Army ROTC/College Lifting

[Lunchbox89]

Hey everyone, starting my first serious journal here. I guess i'll start off with the basics about myself:

age: 18
height: 6'0
weight: 195 lbs (in full PTs counting running shoes)
Your Body fat %: Will know tomorrow

How long you have been training: Been lifting since freshmen year, but just getting down to the serious business

Goal: To gain muscle mass & strength

Current routine: Designed it myself, check it out here: http://www.freewebs.com/aesfitness/Marks_Workout.xls

What is your diet like: My diet is basically I always eat veggies with every meal, usually an omelette and some non-fat milk in the morning, lots of sandwich meat at lunch, gotta go buy some almonds to snack on, and a high protein dinner. I don't drink soda, i don't eat chips, doughnuts, cakes, or any junk food like that.

Supplements: GNC 100% Whey, Omega 3 Fish Oil, Mega Men's Sports Multivitamin. (I plan on switching to ON 100% next month)

After our first PT test tomorrow morning, I'll be hitting the gym hard on Sunday. HOO AHH!

[Lunchbox89]

WOOO HOOO!!! Passed my first PT test. Here were my results:

Push ups: 57
Sit ups: 61
2 Mile Run: 13:23

Comes out to 248 points. Hell yeah! Now i can relax til Sunday. HOO AHH!

[Lunchbox89]

Great first day of lifting. Worked my Chest and Back. here's what it looked like

Incline Bench - 4x10,8,8,7 (135, 155, 165, 165)
Pull ups - 4x8,7,6,6 (body weight)
Bench Press - 4x8,8,7,6 (70 lb DB)
Dead lift - 4x10,8,7,6 (135, 225)
Dips - 4x10,8,6,6 (body weight, +25, +35)
Barbell Row - 4x10,8,6,6 (105, 125)
Cable Flies - 2x15 (30)
One Arm Dumbbell Row - 2x12 (50 lb DB)

Now i'm pretty beat. Better stretch later.

[Lunchbox89]

so i woke up this morning feeling utterly raped...my upper back is wrought with pain and my chest feels like someone is trying to tear the sides off...I LOVE IT!! haha. It was leg day today, here's how it went:

Squat - 4x12,10,6,6 (135, 185, 225)
Leg Press - 4x12,12,10,8 (225, 295, 345, 365)
Hamstring Curls - 4x10,8,5,5 (75,90,105)
Leg Extensions - 3x6,6,6 (90)
Calf Press - 4x20 (290)

can't wait to wake up tomorrow...NOT...

[Lunchbox89]

jeezus...running with Alpha group was...an experience...ouch...my body...doing shoulders today at 3:30...woo hoo!

[Lunchbox89]

luckily i regained a lot of my energy after this morning's PT, thanks in part to my multivitamin, GNC Mega Men's Sport, and a good lunch, Spinach/Chicken Salad. Oh yes, that **** was good. Alright here's how the workout went:

Military Press 4x12,8,5,4 (95, 115)
Rear Lateral 4x8 (20 lb DB)
Arnold Press 4x12,8,8,8 (45, 55)
Upright Row 4x12,8,6,6 (95, 115)
Side Laterals 4x8,8,7,6 (20 lb DB, 25 lb DB)
DB Shrugs 4x10 (65 lb DB)

Definitely gonna be feeling all that in the morning...

[Lunchbox89]

Arm day went really well, considering it was the first pure arm day i've had in over a year. I noticed a considerable amount of strength lost in my biceps, which is unfortunate, but that's where the fun of building it back comes. Here's what happened:

Hammer Curls 4x10,5,6,5 (25 lb DB, 30, 25)
Close Grip Bench (Smith) 4x12,6,6,6 (135, 165, 150)
EZ Bar Curl 4x8,6,5,4 (65)
Skull Crushers 4x8 (65)
Preacher Curl 4x6,5,8,drop set (65,55)
Reverse Grip Pushdown 4x9,7,6,drop set (120,130)

[Lunchbox89]

Man i always hate resting days...i always feel so lazy...

