Training for Mass, Power and Athleticism

[ShinySephiroth]

So I have gotten to the point where I feel comfortable with my body fat levels (nothing amazing) that I am going to start trying to grow.

I started cutting at 218 pounds the first week of December. I got down to 193 around March or April and did a week or two of maintenance before finishing my cut on 7-8-12 at 170-ish pounds (I kept fluctating between 170 and 176 depending on hydration and stuff). I was cutting from April until now basically at 2640 kcal. I started on Monday by going to maintenance at 3370 kcal and as recommended by several people I have seen for health reasons I will stay at this intake for the next couple of weeks.
My end goal is to be between 8-10% bodyfat with the following stats:

Bench- Current- 240; Goal- 385
Deadlift- Current- 440; Goal- 575
Squat- Current- 335; Goal- 475
Weight- Current- 176; Goal- 201
Chest: Current- 41 in; Goal- 47.2 in
Biceps: Current- 12.2 in (is arm unflexed the same as bicep?); Goal- 16.6 in
Forearms: Current- 10 in; Goal- 13.3 in
Neck: Current- 16 in (I may be measuring incorrectly); Goal- 16.2 in
Thighs: Current- 22 in; Goal- 25.7 in
Calves: Current- 15.5 in; Goal- 17.2 in

7-9-12
Training Log
Running
Min:Sec; Heart Rate; kcal burned (I am going by gross, not net, since I am off a little due to "averaging" heart rates and some other things I have noticed. I am not too worried)
1:39 163 27
7:30 140 95
4:38 152 67
:40 122 7
5:06 142 66
:30 122 5
17:14 155 257
7:32 139 94
1:36 122 16
1:06 144 15
1:00 122 10
2:02 130 23
1:00 122 10
2:34 142 33
1:21 131 15
1:31 153 22
1:00 121 10
1:04 137 13
:40 122 7
792kcal
Stabilizing
Bounce Ball:
Straight sits 20
Side sits 30
Back extenders 30
Weights
Exercise; Weight; Sets@Reps
Bench press 205 3@5
Squat 225 1@5 (Today I was lifting at a weight room that had a class ongoing. The teacher stopped me and asked if I had a knee surgery ever and I replied yes. She worked with me on my next two sets with form work. It was actually pretty nice and cool of her!)
45 1@5 (form work)
185 1@12 (form work)
Deadlift
225 1@5
315 1@3
405 1@1
Bilateral Nonsimultaneous Curls
50 1@6
30 1@10
Forearms Dumbbell Curls
65 1@12
Reverse dumbbell forearm curls
65 1@10
W-Bar inside grip reverse preacher curls
45 1@10
WBar inside grip forearm curls
45 1@20
WBar inside grip reverse forearm curls
45 1@20
Wide, Reverse grip pull ups (1/2 fingers no thumb) x10
Top dumbbell rotators (arms at sides at 90 degrees and twist forearms. Hands meet dumbbell under top weight)
35 1@10
Bottom dumbbell rotators (same as above except hands meet dumbbell on top of the bottom weight ie the rest of the weight is a little unbalanced)
35 1@10
Pullups normal
x5
Wbar outside grip reverse curl
Bottom rom 60 1@7; top 60 1@7
Wbar outside grip full rom rev curl
50 1@7
Nutrition Log
Macro Goal:
F70.8 c484.98 p198(3369.1)
Dorito's Locos Tacos(1.5 srv) f13.5 c19.5 p12
Large Strw Lemonade (239.5g) c34.5
Dark Chocolate filled Marzipan f5 c10 p1
Brigadeiro f3 c22.1 p3.1
Lettuce wraps (Peanut Butter Fried Chicken w/ Sesame Seed Sauce) f37 c20 p137
Oreo (4 Cookies) f12 c40 p.6
Cupcakes (36g) f5.26 c32.54 p1.37
Pizza- Crust (2 srv) f10 c54 p4; White chocolate f5 c9 p1; Banana f.5 c28 p1.5; Marshmellows c12; Peanut Butter f8 c3 p4; Honey c13.5
Vegetable Juice c12
Fig Newtons (2 cookies... Or ARE they cookies!?) f2 c24 p1
Chewie Chips Ahoy (generic: 2 cookies) f6 c20 p1
Chicken (112g) f2.5 p23
Gelatin (3 srv) p3
7-9-12 Macros Realized:
f119.76 c408.14 p193.57 (3484.68)
So I overshot my macros by 115 calories. It's all good I guess. It was purely a math error on my part (I think I added a couple of fat entries as carbs somewhere when I had initally tallied everything).
Pretty excited to see my strength get back up to what it used to be. Wish me luck!

