?

Hi Mark, awesome workout. No wonder you are tired. Enjoy your Sunday. :)

[MarkY]

Hi Mark!

I see that you're still kickin' butt in your workouts!

I got as far south as Ely, Nevada...but there's always next year for another roadtrip to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas :)

~ Chris

Thanks Chris. If you ever get to Arizona, you have a place to flop. Dinner is on me.

[MarkY]

After resting this weekend, did workout B tonight. These workouts have me breathing like cardio. Also decided to eat an apple between my third and fourth meal today. It held me over. I also lost 2 pounds over the weekend, not good.

Deadlifts - 60 seconds rest
2 x 15 (my lower back felt much better)

Supersets - 2 x 15 full rest
Step-ups
Dumbell one arm shoulder press

Supersets - 2 x 15 full rest
Close grip lat pull down
Reverse crunch

I also threw in a couple of sets of incline dumbell press, just for the hell of it.

Hope everyone has a great week.

[ChocoChick]

After resting this weekend, did workout B tonight. These workouts have me breathing like cardio. Also decided to eat an apple between my third and fourth meal today. It held me over. I also lost 2 pounds over the weekend, not good.

If you're hungry, eat! Really, unless you have toasted your body's natural signaling, you should listen when it asks for food.

How do you like the step-ups? These always leave me huffing and puffing. :eek:

[kimsquit]

Thanks Chris. If you ever get to Arizona, you have a place to flop. Dinner is on me.

In that case, I'll bring a doggie bag :p

Is it you or Mark1T who owns the 911?

[ChocoChick]

In that case, I'll bring a doggie bag :p

Is it you or Mark1T who owns the 911?

I thought it was MarkY. ?

[dbx]

After resting this weekend, did workout B tonight. These workouts have me breathing like cardio. Also decided to eat an apple between my third and fourth meal today. It held me over. I also lost 2 pounds over the weekend, not good.

Hooray for the apple! :) People underestimate the power of an apple. Seriously.

[MarkY]

In that case, I'll bring a doggie bag :p

That's cool.


Is it you or Mark1T who owns the 911?

That would be me. You could drive yours down here and we could really have a blast.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/pmpre/images/MarkY/1597sm_full_exp.jpg

[kimsquit]

What year is she? Mine's a '75 with an '81 SC engine. But the clutch & synchro went and I have to get it to the garage next month and have them replaced *makes the cash register Ka-ching! sound*

[MarkY]

Bummer about the clutch and syncro. These cars are built to last though. I think they have to drop the engine for the clutch. Hopefully, it won't be to painful ($$$).

Mine is a 1988, I've had it for almost 6 years. I took it out yesterday for a little spirited fun. She has just under 32k miles (about 51,500 kilometers).

[kimsquit]

Bummer about the clutch and syncro. These cars are built to last though. I think they have to drop the engine for the clutch. Hopefully, it won't be to painful ($$$).

Mine is a 1988, I've had it for almost 6 years. I took it out yesterday for a little spirited fun. She has just under 32k miles (about 51,500 kilometers).

Hi Mark,

Are you on the Pelican Parts porsche site?

~ Chris

[MarkY]

Hi Mark,

Are you on the Pelican Parts porsche site?

~ Chris

You bet. I've been a member of that site for quite a few years. I don't post there as much as I once did, but I still visit there almost daily. I have the same user name over there. How about you?

[kimsquit]

You bet. I've been a member of that site for quite a few years. I don't post there as much as I once did, but I still visit there almost daily. I have the same user name over there. How about you?

Yep, I'm registered there as Kimsquit - but I think I've only posted once or twice. Are there any mods to your car or is she cherry? The previous owner of mine put in Corbeau racing seats (http://www.corbeau.com/products/trs/trs.shtml) and I find the darn things too narrow for my back to fit into comfortably. Also the suspension had been lowered by about an inch and a half.

[jaguarr]

Hey, MarkY Mark! Sweet ride!

jag

[StlBarbie]

Hey, MarkY Mark! Sweet ride!

jag

BUMP TO THIS!!
What a beautiful car!!! :)

[Hibiscus09]

Morning, MarkY! :) I love the car also. My dream car is a Porsche. I wish Brian sold those!! :(

http://www.legnome.fr/1920/Porsche-Carrera-GT-2.jpg

Nice job on the workout and Happy Wednesday!

[MarkY]

Are there any mods to your car or is she cherry? The previous owner of mine put in Corbeau racing seats (http://www.corbeau.com/products/trs/trs.shtml) and I find the darn things too narrow for my back to fit into comfortably. Also the suspension had been lowered by about an inch and a half.