[Lunchbox89]

man i literally had no energy today, still got through the workout though. I replaced Dead lifts though with a safer exercise that will target my lower back just as good, even if i'm kind of excluding the glutes and hamstrings. Here's what happened:

Incline Bench: 12x135, 5x185, 6x155, 6x155
Back Extensions: 12x25, 12x25, 8x45, 8x45
DB Flat Bench: 10x75, 5x80, 7x75, 7x75
Pull Ups: 6xbody weight, 5xbw, 4xbw, 5xbw
Weighted Dips: 8xbw+35, 7xbw+35, 6xbw+35
T-Bar Rows: 12x45, 8x70, 8x70, 8x70
Cable Flies: 12x40, 12x40
One Arm DB Row: 12x55, 12x55

And i did some ab stuff, nothing major. but i was ****ing exhausted after all that. only got about 6 hours of sleep last night...which isn't a lot for me haha. but i'll hit it hard tomorrow for leg day, hoo ahh!

[Lunchbox89]

man...leg day...haha well i changed it a up a little bit so that i could avoid tearing my glutes while squatting like i frequently seem to do. here's how it went:

Hack Squat: 10x90, 8x140, 6x140, 6x140
Curls: 8x90, 8x90, 8x90, 6x90
Extensions: 10x105, 10x105, 10x105
Calf Press: 15x500, 15x500, 15x500, 15x500
Squats: 6x225, 6x225, 6x225, 6x225
Seated Calf Press: 15x70, 15x70, 15x70, 15x70

[Lunchbox89]

had to combine shoulder and arm day so that i wouldnt be dead for my APFT friday. Didn't kill me as much as i expected though, but it was good. Details:

Military Press: 10x95, 8x115, 8x115, 7x115
EZ Bar Curl: 8x65, 8x65, 7x65, 5x85
Tricep Pushdown: 10x130, 8x140, 6x150, 6x150
Upright Row: 8x65, 7x65, 6x65, 6x65
Close Grip Bench: 10x135, 6x155, 4x155 (chest felt sore after push ups yesterday and chest day the day before)
Incline Hammer curls: 10x25, 7x30, 7x30, 5x30
Side Laterals: 8x20, 8x20

I was pretty damn tired after it all, damn PT and all that haha, but at least im hoo ahh.

[shffl]

hey nice long. what do you mean by army rotc lifting? are you doing their workuts? whats PT?

[Lunchbox89]

Originally Posted by shffl

hey nice long. what do you mean by army rotc lifting? are you doing their workuts? whats PT?

thank god haha, my first response. By Army ROTC lifting i just mean i'm lifting while doing Army ROTC, and PT is Physical Training, which consists of cardio, push ups, and sit ups every monday, wednesday, and friday. And usually once a month we take a Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) to measure our progress.

Speaking of APFT, i took one this morning and scored a 255 ( scored 248 last time ). I did 60 push ups in 2 minutes, 66 sit ups in 2 minutes, and ran 2 miles in 13:45. My 2 mile time went down a bit cause there's a controlled fire a little north of school and the air was pretty acrid. But no excuses. Luckily now i can lift seriously again for another 4 weeks before i have to take anoter.

Scariest thing was i gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks...i mean i am bulking but i was just shocked to see 4 pounds put on so quickly...luckily i was at 11% body fat Tuesday so i know, at least pray, it isnt fat.

[Lunchbox89]

today was quite possibly the best workout i've had in a LONG time. There was NO ONE in the gym and 300 was on TV so i blasted that **** and just went nuts. I super-setted everything cause i felt like I had a lot of energy and heres what happened:

Incline Bench
5x185
5x185
5x185

Chin ups
8x body weight
4x bw + 25
6x bw

Flat DB Bench
6x85
6x85
6x85

T-Bar Row
8x70
6x80
6x80

Weighted Dips
8x25
6x35
6x35

Weighted Back Ext
10x25
10x25
10x25

I probably need to find a more solid final back exercise for my lower back, i just don't like doing dead lifts is the thing. i dunno, ill keep this up and see what happens, or ill switch it up next week.