[ShinySephiroth]

Here are my "Before and After" pictures:
Starting at 240 lbs. November 2010


July 2012 at ~170 lbs.


I only did some light cardio this day.
Training Log
Min:Sec; Heart Rate; Calories Used
1:30 147 19
2:30 185 46
:55 130 9
3:20 170 52
1:00 135 11
1:40 152 22
:35 122 5
1:32 144 18
:45 125 7
189 kcal used
Nutrition Log
Macro Goal for 7-10-12:
F70.8 c484.98 p198 (3369.1)
Snyder's of Hanover Buttermilk Ranch (28g)x5 f30 c95 p10
Sandwich- Bread f1.5 c21 p4; Marshmellow c12; Peanut Butter f8 c3 p4; Nutella f4.5 c10 p.5; Honey c11.33; Marzipan filled Dark Chocolate (1 srv) f4 c10; White Chocolate Chips (1 srv) f5 c9 p1
Fig Newtons (1 srv) f2 c24 p1
Multi-Colored Twizzlers (1 srv) f.5 c27 p1
Yogurt Dipped Pretzels (120g) f24 c84 p6
Garlic Bread (57g) f4 c12.5 p2.5
Vegetable Juice (1 srv) c12
Mini Cupcake f1 c10 p.44
Gelatin (2 srv) p2
Watermelon Puree (Homemade Ice Cream-100g) f1.77 c6.37 p1
Chicken F12.5 P115
Jello (1 srv) c23 p1.3
Chicken (2 srv) F5 P46
Fruit snacks (2 pouches) f1 c42
Realized:
F104.77 c412.2 p195.74 (3374.69)

[amenazaomar]

Just want to give you props on your before and after man, thats amazing!!
also just to point out, it looks like you're doing a dirty bulk. I know you can also do a clean bulk, just by the name of the bulk, it sounds like the clean bulk is more beneficial! IMO
good luck on the quest! and will tune in for updates!

[ShinySephiroth]

Just want to give you props on your before and after man, thats amazing!!
also just to point out, it looks like you're doing a dirty bulk. I know you can also do a clean bulk, just by the name of the bulk, it sounds like the clean bulk is more beneficial! IMO
good luck on the quest! and will tune in for updates!

Thanks! I appreciate that! Welcome to the quest!
Yeah, I know what you're saying about the diet looking "dirty". I have been just plain dumb as of late. Hahaha I am still hitting my macros fine and really staying at around maintenance levels and to remedy the lack of significant amounts of micros, I have been thinking about putting better foods in my diet, so my wife and I looked over some micro-dense foods since I need to be healthier and since she is pregnant. I work everyday from 2pm to 10pm (and I go to school for 14 credit hours. It's a beast!), so after work on Tuesday night we ran to the store and did some shopping for thoseh healthier foods. Here is another log with some of the newer stuff.
7-11-12:
Yesterday was my wedding anniversary and my wife made some pork barbacoa for our lunch together. It was fantastic!
Nutrition Log
Macro Goal:
f70.8 c484.98 p198 (3369.1 kcal)
4x Burritos- Tortilla (39g)x4 f2.8 c60 p12; Pork (260.3g) f47 c42 p5; Tomato (28.4g) f.05 c1.11 p.25; Avocado 18.7 f3 c2; Beans (1/2) f.5 c9.5 p3.5; Sauce (1/2) f.75 c1.5; Cheese 8.8 f1.89 p2.2; Sour cream 1 srv c4 p2
Smoothie- (1 oz. Avocado, 1/4 srv Peanut Butter, 1 Banana, 2 srv Sugar, 225g No Fat Yogurt) f8.86 c45.91 p14.18
Marzipan filled Dark Chocolate f5 c10 p1
Zero Candy Bar (1 srv) f7 c34 p2
Pringles (40g) f9 c15 p1
Brigadeiro f4 c22.1 p3.1
Multi-Colored Twizzlers (1 srv) F.5 c27 p1
Chicken f6.5 p59.67
Banana Bread w/ White Chocolate Chips f2 c7 p1
Fish Pill f1
Burrito- Pork (190g) f34.26 c30.62 p38.64; Cheese (1/4 srv) f1.5 p1.75; Tomato f.025 c.55 p.13; Avocado f1.5 c1; Enchilada Sauce f.37 c.75; Tortilla f.7 c15 p3; Beans f.25 c.47 p.17; Sour Cream c2 p1; Adobo pepper c.6
Realized:
f138.46 c332.11 p198.59 (3368.96 kcal)
Training Log
Swimming
Min:Sec; Heart Rate; Calories Used
1:04 136 11
:30 122 4
25:00 135 262
25:00 130 243
1:00 135 11
2:00 175 33
:30 122 4
1:48 175 29
1:00 135 11
1:33 140 18
1:00 122 9
3:01 133 31
1:54 130 18
1:11 132 12
:30 122 4
700 kcal used
Weightlifting
Sets@Reps; Weight
Squat
1@4 45
1@3 135
3@5 225
Military
3@5 135
Powerclean
5@3 185
French Curl
2@10 85
Dumbbell Shrugs
3@10 120
Dumbbell Finger Hang
1@15sec 120
Dips
1@15
Tri Ext (machine)
3@10 140