Hi Chris. My car is completely stock with the exception of the stereo. It only had 19k miles on it when I bought it, the previous owner was a woman who didn't care for the stick shift so she rarely drove it. I've just kept it stock.

[MarkY]

Thanks Powells2 and Hibby. The car is my little weekend toy. Happy hump day to you. Today is leg day for me.

[ChocoChick]

Happy Hump Day, Mark.

[kimsquit]

Are there any roads on this site that you recommend?

http://www.arizonascenicroads.com/main.aspx


:)

[SV1000]

That's cool.



That would be me. You could drive yours down here and we could really have a blast.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/pmpre/images/MarkY/1597sm_full_exp.jpg

Oh you suck!

That has been my dream car since the day I saw the early 70's orange Targa on the way to New Oil'lans in 1976. I narrowed it down to a late late 70's, early 80's SC. I think I subscribed to Excellence for like 10 years before I just gave up.

Beautiful car BTW!

[MarkY]

Oh you suck!

That has been my dream car since the day I saw the early 70's orange Targa on the way to New Oil'lans in 1976. I narrowed it down to a late late 70's, early 80's SC. I think I subscribed to Excellence for like 10 years before I just gave up.

Beautiful car BTW!

HI SV. Similar story here. A guy I used to work with when I was in high school came to work one Saturday hung over. He asked me to go to Jack in the Box of all places to get him something to eat. I said I would do it if I could drive his car. It was a Guards Red 911 SC. I was hooked and promised myself I would have one some day. I finally bought one when I was 41.

Hopefully, someday you'll have one.

[MarkY]

Today was workout A (number 5 of 10). Felt good except my lower back really takes a beating on the lunges and rows superset.

Squats - 60 seconds rest
2 x 15 (does anyone ever get used to 15 rep sets)

Superset 2 x 15 - full rest
Static Lunges
Dumbell Rows

Superset 2 x 20 - full rest
Push-ups
Swiss ball crunch

Happy hump day everyone. On Wednesdays my wife and I go and visit my 101 year old grandmother. She's quite a lady. 101 years old and still has all her faculties. Just can't see very well and has selective hearing. She's made our family many Italian dinners over the years. Have a good evening everyone, Mrs. Y is calling me for dinner. Chicken breast and a baked yam.

[Hibiscus09]

That's so cool about your grandmother! :) I think we all have selective hearing at times! LOL

Nice job on the workout! Be nice to your lower back, MarkY.

[StlBarbie]

If I owned that car, it would NEVER leave the garage!!! :p

Have a great weekend with Grandma .. she sounds like a real pistol!!:)

And no, there is no getting used to 15 rep squats!! :eek: :D

[ChocoChick]

I had a great grandmother like that, Mark. She lived to be 102. She made the most incredible pies and pastas, all from scratch. I remember putting freshly rolled pasta on towels on her bed. Enjoy her while you can!

[MarkY]

If I owned that car, it would NEVER leave the garage!!! :p

Have a great weekend with Grandma .. she sounds like a real pistol!!:)

And no, there is no getting used to 15 rep squats!! :eek: :D

Thanks Powells2. The car is my weekend toy. Only drive it about 2000 miles a year.

My grandmother is a pistol. We spent about an hour with her last night and she got on a roll with some stories from the 1920s. Most I hadn't heard before. The governor took her to lunch last month for her birthday. There was a small write-up in the paper about her.


I had a great grandmother like that, Mark. She lived to be 102. She made the most incredible pies and pastas, all from scratch. I remember putting freshly rolled pasta on towels on her bed. Enjoy her while you can!

That is so nice DB. My grandmother has taught my wife and I how to make raviolli from scratch. The problem is that if you don't make it often, it is hard to get it right. My sister is the raviolli maker now, she does a great job.

My mom has my grandmother's cooking genes. She is an awesome cook. The thing is, she's had polio in her arm since she was six years old and could never really get raviolli right because she cannot use a wide rolling pin. My grandmother actually used an old wooden dowl rod.

Enough rambling, have a great day everyone.

[SV1000]

My grandmother is a pistol. We spent about an hour with her last night and she got on a roll with some stories from the 1920s. Most I hadn't heard before. The governor took her to lunch last month for her birthday. There was a small write-up in the paper about her.

Hey Mark,

Speaking of grandmother's and pistols...I went to see my grandmother one summer, maybe around 1994 after my grandfather died to clean up around the house and do the odd jobs like cleaning the gutters and such. She had one special request and that was to go into town and buy her a pellet pistol "so I can shoot the damn arma-dill'as digginup ma flower bed".