[Lunchbox89]

yet again another great workout, and i usually hate leg day. but this low rep/high weight thing has some serious merit to it haha. definitely does elevate my mood, to say the least. i think i finally nailed down a solid leg routine too, here's what i did:

Hack Squats
8x140
6x190
6x190

Squats
8x225
6x275
6x275

Lunges
5x55 lb DBs
5x55 lb DBs

Hamstring Curls
8x105
5x120
5x120

Standing Calf Press
15x510
12x510
12x510
12x510

Seated Calf Press
15x90
15x90
12x135
12x135

That **** all felt really good. first time i had done Lunges in a LONG time and they wore me right out. The hack squats were a great warm up for my squats too, glad that i'm finally back up to where i left off before summer started. HOOOO AHHH!! Tomorrow's an off day, then SHOULDERS!! HOO AHH!

[Lunchbox89]

my shoulder workout felt a wee bit under achieved today...maybe its because im used to such high reps and sets, i dunno, but i definitely know i was pushing much more than usual cause i was failing when i was supposed to. Alright here's what i did:

Military Press
135x6
135x5
135x6

Arnold Press
55x8
65x7
65x6

Side Laterals
25x6
25x6

DB Shrugs
80 lb Dbsx8
80x8

I did some good ab work too, that i just don't prefer to list it because its usually different everyday, cept for the hanging knee raises which i always keep constant. tomorrow is ARMS HOO AHHH!!

[Lunchbox89]

Arm day HOO AHH!! definitely a good workout. ever since i really pushed it with higher weights and less reps, i've been able to actually feel the endorphin and other hormone rushes afterward. Hell yes for endorphins! haha here's what happened:

Close Grip Bench
155x8
165x7
185x6

-Super Setted with-

EZ Bar Curl
65x8
75x6
75x5

Tricep Pushdown
160x8
180x8
200x6

-Super Setted with-

Hammer Curls
30x6
30x6
35x5

Tricep Extensions
90x6
90x6

-Super Setted with-

Cable Curls
80x8
drop set

ill really liked the drop set of cable curls at the end, really exhausted the muscles. Now, 1 more PT until the weekend HOO AHH!!

[Lunchbox89]

my shoulders are sore as hell, even now. i think that day was the first time i had really worked my shoulders by themselves with heavy weight like that...definitely feeling it HOO AHHH!

[Lunchbox89]

I started bulking at 194 lbs at roughly 11% body fat. After 3 weeks of going at it, im up to roughly 200 lbs and im not sure about the body fat but my abs are as visible as ever and i've been eating very healthy (at least a salad a day, no fries, pizza, or junk food), not to mention the < 8 miles we run during PT each week.
So the only logical outcome i can deduce is that i've basicall gained 6 lbs of muscle in 3 weeks, which is pretty good i'd say. If i keep up my current progress, which i graciously plan on, i should be at roughly 206 around October 12th, and then probably 210, which is my goal, at around October...25th or so. At that point i'll probably cut down for about 6 weeks, really hardcore cutting, then ill bulk back up before i hit home for the winter. HOO AHH!

[TheKansan]

Good luck with the ROTC thing. I want to one day join the military and am working on getting myself into shape right now.

[Lunchbox89]

chest day and my damn chest/shoulders are sore as hell. PT this morning sucked so we didnt do too many push ups. I pushed it pretty hard though, but i didnt do enough back cause a friend was about to leave and i wanted him to show me some wrestling moves so i skipped hyper extensions. oh well. here's the weight break downs:

Incline bench
185x8
195x5
195x5

Pull ups
bwx8
bwx6 (wider grip)
bwx6

Flat DB bench
85x6
90x5
90x5

T-Bar Rows
125x8
135x6
135x6

Weighted Dips
35x8
45x6
45x6

my left shoulder is killing me right now. gotta make sure to stretch it good throughout the day. leg day later. HOO AHH!

