Lep1021: Getting Serious about Lifting

[Leprechauns1021]

I've been weight training off and on for about 2 yrs now, and its helped me drop more than 70 lbs. However, now that I've gotten slimmer and in more shape, i want to hit the weights even harder and more consistently to help gain some muscle mass while staying cut. I'll keep my training and diet log here so that i can keep myself in check and hopefully get motivated by everyone here!

Goals by 12/25/08:
1)Increase Max Bench to 200lbs (its hovering around 170 right now)
2) Cut bf to <10% and reveal a nice six pack
3) Gain 10lbs of lean muscle mass

Current Stats:
Height:5'10"
Weight: 155lbs
Max Bench: 170
BF: Unknown

And heres a current pic of myself so that you can see the progress (when i get there)




Lets see what i can do!

[Leprechauns1021]

Well heres my workout today. It was preformed with about 30-45 secs. rest between each excercise (basically the time it took me to rack up the next set of weights). Any suggestions are very welcome!

Squats 135x12
Bench Press 125x12
Bent Over Barbell Rows 85x12
Dumbbell Lunges 30x12
Seated Barbell Front Press 80x12
Barbell Upright Rows 60x12
Resistance Band Pushdown 50x12
Romanian Deadlift 150x12
Preacher Curls 70x12
Squats 135x12
Dumbbell Squats 30x12
Bench Press 125x12
Bent Over BB Rows 85x12
Dumbbell Lunges 30x12
Seated Dumbbell Press 30x12
BB Upright Rows 60x12
Pushupsx20
Romanian Deadlift 150x12
Dumbbell Curl 30x12
Squats 135x12
Preacher Curl 70x12
Bench Press 125x12

NOTES:
Workout took about 50 min to complete...heart was pumping pretty hard afterward. I might increase my squat to 145x12 for next week. Everything else seems fine where it is right now.

[Leprechauns1021]

My Diet:

Breakfast:
2 Egg Whites and One Whole Egg
Oatmeal
1 Scoop ON Whey

Lunch:
Pb&J Sandwhich
Almonds

Snack:
6 slices of Deli Chicken
Glass of Milk

Postworkout:
2.5 scoops ON Whey

Dinner:
3 Chicken Breast Filets Seasoned
Sweet Potato

Totals:
Calories:1,500
Fat:43.6g
Carbs:114.4g
Protein:176.5g
(46% Protein, 29%Carbs, 25%Fat)

I need some help on my diet i think...1.5kcals a day definitely arent enough..especially if i want to gain muscle. My problem is that i'm usually at school till 5:00, then have tennis from 6-7 so i didnt have time to eat today.

Any ideas what to do? And keep in mind my meals after breakfast till 5:00p.m. can only be eaten at school..so something i can preferably pack easily.

[Eric-B]

Whoa that workout was all over the place! Do you have a set schedule for your workouts or are you just doing your own thing when you get there? I find it helps a lot to have a plan ahead of time. I want to hear what you have to say and then I'll be able to help you out with your workouts.

Good that you've taken the time to count calories. That will pay dividends in the long run. You could probably throw in some cottage cheese and/or peanut butter before bed to get some extra calories in.

[Leprechauns1021]

Lol yeah it looks bad..but i did have that planned out when i got there. Its basically just the same exercises done in a circuit 3x...with a few different stuff here and there. But i focused on the main lifts, Squats, BP, DL, rows, and military presses, and just based everything around that. I'll try to make it more organized in my next post.

I do this type of workout because its great for boosting my metabolism (12-15 reps with little rest) and helping me get more cut..however i'm thinking about continuing this for a few more weeks, then switching to something that will improve my size and strength. Any suggestions?

[Eric-B]

That sounds like a decent plan. If you already have a good deal of weightlifting experience, then I think you might benefit more from a program with strength training and cardio done separately. Circuit routines are great for general fitness but are sometimes counterproductive if you are looking to put on some muscle mass and really change your physique.

[Leprechauns1021]

I do Guerrilla Cardio on my off days as well...its mainly because i used to be very overweight and needed to drop a lot of weight and i havent changed it much..mainly because i lacked the knowledge of what to do next lol. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated man

[Eric-B]

How often are you lifting weights? How many days per week? What routines have you tried in the past? Do you do full-body workouts everytime you lift?