Me and my buddy did just that, found a Crossman pump pellet pistol at the local M&P hardware store and brought it home, loaded it up with bb's and stood in the front yard for a half hour trying to hit a pepsi can.

She heard us howling about how much we paid for the worthless pistol and walked out drying her hands after doing the dishes. She wanted to know what we were carrying on about and I said the pistol wasnt' worth the 50 cents of gas it took to go to town and back. She said, "gimme the pistol" and proceeded to hold it about 2" from her eye like a long gun aiming for the pepsi can.

I blurted out how that isn't the way to hold a pistol and before the last word rolled off my tongue, I heard a pssssst, ping...and the pepsi can took a spin on the Bermuda grass.

She looked at me and said, "never, ever, try to tell your grandma how to hold a gun. Thanks for going into town for me...this thang shoots just fine".

Armadillos were running scared every summer until the day she died.

[ChocoChick]

Hey Mark, where are you hiding?

[MarkY]

Hello Everyone......... long time no read. :)

I haven't been on this board in over a week for a number of reasons, and I sure have missed it. I took a break for a little over a week to get some things done that took up a lot of my time. Plus, work has been crazy the last couple of weeks.

I spent the last 10 days....
- removing my counter tops
- removing all my kitchen appliances
- getting all of the above replaced (my wife loves the new granite counter tops)
- redoing the plumbing under my kitchen sink
- installing lights underneath our kitchen cabinets
- working 10 -12 hours per day trying to meet some deadlines
- we were without a kitchen for 3 full days. Trying to eat healthy in restaurants is a chore. Also, eating 6 meals a day isn't easy with only a refrigerator. Canned tuna is great though.
- my wife and I went out of town for a couple of days so I could recharge my batteries. I didn't know if I was coming or going the last week+.
- got a new Blackberry and spent some time getting up to speed with that.

With that said, I was able to get in some odd workouts. Not up to my satisfaction though. This week I'll continue with Cosgrove's A and B routines to get ready for my hypertrophy workout program. I will continue this for the next two weeks.

I have a lot of catching up to do on these journals. It seems like there are a few threads that have changed titles. Sticky apples? It's good to be back, I hope everyone is doing great.

[Hibiscus09]

Very cool! We have granite counter tops and I love them also! You can't mess them up. :D

Happy Monday! We missed you!

[kimsquit]

Welcome back Mark,

It sounds like you got a whole lot accomplished in a very short time!

~ Chris

[jtroster]

Another Crackberry!

We also love our granite counters. It took me a while to get used to taking a hot pot off the stove and putting it directly on the counter. Some little voice kept telling me "You are going to burn the counter!"

[Chubby Mom]

Wow you were busy sounds like you got a lot accomplished congrats on the new granite counter tops I would love to have granite but our house is not a granite counter house so we are just going to tile them.

Have a great Monday

[ChocoChick]

I nominate for the crew dbx is putting together to come fix up my house. :D

Welcome back.

[Gunn27]

Ugh, the granite counters are on my "to do" list.

Have a great week! :)

[MarkY]

Thanks for the well wishes, missed you and all the other nice comments. And to whoever changed my thread title, THANKS for including me in the fun.

It felt good to get back in the swing of things. Pumping iron, sweating, and sipping on BCAAs. I had a tad bit of trouble walking down the stairs after today's workout. I expect a little soreness in the next day or two.

Squats - 60 seconds rest
2 x 15

Superset 2 x 15 - full rest
Static Lunges
Dumbell Rows

Superset 2 x 20 - full rest
Push-ups
Swiss ball crunch

Nice to be back. Hope everyone has a great week.

[SV1000]

I was wondering where you were off to as well, remodeling is a PIA when you are living in it. Ben there, done that and still not finished.

[MarkY]

Yesterday was an off day, but I got my cardio in by running to answer the door every 5 minutes. We have a two story house and I was upstairs doing some work. Apparently, I didn't get to the door fast enough for one of the little monsters because when I answered I was greeted with "what took you so long". Manners, what happened to manners?

Anyway, not a single Holloween treat for me. Don't know if that is good or bad. Sometimes a single treat turns into many, so I'm better off just not having any.

Today is workout B from Cosgrove. Have a good day everyone.

[jtroster]

How are you liking the Cosgrove workout?

[jaguarr]

Running stairs for trick-or-treaters the day after a squat workout? LOL! It's a wonder you're alive. I would have fallen down the stairs and broken my neck. :D

jag

[MarkY]

How are you liking the Cosgrove workout?