[Lunchbox89]

alright, i think i've finally nailed down my leg routine. i warm up with with a set of light lunges, stretch really well, then do another light set of squats, and the get right to it. i felt really good on my squats and...yeah...i didnt hurt my ass again haha, which means the warm up worked really well. here's the weight:

Squat
275x6
285x5
285x4

Leg Press
340x8
360x6
380x6
380x6

Lunges
55 lb DBx5
55 lb DBx5

Calf Raises
510x15
-rest 10 sec-
510x15 x 2

crap...i just realized i forgot hamstring curls...BOLLOCKS!! then i did a buncha ab stuff, and it all felt really good. im so close to squatting 300!! hoo ahh!! feels good considering it wasnt until my junior year i actually started squatting. gonna get there soon! HOO AHH!!

[Lunchbox89]

we had a release run in PT this morning (where you run a designated course at your own pace, which should be fast for yourself) and when i finished, my damn temples were throbbing cause my head was so ****ing cold cause i don't have any hair to keep the heat on my head...bollocks...at least i had a good run, and the ab work was good haha.

[Lunchbox89]

Not a bad work out today. through in Cleans just to change it up a bit, and i just love em so that was reason enough. here's what happened:

Cleans
135x6
155x4
155x4

Shoulder Press
55x6
55x6
55x6

Rear Laterals
25x5
25x5
25x5

Upright Row
85x6
95x5
95x5

Shrugs
205x6
205x6
205x6

My traps are definitely feeling it haha, first time i've really really worked them hard.

[IronAbrams]

Excellent dude, I'll be watching this. Lifting is going ****ing great, just need to wait for my finger to heal up and to pass the 2 mile run finally.

[Lunchbox89]

ARM DAY HOO AHH! haha i love arm day. Today wasn't too bad, i kinda wish i had a spotter though for my close grip benching, i should probably get on that for next time. here's what went down

Close Grip Bench
185x6
195x5
195x5

EZ Bar Curl
75x6
75x5
75x5

Skull Crushers
75x6
75x5
75x5

Hammer Curls
30x8
35x6
35x5

Tricep Pushdowns

180x5
180x5

Close Grip Chins

bw x 5
bw x 5

I was pretty tired by the last 2 exercises, my arms felt like huge iron pipes haha, of course that's no different than what they are HOO AHH! Last PT of the week tomorrow and then the week end HOO AHH!

[Lunchbox89]

damnit this sucks balls. i have to wait until monday afternoon, AFTER my APFT that day, to lift. They had to schedule my APFT for monday since it's usually friday and we don't have school friday because of Univeristy day...bollocks...

[Lunchbox89]

Man i am so royally pissed. I got 1 less sit up than last time!! and i didn't figure that out until i came back to my room and plugged my scores into this program i have to tell me my composite score...****! well at least my overall score went up by 13 points, which is awesome. I'm CLAWING my way up to that blue belt!! HOO AHH! here's how my scores were:

Push Ups: 64
Sit ups: 65
2 Mile Run: 13:04

My best 2 mile run by far. I beat my best time before that by 19 seconds, and my push ups went up by 4, so i'm consistently going up. Funny thing was i weighed in at 201 lbs today...and still did better haha. Oh well, im hoping it's muscle weight cause i've been attempting to bulk. oh well, i'm getting ready to cut again so i should lose that weight all back again. lifting later today HOO AHH!!

[Lunchbox89]

Ahhhh my first day of cutting went really well. my chest is ****ING sore right now, as i expected. I was working pretty intensely yesterday. I got a watch so i can make sure i only rest a minute between sets to keep my heart rate up. Here's what happened:

DB Incline Bench
60x12
70x10
65x12

BB Flat Bench <-- Start with 165 AFTER doing an Ab exercise
165x10
145x10
145x10

Hanging Leg Lifts
15
15
15
15

Weighted Dips
+25x12
+25x10
+25x10

Decline Crunches
15
15
15

Side Bends
40x20
40x20
40x20
40x20

Pec Deck Flyes <-- Increase weight
60x12
70x12
90x12

Swiss Ball Crunces
20
20
20

Yeah, i knew no matter how much i stretched i'd be feeling it in my Chest this morning and I definitely feel it...ouch...today is Chest/Back HOO AHH!

[MISSINGLINK]

Nice journal, keep up the good work.