[ShinySephiroth]

7-12-12
Training Log
Min:Sec; Heart Rate; Calories Used
2:35; 155; 35
1:00; 122; 9
1:20; 135; 14
:30; 122; 4
4:45; 165; 71
1:00; 135; 11
2:44; 145; 33
1:00; 122; 9
1:50; 145; 22
:30; 122; 4
Calories Used- 212 kcal
Nutrition Log
Macro Goals:
f70.8 c484.98 p198 (3369.1 kcal)
Homemade Gelatin (1 srv) c23 p1.3
Banana f.4 c27 p1.3
Pringles (1 srv) f9 c15 p1
Fruit Snacks (3 pouches) f2.5 c60
Banana Bread w/ White Chocolate Chips (72g) c28 f9 p3
Fig Newtons (1srv) f6 c72 p3
Mini Cupcake f1 c10 p.44
Multi-Colored Twizzlers (1 srv) f1 c17.5 p1
Chewey Chocolate Chip Cookies (1 srv) f6 c20 p1
Smoothie- Avocado (1 oz) f4.5 c3; Banana (1 srv) f.4 c27 p1.3; Fat Free Yogurt (225g) c17 p11; Honey (1 srv) c17; Peanut Butter (1/4 srv) f4 c1.5 p2
3 Times Chocolate Snickers (1srv) f9 c28 p3
Saltine (x12) f1.25 c27.5 p5
Pork Barbacoa (260.6g) f47 c42 p53
Chicken f2.52 p110.66
Macros Realized:
F102.57 c435.5 p198 (3457.13 kcal)

[ShinySephiroth]

Friday the 13th means nothing! LOL
Training Log
Min:Sec; Heart Rate; Calories Used
1:38; 152; 22
1:00; 122; 9
1:30; 150; 19
:30; 122; 5
3:45; 140; 43
3:03; 165; 46
3:11; 152; 41
3:08; 145; 37
3:17; 158; 46
2:56; 167; 45
6:00; 125; 59
1:52; 152; 24
2:07; 152; 28
1:00; 126; 10
2:44; 147; 30
6:13; 158; 61
:45; 145; 6
1:00; 130; 6
1:30; 151; 14
1:00; 127; 6
Calories Used- 557 kcal
Nutrition Log
Macro Goal:
f70.8 c484.98 p198 (3369.1 kcal)
Oreos (1.5 srv- 2x cookies Berry Blast, 1x cookie Mint) f10.5 c30 p1.5
Crunch Brand Girl Scout Thin Mints (1/2 srv)f5.5 c12 p.5
Crunch Brand Girl Scout Peanut Butter (1/2 srv) f4.5 c11 p1.5
Crunch Brand Girl Scout Samoas (1/2 srv) f5 c12.5 p.5
3x Chocolate Snickers (1/2 srv) f9 c28 p3
Mother's Cookies Taffy (1 srv) f4 c13.5 p.5
Ruffles Ultimate Sweet and Smokin' BBQ Chips (2 oz) f18 c32 p4
Acai+10 "Superblend" Juice (1 bottle) c58
Sweet and Sour Twizzlers (1/2 srv) f1.5 c30
Pork Barbacoa (130g) f23.5 c21 p26.5
Peach Homemade Ice Cream (1/2 srv) f1.13 c10.75 p2
Oreos Berry Blast (1 srv) f7 c20 p1
Gummies (2 srv) c62 p6
Gelatin (9 pouches) p9
Burritos- Tortilla (3 srv) f2.1 c45 p9; Sour Cream (1 srv) c4; Adobo Pepper c1; Chicken f2.27 p99.97
Chicken (168.3g) f.75 p33.03
Suco de Acerola (8 fl oz) c37 p1
Adobo Pepper c1
Macros Realized:
F94.75 c428.75 p199 (3363.75 kcal)

[ShinySephiroth]

Holy cow... I am super tired and sore. I hope I can eventually get myself on track for today! LOL

Wish me luck!