I'm like them. I'm just doing the "Break In" program at the moment. I have another week on that. The 15 rep sets kick my butt a bit though. I'll start the Hypertrophy 1 in a couple of weeks. That should be fun. Hopefully good for some size. Have you used this workout?

[MarkY]

Running stairs for trick-or-treaters the day after a squat workout? LOL! It's a wonder you're alive. I would have fallen down the stairs and broken my neck. :D

jag

:D :D Funny you say that. I almost fell down the stairs once. Definately felt it in the legs.

[MarkY]

Tonight was workout B, plus I threw in a few other things.

Deadlifts - 60 seconds rest
2 x 15 (my lower back was feeling these)

Supersets - 2 x 15 full rest
Step-ups
Dumbell one arm shoulder press

Supersets - 2 x 15 full rest
Close grip lat pull down
Reverse crunch

Close grip bench - 2 x 12
Dips - 2 x 8

[Hibiscus09]

Good job, MarkY! Cosgrove gets less appealing as you go along. Well, not that they're not good workouts -- they are -- he's just a lot less likeable once you feel like you're about to die. :D

[MarkY]

Off night tonight. I'm taking tomorrow off and spending it with my sweetie. It is our 17th wedding anniversary. I even turned in the football game I was supposed to referee. I'll try and get in a workout in the morning, one way or the other. :p

[ChocoChick]

:D :D Funny you say that. I almost fell down the stairs once. Definately felt it in the legs.

My office is upstairs and everything else in the house -- including the food! -- is downstairs. So I am up and down many times each day. It's hell after a leg day! :)

Which Cosgrove are you going to do after the break in?

[SV1000]

Hey Mark, when are you planning to bust 200 on the bench?

I thought it would be Christmas for me but that little spill set me back for while.

[MarkY]

Which Cosgrove are you going to do after the break in?

I'm going to do Hypertrophy I. It is an upper / lower split that I should be on for 8 weeks or so.


Hey Mark, when are you planning to bust 200 on the bench?

I thought it would be Christmas for me but that little spill set me back for while.

I've been on Cosgrove's "break-in" for the past several weeks and it doesn't even include bench. So I haven't really been working on my bench. I'm doing his Hypertrophy I following the break-in and that does include close grip bench and incline dumbell bench. After I'm through with that, I'm going to see where my bench is at. Chris (Kimsquit) gave me a tip on working my rear delts that he said should help my bench.

Today is Sweetie day for me. It is our anniversary and I think were going to go out for a nice Italian dinner. Cheat day for me. I'll work extra hard next week. However, I haven't been gaining any weight. I'm up to 2800 calories, I think I might bump it to 3000 for a week and see what that does.

Have a great weekend everyone.

[kimsquit]

Happy Anniversary Mark!

:)

~ Chris

[jtroster]

I'm going to do Hypertrophy I.
I did that workout. Its fun - especially the supersetting squats and deadlifts.

Which anniversary? Our 30th is coming up on the 13th.

[Hibiscus09]

Our 24th is on the 27th of this month. :)

Happy anniversary!! Enjoy the Italian dinner. Sounds yummy!

[dbx]

Happy Anniversary Mark! Enjoy some pasta :)
Workouts are looking solid.

[Chubby Mom]

Happy Anniversary Mark have a great weekend. :)

[MarkY]

Good morning all. Thanks for the anniversary wishes. Seventeen wonderful years. We went out for a nice Italian dinner, I had angel hair pasta with some broiled prawns. Also had a nice garden salad and 3 slices of bread. Finished it off with a mixed berry dessert and a double espresso. Following dinner, we took a gondola ride at the resort where we at dinner. A great evening.

The rest of the weekend was spent golfing and taking the 911 out for a drive up to Prescott, AZ for breakfast. This week will be spent finishing up my "break-in" workout of Cosgrove's. I'll take the next week off as he suggests and then jump into his Hypertrophy I. The timing is good because we leave for Mazatlan on Sunday for a week. We've never been there and some friends of ours are giving us their condo for a week free of charge. Can't beat that.

Have a great week everyone, I'll post my workout later tonight.

[SV1000]

I've been on Cosgrove's "break-in" for the past several weeks and it doesn't even include bench. So I haven't really been working on my bench. I'm doing his Hypertrophy I following the break-in and that does include close grip bench and incline dumbell bench. After I'm through with that, I'm going to see where my bench is at. Chris (Kimsquit) gave me a tip on working my rear delts that he said should help my bench.

What is Chris' rear delt tip? I will try to restart Rippetoe tonight and will need to keep bench light, maybe I can work shoulders normal and help the tricep/elbow recovery at the same time.