[Leprechauns1021]

I lift weights 3x a week..usually on T, Th, and Saturday. Cardio as well as abs are on M, W, F. I have tennis practice everyday from 2:25-5..so thats also a constant source of cardio. I've tried the the iwantsixpackabs.com workout..which basically emphasized circuit training and resistance bands. I've also done MensHealth workouts...which have been more or less the same. I always incorporate full body exercises in my workouts, however i am guilty of a few isolation exercises here and there(its cuz im vain and want biceps lol). My reps are usually between 12-15 and sets are about 2-3 per excercise.

[Eric-B]

I think it may be time to change to a more strength oriented routine. It sounds like you're already getting in a ton of cardio with tennis and off days. That should definitely be sufficient. Now it's time to build muscle.

If you wanna stick to a 3 day routine, check out the bill starr 5x5 routine (google it)..or you could make up your own push/pull/legs routine. I personally made a lot of gains on both. Push/pull/legs means Push movements on day 1 (Bench, Dips, etc), then Pull movements on day 2(Rows, Pull-ups, etc), and Leg movements on day 3(Squats, Leg Press, etc).

[Leprechauns1021]

Sounds good..i dont HAVE to stick to 3 days though..i could probably get 5 days of weight training a week in easily. I'll look into those routines though. My workouts might be changing a lot in the next few weeks!

Btw..thanks a lot man. you've been tons of help! I cant thank you enough bro!

[Eric-B]

Sounds good..i dont HAVE to stick to 3 days though..i could probably get 5 days of weight training a week in easily. I'll look into those routines though. My workouts might be changing a lot in the next few weeks!

Btw..thanks a lot man. you've been tons of help! I cant thank you enough bro!

No problem, let us know what you decide and we'll be here to help you along the way. Check out my journal sometime! (shameless plug lol)

[Leprechauns1021]

Checked our your journal..it looks pretty nice man..keep it updated! I'll be interested in how you workout from now on

[Leprechauns1021]

Friday, September 5, 2008

Workout:
Only excercise today was some cardio in tennis class. I have a tournament tomorrow so i'm trying not to overwork myself right now. I've done some stretching to keep muscles loose, and plan on taking this as a rest day. Will hit the weights tomorrow after my matches.

Diet:
Breakfast:
3 Egg Whites
Oatmeal

Snack:
Almonds

Lunch:
PB&J Sandwhich

Snack:
Banana
Protein Shake

Dinner:
Steak with vegetables

Calories-1,450
Fat-62.1g (37%)
Carbs-93g (24%)
Protein-140g (38%)

Notes
Couldnt do much about my workout..I dont want to be sore for tomorrow. I did workout yesterday so its not that bad..and i plan on getting work done tomorrow. My diet is still bugging me...i dont know if im eating enough. I feel pretty full through the day though..i'll be doing some extra research on this. Any help is welcome

[Eric-B]

You're gonna have to eat more than 1500 calories if your goal is to put on muscle mass. Try adding in some blueberries to a few of the meals, and also think about adding in another meal after dinner. Considering your size and age, you could easily get away with another good sized meal somewhere throughout the day. It may seem like you're really stuffing yourself at first, but I think you'll get used to it, and it will help your progress.

On workout days, try to get some carbs into your post workout meal. I noticed that you were just having the protein by itself. Same applies after a good cardio session. Always gotta replenish the glycogen stores.

[Leprechauns1021]

You're gonna have to eat more than 1500 calories if your goal is to put on muscle mass. Try adding in some blueberries to a few of the meals, and also think about adding in another meal after dinner. Considering your size and age, you could easily get away with another good sized meal somewhere throughout the day. It may seem like you're really stuffing yourself at first, but I think you'll get used to it, and it will help your progress.

On workout days, try to get some carbs into your post workout meal. I noticed that you were just having the protein by itself. Same applies after a good cardio session. Always gotta replenish the glycogen stores.

Thanks man..and i'll try adding some extra foods in. I've got to travel about 2 1/2 hrs to a tennis tournament in a few min...probably wont get back for 10 hrs or so. But i plan on working out whenever i get home..i just home i'm not too tired!

[Leprechauns1021]

Well i'm finally home from my tournament..and just finished working out. Heres what everything looks like for today

Workout
Squats 135x12
Bench Press 125x12
Bent Over BB Rows 80x12
Dumbbell Lunges 30x12
Barbell Front Press 80x12
Barbell Upright Rows 60x12
Cable Pushdowns 60x12
Romanian Deadlift 150x12
Preacher Curl 70x12
Dumbbell Squats 30x12

Then the entire circuit repeated again. Also put in about 5 hrs of solid match play tennis.