[ShinySephiroth]

Since I didn't have work this day, we decided to do a more formal kind of celebration for our wedding anniversary. We went to a nice fish and steakhouse. It is definitely going to be a repeat! Afterward we went to a great ice cream place called Coldstone. Unfortunately I dropped my phone while I was there and lost some of my eating log data! >_< Since I don't trust my ability to do head math I had written all of my macro numbers on a piece of paper prior to the drop, so I had all of my numbers, just no food attached to them. So, I have everything logged here, just guessing as to which numbers belong to which foods! LOL I also had a very good bike ride to and from my gym! Oddly enough, I hardly had to have any rest between squat sets after doing this. I wonder if it is a combination of getting used to the weight and also maybe the cycling was a good dynamic stretch. I have no clue, though. ^_^
Training Log
Cycling
30:43 140 345
:47 122 7
26:29 160 371
2:00 130 19
Saturday Calories Used- 742
Weekly Calories Used- 3104 kcal Goal- 3200 kcal
Weightlifting
Squat
2@5 225
1@5 255
Bench Press
3@5 205
Deadlift
1@5 385
Shoulder Shrug
3@10 150
Upright Row
1@10 80
Barbell Curl
1@4 100
Forearm Rotator
2@10 35
Nutrition Log
Macro Goal:
f70.8 c484.98 p198 (3369.1 kcal)
French Toast (6 Slices) f24 c66 p42
Mango (50g) c10
Syrup c12.52
Fruit Snacks (1 pouch) f.5 c20
Sourdough Rolls (2.5 rolls) f3 c38 p7
Balsamic Butter f5.5 c2.45
Andouille and Crab Stuffed Mushroom -Mushrooms w/ Crab f3 c5 p11.63; Hollandaise Sauce (30g) f3 c13.2 p5; Andouille 52g f8.5 c2 p6.6
Filet Mignon (12 oz) f32 p96
Reggiano Parmesian Mashed Potatoes (1/2 c) f5.33 c23.47 p3
Crab (15g) f.26 p2
Asparagus (55g) f.12 c2.26 p1.34
Ahi Ceviche (170g) f4.2 c14 p18.4
Sweet Potato Fries (3 oz) f8 c26 p2
Lobster (4.5g) f.26 c.25 p.6
Jumbo Pacific Shrimp (1 oz) f.5 p5.5
Flourless Chocolate Torte (41g) f14.4 c7.7 p3.4
All Lovin' No Oven (Ice Cream)- Cookie Dough (40g) f8 c26 p1; Cake Batter Ice Cream (Like It Size) f19 c41 p5; Fudge f2 c18
???- f3.75 c5.5 p3.65
Macros Realized:
F146.03 c333.35 p214.12 (3504.17 kcal)

[ShinySephiroth]

So the last week of school has been killer so far! I am busting my tail and so haven't updated here lately! Suffice to say: I am doing a great job of keeping my intake at 3464.99 kcal everday.

Connected to that statement is my latest accomplishment: I ran a half-marathon distance last Saturday! I did a not so good carbo-load the "night" before (midnight) by eating at The Pie Pizzeria here in Utah. Although it tasted great, it gave me some gastrointestinal problems during the run. LOL I now know I fall into the norms of the bell curve when it comes to pre-running nutrition!

Other stuff: I just joined a Pokemon League in my area (Geeks Represent!) and I am excited to start learning how to battle with my card collection I have accumulated over the years.

Today's workout- I am feeling super great! I just aced my biology quiz, I am all but finished with my Exercise Physiology final and got some great help from my stats teacher today! All of the good vibrations seem to have offset my 5.5 hours of sleep because I am having a great workout! I dominated the parallel squats today (255 lbs 3x5) and am feeling my strength start to come back pretty quick from my cut. I am excited to start repping with 3 plates again. I decided to do some lat/tri work and did decline bench. It has been a loooong time since I did that! It felt great!

Right now I am in the middle of doing military press (135 3x5). Just like squats, I feel like I am popping the weight like it is just air. I am stoked to see what this slow bulk will do for my strength! I believe my strength loss came from over-exertion on my CNS by simultaneously doing triathlon training, going to school for 14.5 credit hours, woking 40+ hours a week and doing Starting Strength all while on a 20% calorie deficit. Hopefully the major up in calories/better management on my part in getting in the required micros will be enough to help my body relax and let my brain focus on retraining my motor functions. ^_^

Wish me luck with Finals Week next week! O_O' *gulp*

[ShinySephiroth]