Happy Anniversary...enjoy the day!....SV

[ChocoChick]

Oh, I missed your anniversary. Congrats to you and Mrs. MarkY. :) Dinner sounded yummy. If only you'd had some chocolate with those berries. :)

[MarkY]

What is Chris' rear delt tip? I will try to restart Rippetoe tonight and will need to keep bench light, maybe I can work shoulders normal and help the tricep/elbow recovery at the same time.

Happy Anniversary...enjoy the day!....SV

Thanks SV. Chris was reviewing a workout of mine, and he mentioned that I should do some rear delt work. He stated that this would help increase my bench.

Last night was workout A of Cosgrove's break-in. I'll do workout B on Wednesday and probably do another workout A this Friday before leaving for Mazatlan for the week.

[MarkY]

Oh, I missed your anniversary. Congrats to you and Mrs. MarkY. :) Dinner sounded yummy. If only you'd had some chocolate with those berries. :)

Thanks DB. Mrs. MarkY doesn't like chocolate. Can you believe that?

[justtryn]

Happy belated Anniversary, Mark. Sounds like you guys had a great time! My Mrs and I aren't far behind you... 16 years this January.

[Motiv8You]

Mrs. MarkY is a lucky woman in not liking chocolate!
Chocolate is the root of all evil ;)

[ChocoChick]

Thanks DB. Mrs. MarkY doesn't like chocolate. Can you believe that?

What? That's unheard of!

Oh well... all the more for you. :)

[Gunn27]

Belated anniversary wishes, sorry I'm a little behind right now.

Good luck with the Cosgrove routine, I'm sure you will do well on it.

[MarkY]

Workout B of my "break-in" routine. I'll be glad to get off of this and start the Hypertrophy routine. I also threw in some partial / full benches to give my chest a little workout.

Been super busy at work trying to get some things done before vacation next week. Hope everyone is having a great week.

[kimsquit]

We'll all be looking forward to seeing some holiday photos of you & the Missus in Mexico

:)

[ChocoChick]

When do you leave, Mark? Sounds nice...

[Chubby Mom]

Been super busy at work trying to get some things done before vacation next week. Hope everyone is having a great week.

Vacartion! sounds like fun :D

[SV1000]

*bump*........so your preppin' for a vacation are ya, wondered where you were hiding out. So where are you going?

[MarkY]

Hello all. Finally finished my "break in" routine of Cosgrove's. Last week was a blur, a ton of work, finished up some minor trim work in our kitchen and I just now finished packing for vacation. Actually I just put the clothes out, Mrs. MarkY does the packing.

We leave tomorrow morning for Mazatlan. I've never been there and it has never been high on my list, but some friends of ours invited us and we have a condo all to ourselves. They're not even charging us for it.

So I'll be taking a week off before starting Hypertrophy I for the next 8 or so weeks. I'd still like to gain another 3 pounds before the end of the year. Clean and lean pounds, not holiday pounds.

I'm bringing my laptop with me, so I'll be checking in on all my fine friends on these forums. I figure I'll eat plenty of shrimp while I'm there. We fly out tomorrow morning, it is only a 2 hour flight from Phoenix. Will touch base late tomorrow or early next week.

Have a GREAT week everyone. Adios for now.

[ChocoChick]

Sounds wonderful, Mark. Enjoy!

[justtryn]

Shrimp!? Don't you mean Cervesas??

Two phrases to remember.... (don't blame me for the spelling - you get the gist of it.)

Uno mas cervasas, por favor.

Donde es el bano?

Have a great time, MarkY

[SV1000]

Have an outstanding vacation Mark!

Hopefully you won't be screaming....DONDE ES EL BANO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jaguarr]

Hey, enjoy your week in paradise, bro. You've definitely earned it. Call it a bulking cycle and eat to your heart's content. :cool:

jag

[MarkY]

Hi all. I found a hot spot so I thought I would send a quick message. Mazatlan is great, good weather, food not too bad either. I'm eating what's put in front of me, no idea of any type of calorie count.

We're on the 5th floor and my cardio consists of taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I'll be ready to get in gear when I return.

One good thing about all this working out is that I'm happy with how I look on the beach. Definately room for improvement, but all in all, not too bad for an old fart.

Hope all of you are having a great week.

[justtryn]

One good thing about all this working out is that I'm happy with how I look on the beach. Definately room for improvement, but all in all, not too bad for an old fart.

Hey mister! There will be no complaining while on the beach!! Sounds like you're having a wonderful time!

[Hibiscus09]

Hi MarkY!! So glad you're having fun in the sun in Mexico!! I'm envious! :p Have a margarita (or two or three) for me!