Diet
Breakfast:
2 cups Oatmeal
1 Banana
2 Eggs
1 scoop ON Whey

Snack:
Almonds

Lunch:
Pb&J Sandwhich

Dinner:
Steak & Shrimp
Sweet Potato

Postworkout:
2 scoops Whey
1 Banana

Totals
Calories-1,880
Fat-66.4g (31%)
Carbs-156.8g (31%)
Protein-178g (38%)

Notes
I'm pretty tired after today...4 total hrs driving, 5 hrs of tennis and an hour of a workout..its pretty exhausting. I finally ate a little more today..so thats pretty good. I'm ready to sleep now though and just get ready for tomorrow

[Leprechauns1021]

Workout
Today was a rest day. I did however experiment with a new workout program and i think I'll change up my current system. It should look something like this from now on

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Bench Press 3x8
Pullups 3x8
Squats 3x8
Dips 3x8
Military Press 3x8
Lunges 3x12
Preacher Curls 3x8
Cable Pushdown 3x8

Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Tabata Sprints
Ab workouts A & B (alternating days)
Workout A
Side Bends w/ Dumbbell Overhead 4x12
Oblique Crunch 4x12
Plank 4x12
Stability Ball Crunch 4x12

Workout B
Hanging Leg Raises 4x12
Rope Crunch 4x12
Reverse Crunch 4x12
Weighted Ball Crunch 4x12

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome!

[Eric-B]

If you are doing the same exercises for all three days (tues,thurs,sat) then you may want to consider using one of the days as a light day. For example, tuesday you can work up to heavy sets of 8. Then on thursday, your "light day" do about 70% of your monday weight for sets of 8. Then on Saturday go slightly heavier than monday for about 6 reps. For the next week, the weight you use tuesday will be the weight that you used on saturday, but you'll be going for 8 reps this time. Then just keep repeating that cycle until your progress stalls.

For example...
Week 1
Tues
135 - 3x8
Thurs
95 - 3x8
Sat
140 -3x6

Week 2
Tues
140 - 3x8
Thurs
100 - 3x8
Sat
145 -3x6

You can apply that to any of your 3x8 exercises. It's a similar principle to the 5x5 routine, just using the rep range that you chose. Let me know what you think.

[Leprechauns1021]

That sounds good man..i'll definitely try that out. Principle seems pretty solid, and i've heard about that before. Thanks!

[Leprechauns1021]

Workout
Hanging Leg Raise 4x12
Rope Crunch 4x12
Reverse Crunch 4x12
Weighted Ball Crunch 4x12

Really feel the abs burning..this seems like a good workout. I hope this will help develop a strong core.

Cardio
Tabata Sprints x8


Diet
Breakfast:
Oatmeal
2 Egg Whites
Whey Shake

Snack:
Protein Bar

Lunch:
PB&J Sandwhich
Cup of Grapes
Almonds

Snack:
Banana
1 tsp PB

Dinner:
2 servings of Chicken

PWO:
2 Scoops Whey
1/2 Peach
1/2 Cup Blueberries

Calories-1,800
Fat-59.4g (29%)
Carbs-145g (31%)
Protein-184.5g(41%)

Notes:
I tried eating a little more today..i think this is a good adjustment and i'll try to keep it up. I need some more veggies, so i'll be adding some of those in there somewhere. We also had a fitness test in school today..it was kinda retarded and i passed very easily lol.
The ab workout was nice...and i'm wating for tomorrow when i can get my new workout program together! It should be good

[Leprechauns1021]

Havent been on for a few days..but heres the update on whats been happening

September 9, 2008
Had a tennis tournament this day..didnt get back home until around 10:00. Didnt lift any weights..but i'm sure i did plenty of cardio.

September 10, 2008
Squat
1x5xbar
1x3x135
3x5x155

Bench Press
1x5xbar
1x3x115
3x5x135

Deadlift
1x3x120
1x5x160

Dips
3x5xBW

September 11, 2008
Got out of school at 1:00p.m. cuz of the hurricane thats coming..didnt really do much this day. Sucks cuz i had no reason to really skip my workout..i just didnt do any cardio or abs today.