Haven't updated in a while. Recent things:
My bulk is going well. I am hovering around 180 pounds. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. I am aiming for around 3480 calories a day. I ran a marathon a month ago and injured my knee during it, so I have taken up biking for all of my cardio until I fully recover. It's been going super well!
Last Week's Cardio (in kcal)-
Sat: 2320
Fri: 1298
Wed: 1145
Tues: 56
Mon: 47
Total: 4866
Last Week's Nutrition (in kcal)-
Sun: 2894.5
Sat: 6185.12
Thurs: 8198.07
Wed: 3644.21
Tues: 3556.14
Mon: 3479.31
Total: 27957.35

[ShinySephiroth]

I haven't measured anything else yet. So far, though, I have gained (including water weight since I was at 170 pretty dang dry: see avi) 10 pounds in two months and increased my arm size .85 inches. I don't know if that is really good. I am happy with it regardless. ^_^

[ShinySephiroth]

So last week and the week before I had two binge "periods". The total amount I went over each week was around 1800 calories. Although I did a lot of biking on Labor Day, I have still gained more than I had planned. I started at 170 pounds and quickly jumped to 177.5 when I started bulking, which I attribute to more carbs=water weight+more food constantly in my system.
I had originally planned on gaining a pound a month until July 2013, though I am already at 182.5 pounds. LOL I had planned on hovering around 180 pounds at this point. I am just going to keep going unless the fat really starts coming on. I will post some pics of what I looked like this morning later when I upload them to my computer.

Yesterday was a decent lift day. I actually had a good pull-up session. I did 1 set of 10 reps of pull ups using only my index and middle fingers, 1@10 reps with the index and third fingers and 1@3 with third finger and pinkie. That was pretty rough. My cardio session today was short but good. I hit a PR for my 1.5 mile time by 25 seconds (while doing a 6 minute mile, which is virtually my PR since I wasn't trying for a mile PR necessarily).

I am excited for tomorrow's lifts. I am going to focus on squatting with a narrower stance because with the sumos I have been doing I feel have been neglecting certain muscle groups in my leg. On a sidenote- I finally got my bike back today (back wheel was out of commission) so I will be biking to and from the gym (about an hour ride), then biking to my father-in-law's family reunion 30 miles away. Today's cardio session was pretty short, plus with the reunion tomorrow I will probably need the extra calories afterward.

Current calorie goals (a new calorie set starts on the 16th)-
3,479.31 kcal (F71g C510g p200g)

[ShinySephiroth]

So, I really don't know what to do. :/ I know my arms are small, fluctuating between 12.75 and 13 inches, especially my biceps (my triceps aren't bad. Nothing special while not being super small). I have been training my bis two to three sets per workout. I am not seeing that much of an improvement. My weight is 182-183 pounds, so adding estimated water weight from my initial weight (170(dry)+H2O=176-ish) I have gained around seven pounds in three months. I would be ok with that, except I am noticing quite a bit of pudge around my lower abs. I am down to a four pack again and my favorite Underarmour isn't COMPLETELY flattering anymore. Just mostly thanks to my chest and upper back.

I have put power on the back burner for now and I am trying to induce more hypertrophy. With how much I lift and eat, 3500 kcal a day now accounting for 3200 kcal a week of cardio normal (I add more calories+TEF to my diet when I do more cardio i.e. a 40 mile bike ride or half marathon), I don't know how I am not gaining more lean mass than I am. With how small my arms are, I would've imagined with the fuel I am giving my body and the workouts I would've seen more growth. My arms have grown a bit in the past three months (12.2-12.8-ish"), though I don't know how much of that is muscle vs. water and fat. I am assuming more fat and water due to the loss of definition in my shoulders (I am having a very hard time seeing individual fibers when I flex now).

Squatting has been very frustrating until recently. I have noticed a plateau in my strength there (I focus more on strength lower body than size. Just my preference) and after thinking about it, I think it may have to do with the fact that since March I have been only doing wide stance squats. My thought is muscle groups in my legs are not being stimulated with wide stance, so I am going to focus on retraining my muscles with a narrow stance. It is pretty demoralizing to be training with only one plate (I am starting out beginning last week with 3 sets @ 10 reps) yet I know I need to because it was actually difficult to complete those three sets, especially coming from doing 3 sets @ 5 reps for so long.

Not to be completely negative, I have noticed strength gains. Pull-ups are pretty easy now. I am switching off between open palmed shoulder width, two fingered shoulder width and for back reverse grip wide pull ups. They are coming along quite nicely. My rep range for two plates on bench press is getting back to what it used to be (3 sets @ 3 reps currently when it used to be 3 sets @ six reps). Also, I am becoming a better cyclist pretty steadily, so nothing to complain about there.