[Chubby Mom]

Hi! Mark Have a Strawberry Margarita for me :D

[ChocoChick]

Hi Mark! Hope you are having fun with sun, sand and maybe something else with an 's'. ;)

[Original Poster]

Enjoy your trip Mark.
Make sure you hit it hard when you get back.

[kimsquit]

Make sure you hit it hard when you get back.I think that "hittin' it" is probably what his whole vacation is about :p

[MarkY]

I think that "hittin' it" is probably what his whole vacation is about :p

You're too funny Chris. Yeah, I've been "hittin' it" hard, so has my wife. :p

I'll be back in town tomorrow. I'm ready to start my new program on Monday. It has been a fun and relaxing vacation, but I'm ready to get back to eating the way I've grown accustomed.

Hope you've all had a great week, and have a great weekend. I'll catch up on everyone's journals when I return. I have one more parasail ride scheduled before I fly out tomorrow.

Bye for now.

[ChocoChick]

Hi Mark! Hope you're having fun! :)

[MarkY]

I'm back. Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. What a great vacation. Didn't do much but relax, eat, and recharge my batteries. Spent some wonderful time with my wife and some friends of ours. Beautiful condo, great weather, great people. A wonderful week and I only gained ONE pound. I even parasailed a couple of times. That was a kick.

That being said, it felt great to get back to my workouts and eating plan. Even my wife was chomping at the bit to get back to the gym. Today I started Cosgrove's Hypertrophy I workout. I plan on being on this through the end of January. Today was workout A:

Superset 90 seconds between sets
Dumbell incline press - 5 x 5
Cable seated row - 5 x 5

Superset 90 seconds between sets
Dumbell shoulder press - 5 x 5
Two-point dumbell row - 5 x 5

Superset 90 seconds between sets
Barbell close grip bench press - 5 x 5
High pull - 5 x 5

Swiss ball crunch 3 x 15

Workout felt good, it was nice to get back to lifting. Hope everyone is having a great week, now I'll go read up on all the journals I missed.

[ChocoChick]

Welcome back, Mark. Do you have pics to share?

[MarkY]

Welcome back, Mark. Do you have pics to share?

Thanks DB. Here are a few.

We took some ATVs and found this little place:
http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=ykkvf3&outx=600&quality=70

A sunset from the sea wall in front of our condo:
http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=ykkvf2&outx=600&quality=70

Up, up, and away.....
http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=ykkvff&outx=600&quality=70

This is what I was doing during most of my vacation when I wasn't eating or sleeping:
http://images4.fotopic.net/?iid=ykkvf5&outx=600&quality=70

[kimsquit]

Terrific photos Mark! It looks like you had a superb vacation!

~ Chris

[Chubby Mom]

Mark Happy Thanks giving :) and Welcome back great pictures.

[MarkY]

Today is help the wife day. I figure I'll get some cardio in with all the running around she has me doing. :D

I'm wishing all of you a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving. May all of you have a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends, love, and great food.

[ChocoChick]

Happy Thanksgiving, Mark!

[SV1000]

Happy Thanksgiving Mark, hope ya'll had great vacation too.......SV

[kimsquit]

Have an awesome weekend, Mark!

~ Chris

[MarkY]

Well I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. I have to get caught up on some journals. Ours was great.

Friday I did workout B of my new routine. This is lower body.

Squats 4 x 10 - 60 sec rest

Deadlift Shrug 4 x 10 - 60 sec rest

Superset with full rest
Bulgarian split squat 4 x 10
Step-up 4 x 10 (might change these to lunges)

Reverse crunch 3 x 15

Today was the second A workout. Upper body, same exercises as the previous A workout only the set / rep changes.

Superset 30 seconds between sets
Dumbell incline press - 3 x 15
Cable seated row - 3 x 15

Superset 90 seconds between sets
Dumbell shoulder press - 3 x 15
Two-point dumbell row - 3 x 15

Superset 90 seconds between sets
Barbell close grip bench press - 3 x 15
High pull - 3 x 15

Swiss ball crunch 3 x 15

I have to work on my correct weight for this set / rep range. I started with too heavy of weight and was unable to complete the last set on my shoulder press and close grip bench. I had to lower the weight to complete. Still sorting this out.

The 30 seconds between supersets is an ass kicker. Should be a fun ride.

Have a great week everyone.

[Chubby Mom]

Some good workouts Mark looks like they would really get your heart pumping no need for cardio :)

[dbx]

Very nice work going on here Mark. You'll dial-in on the rigght weight soon enough. I've just started a new program and will being doing a bit of that this week.