[Leprechauns1021]

Workout
Squat
1x12xBW*
1x12xBar*
3x5x155

Bench Press
1x12xbar*
1x8x95*
3x5x135

Deadlift
1x8x100*
1x5x170

Dips
3x5

*-Warm up sets

Notes
Workout today was kinda hurried because I had to help out a lot around the house. Hurricane Ike is hitting Texas in a few hours and i had to secure everything in my backyard so it didnt fly into my pool lol. Also have 6 relatives at the house right now..so its hectic. I'm surprised i actually got this workout done.

Squats were nice today..i really focused on extending down low and driving up with my legs. Bench Press was ok..on the last set i barely managed the last 2 reps..but i got them done (bad form though). Funny thing about the deadlifts was that as i was loading up the bar i forgot a 10lb plate on one side..so 2 of the lifts were lopsided! After my second rep i realized something was wrong, and noticed it was uneven. Evened out the weights and finished the set.

[xquick]

good to see a bit more simplicity in teh workout, but U MUST START EATING MORE. please man, i'm sure u dont want to hear it, but this is not good. if u have tennis everyday and are playing tournaments i'm assuming u are fairly serious about it so this should be a main focus. you can't expect results if u are eating like that.

i know u want to lower the bodyfat but man u can see abs in the avi, it's obviously not that high. if u train hard to improve for tennis u will improve ur body composition. take it from me, i've been there and it's not pleasant. under eating and performance sports are a deadly combo.

i saw u posted in my log, not sure if u flipped back and read some of the intro and the where i came from but i really have been through it and would kill to go back and do it again the right way. PM me with any questions/comments, i'd be happy to talk to you

[Leprechauns1021]

Yeah i know i have to eat more..and i've actually been doing that lately. I havent posted a diet log in a few days so heres what today looked like:

Diet
Breakfast:
Oatmeal
3 Egg Whites
1 cup Milk

Snack:
Pbn J Sandwhich
1 cup yogurt

Lunch:
Steak, Chicken and Shrimp Pasta

Postworkout:
2 scoops ON Vanilla Whey
Banana

Dinner:
3 Chicken Breasts
Veggies

Totals
Calories-2,300
Fat-70.8g (30%)
Carbs-128g (23%)
Protein- 230g (46%)

Notes
Trying to eat more and i think today was pretty good and clean. Any suggestions would be appreciated..i'm still just a kid so making my own food is hard but i get my own groceries and can cook a little..so i try.

[xquick]

2300 is still not nearly enough. ur young man this is prime growing time and ur lifting, doing cardio and trying to perform throughout tennis on a daily basis!

u need way more carbs too. they're not the enemy. should be getting in a lot before and after lifting, before and after tennis, etc. gotta be fueled for all the work ur doing.

[Leprechauns1021]

I'm slowly getting there

But i'll try to up my food intake and keep it clean..i'll keep it updated so i can enjoy your help guys. Thanks a lot

[Eric-B]

I would even go up to 3,000 and break it down kinda like this...

50% CHO (375g)
30% Protein (225g)
20% Fat (66g)

With an emphasis on having a lot of the carbs before and after your workouts and tennis.

But honestly, at your age and activity level, you should be eating everything in sight and not worrying to much about exact calorie intake. That's for us old folks in our twenties lol

[Leprechauns1021]

Lol i actually do eat quite frequently...i'm always snacking on things just lying around in my kitchen (grapes and random spoonfulls of PB). I dont put those into account in my diet log just because it happens to frequently and I have no idea how much i actually consume. Tomorrow i'll eat like normal...but try my hardest to keep track of everything i eat to see if my totals change significantly.

[Leprechauns1021]

Just got power back..that hurricane sucked lol. But everything is good now..and i didnt miss a workout! lol. Heres how it went down

September 13, 2008
Cardio
Couldnt get outside to run so I changed it up and did this little circuit in my garage:

Burpessx30secs
Jumping Jacksx30secs

I did that sequence for a total of 3 min., took a 1 min rest and repeated each sequence 4 times. It was pretty tiring and my legs were on fire afterwards lol.

September 14, 2008
Cardio
Burpeesx30secs
Jumping Jaccksx30 secs

Did each sequence for 2 mins, took 1 min rest, then repeated the sequence 6 times.

Notes
I was basically trapped in my house for two days. Had to do A LOT of cleaning in my front yard to clear the limbs and other debris. Took almost all day Saturday and a little of Sunday. But its all clean now and everything should be back to normal!