[Hibiscus09]

Nice workout, MarkY! :)

I'm slow catching up, but I saw where you said you went parasailing on your vacation. I've always wanted to do that! It looks like so much fun. I got a "direct linking not allowed" message when I tried to view the photos. :(

[jtroster]

Mark,

How are you liking the Cosgrove workouts? I found it hard to superset squats and deadlifts.

[SV1000]

Great WO Mark!.............SV

[MarkY]

Mark,

How are you liking the Cosgrove workouts? I found it hard to superset squats and deadlifts.

Hi Joel. I'm currently doing Hypertrophy I and the squats and deadlifts aren't supersets (p. 227). I can imagine they'd be brutal though.

I like Cosgrove's workouts. I like the fact that the workouts are different set/rep ranges. I'm still trying to get the correct weights dialed in for the different rep ranges though. Thanks for checking in.

[MarkY]

Today was workout B of Cosgrove's Hypertrophy I. The workouts are going well but I'm still getting dialed in for the correct weight for all the different rep/set ranges.

Squats 5 x 5 - 90 sec rest

Deadlift Shrug 5 x 5 - 90 sec rest

Superset with full rest
Bulgarian split squat 5 x 5
Lunges 5 x 5 (might change these to lunges)

Reverse crunch 3 x 15

[kimsquit]

Hi Mark,

are those 90 second rests shorter than what you're normally used to? if so, how are you finding the adjustment?

[jaguarr]

Lookin' good, MarkY Mark. 90 seconds of rest on the big compound lifts definitely makes you feel like you're really working out, doesn't it? :D

jag

[MarkY]

Hi Chris and Jag. Yes, the 90 second rest is shorter than I'm used to. Especially when doing squats. I've dropped the weight a bit while I'm getting used to this new set/rep scheme. Short rest periods during squat and deadlift sets is pretty brutal.

[jtroster]

I just checked the book again. When I did the same workout I misread the book and supersetted squats and deads. No wonder I thought it was a maniac thing to do;)

[Chubby Mom]

Boy Mark that leg workout looks pretty tough, Great Job :)

[MarkY]

This will be a short journal entry, I've got a boatload of work to finish before a friend from Brazil comes in this week to stay with us. Lots to do.

Continue to work Cosgrove's Hypertrophy I. This weel will be round 2 of the different rep/set ranges. Hopefully, I'll have my weights dialed in a little better.

On another note, I got measured at my gym yesterday. Weight is only up 4 pounds from 3 months ago. Not very impressive. On a good note, my BF remained at 10.2% and some of my measurments went up a bit. I think it definately matters who is doing the measuring. I think I'm going to have my wife measure me from now on, at least it will be consistent.

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone.

[Original Poster]

weight up and BF down.........that's always a good thing IMO.
Congrats Mark !

[Hibiscus09]

Yep, sounds like you are adding muscle MarkY! Great!

Hope you have a nice weekend and enjoy the visit with your friend next week!

[SV1000]

I think it definately matters who is doing the measuring. I think I'm going to have my wife measure me from now on, at least it will be consistent.

Hey Mark, great job on the 4 lb gain! Sounds like great progress in 3 months.... ^^^^ that could get out of hand quick :D

[dbx]

On another note, I got measured at my gym yesterday. Weight is only up 4 pounds from 3 months ago. Not very impressive.

Shoot, with the bf% staying the same, that's pretty good imho! :)

[MarkY]

Hi everyone, I've been away almost as long as Dbflgirl. I've had a friend visiting from Brazil. The last time I saw him was two years ago. When he arrived at my house he looked like a different person. He lost 40 pounds and turned into a fitness freak. Great for him, and me since I got to work out with him. I also showed him this board, and I have a feeling he'll be joining. He is going to be ordering some supplements since they're much cheaper than in Brazil, even with the shipping.

I strayed a little from Cosgrove while he was here, I spent time working out with him expiermenting and swapping exercises with him. I still worked out hard, just didn't stick to Cosgrove. I'll pick that back up next week.

Another thing that was great while he was here, was his diet. I gave him some pointers (that I learned here) but he was all for eating healthy. Oats in the morning, loved that. Also enjoyed protein shakes, etc. We had a great time.

I'm going to be going out for a nice steak dinner tonight for my birthday and my wife is making my favorite cake. I'll have a slice and have her take the rest to work to share with her co-workers. Then it is time to hit it hard again so I can enjoy some holiday parties. I plan on being good, but the occasional treat will somehow fall into my mouth.

Hope all is well with everyone, I have some journals to catch up on.

[SV1000]

Happy belated buddy!

[ChocoChick]

I'm going to be going out for a nice steak dinner tonight for my birthday and my wife is making my favorite cake. I'll have a slice and have her take the rest to work to share with her co-workers. Then it is time to hit it hard again so I can enjoy some holiday parties. I plan on being good, but the occasional treat will somehow fall into my mouth.

Happy belated birthday, Mark!

[SV1000]

^^^ chocolate girls back, cool :D

[Chubby Mom]

Good to have you back Mark and a Happy belated Birthday:D

[kimsquit]

Happy birthday, Mark :D

[MarkY]

Thanks for the wishes everyone. Welcome back my little veggie princess.

I'm a tad embarassed about this because I normally finish what I start. I've abandoned Cosgrove for the time being for a few reasons. My friend was out here staying with me for a week and since I learned that he turned into a fitness buff, I went to the gym a few times with him. Instead of doing my Cosgrove workout, we worked out together doing some new and different execises. We had a great time and I felt a little renewed.

In addition, I normally workout at home but lately I've been going to the gym (I get a free membership from my employer) and have found some renewed motivation. Something about working out with others that gets me more motivated. I've also met a few people that have given me some pointers. By the looks of them and the way they explained things, they look like they know what they are talking about.

This month has been crazy with vistiors, work, and other holiday obligations. I think I'm going to continue going to the gym and make this a learning and experimenting month. I plan on resuming Cosgrove after the first of the year and maybe even adding some new exercises.

Thanks for reading, any comments are more than welcome.

[StlBarbie]

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f265/paisleyroses/goldmerrychristmas.gif

[Gunn27]

Merry Xmas Mark! :)

[MarkY]

Good workout today before some last minute shopping. Worked chest and arms followed by 40 minutes of cardio. Have to work off some Christmas cookies.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[mom24boys]

Merry Christmas Mark

[ChocoChick]

Merry Christmas, Mark. Hope Santa is good to you. :)

[Hibiscus09]

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, MarkY!! :)

[kimsquit]

Merry Christmas to you, the Missus and that 911 of yours ;)

~ Chris

[Original Poster]

MERRY CHISTMAS

[Chubby Mom]

Merry Christmas Mark :D

[jspirate]

http://mk23.image.pbase.com/u37/karen1109/large/24048837.catCard_small.jpg

[SV1000]

http://www.crazy-jokes.com/Christmas-Cartoons/pics/snowy_cabin_800.jpg

[=M=]

Merry Christmas to you and yours!! :)

[MarkY]

Like a lot of others, I ate well for Christmas. It is really tough to pass up homemade Italian cooking, so I don't even try. It's Christmas afterall.

Today I squatted my ass off and followed that with shoulders. Then even though my legs were beat, I did some low intensity cardio for 50 minutes. I figure I burned off at least one cookie.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and thanks to all for the holiday wishes.

[Chubby Mom]

50 min for one cookie oh man It will take me 6 months to burn off all the cookies I ate :D sounds like you enjoyed your Christmas Mark

[kimsquit]

all my best to you & the missus, Mark

:)

~ Chris

[MarkY]

Hi everyone. In addition to lifting, I continue to do 50 minutes of cardio 4 times / week to eliminate some extra holiday treats. BF calipered at 10.7 at the gym yesterday. In another week, I'll continue with my clean bulk for another 2 months.

I would like to wish everyone on this forum a healthy and happy New Year. Cheers.

[StlBarbie]

HAPPY 2007 Mark!!!:)

Um ... 50 minutes for one cookie??? :eek:
Oh so sorry I stopped by here!!!;) :p

Hope you have a great year Mark!!!:)

[SV1000]

Happy New Year!..........SV

[MarkY]

Hi Everyone: Haven't been on the board much due to a work project taking up a lot of my time. Almost had to give up my trip to Vegas Sunday - Tuesday but managed to get things done.

The good thing is I haven't been neglecting my workouts and have been doing some extra cardio to kick some holiday calories to the side. Ever since 2007 rolled around, it looks like someone kicked over an ant hill at the gym. I wonder how many will last till spring. Hopefully, all of them.

I'm off to Las Vegas for the next 3 days. I'll be attending the Consumer Electronics Show to check out all the new gadgets and toys. :D

Have a great week everyone.

[mom24boys]

have fun and I hope you find time to play :)

[ChocoChick]

I'm off to Las Vegas for the next 3 days. I'll be attending the Consumer Electronics Show to check out all the new gadgets and toys. :D

Oooooh. This sounds like fun. Did you bring home any goodies? :)