EB68's workout journal

[jonnyboy44]

good back day good strong Deads and loads of volume on the rest of the work.

[fittofattofit]

Today was Back day Cycle 1, Week 2 and here it is.

Deadlifts
140x5
175x5
210x3
245x3
280x3
315x8 (3+set)
330x3 (3?set)

Chin-ups
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

BOR's
160x10
160x10
160x10
160x10

Seated Cable Rows
140x12
140x12
140x12
140x12

Cable Crunches
50x20
60x20
60x20
60x20

That was it for today. I was supposed to do this yesterday, but just like last week I didn't have time. The deads felt okay today, all overhand grip on them and my forearms are blasted from those, the chins, and all the rows. I am starting to get crazy vascular, but the abs are still very faint. Hopefully 5 more pounds down I will see them clearly. Today's food

Great deads going DOH! Hard work on the grip with the chins and rows! I can't believe that you don't have a very visible six pack now ... some people just have different abdominal musculature that isn't as defined but you're legs are looking cut to shreds

[EB68]

looks like them numbers were figured out perfectly Eric.

315*8 is no joke.

Great work indeed big man.

Also beed to highlight that I had never seen your before picture. Was blown away by how fat you have come in this game.

Really well done. (no nut hugging) srs.

Thanks Leigh. I could have likely pulled a few more reps on the 315 set, but I don't really like pushing high reps on the heavier deadlifts. I know my form breaks down and I don't want an injury set back for sure.
I only weighed 182 in that before picture, just had a good bit more fat and less muscle. I would like to weigh the same one day at 8%BF.

good back day good strong Deads and loads of volume on the rest of the work.

Thanks Jonny.

Great deads going DOH! Hard work on the grip with the chins and rows! I can't believe that you don't have a very visible six pack now ... some people just have different abdominal musculature that isn't as defined but you're legs are looking cut to shreds

Thanks Andrew. My forearms are already sore this morning, they should be feeling really good by this evening. Unfortunately I carry almost all of my BF around the midsection. My arms, legs and shoulders are looking nicely cut but belly looks the same as 10 pounds ago.

[fittofattofit]

Thanks Andrew. My forearms are already sore this morning, they should be feeling really good by this evening. Unfortunately I carry almost all of my BF around the midsection. My arms, legs and shoulders are looking nicely cut but belly looks the same as 10 pounds ago.

I'm the same .. I have cuts around my legs and arms while my belly looks like I'm 6 months pregnant. Your vascularity is awesome though. When did you last have defined abs and what did you weigh then?

[highiso]

Thanks Gary. You are all too kind, my transformation is nothing compared to others like You, Leigh (doughnutgut), John (JTBNY) etc.
Heck with a long sleeve shirt and jeans I don't even look like I lift.

lol, you sound like me, too hard on yourself, seriously, look at your before pic, then the after, not even remotely recognizable. Shows exactly what can be done to the body with proper training and nutrition. There's a few handfuls of people making huge transformations in these journals, everyone you listed, some others and yourself of course are the ones to follow. I lurk a lot and when I see someone like you making a huge change I'll be sure I comment. Oh and the "looking like you lift in clothes" thing, none of us will ever be happy.

[EB68]

I'm the same .. I have cuts around my legs and arms while my belly looks like I'm 6 months pregnant. Your vascularity is awesome though. When did you last have defined abs and what did you weigh then?

Thanks Andrew. These were almost exactly a year ago at 158 lbs., I hope to be that lean this year at 164/165 but it isn't looking like that will be the outcome.

lol, you sound like me, too hard on yourself, seriously, look at your before pic, then the after, not even remotely recognizable. Shows exactly what can be done to the body with proper training and nutrition. There's a few handfuls of people making huge transformations in these journals, everyone you listed, some others and yourself of course are the ones to follow. I lurk a lot and when I see someone like you making a huge change I'll be sure I comment. Oh and the "looking like you lift in clothes" thing, none of us will ever be happy.

Thanks bud. I am never satisfied for sure. Hopefully that is a good thing though and will keep me motivated for years to come.

[EB68]

Today was Chest day Cycle 1, Week 2, and here it is.

BB Benchpress
75x5
90x5
110x5
125x3
145x3
160x8 (3+set) video below
170x3 (3?set)

DB Benchpress
70'sx10
70'sx10
70'sx10 (video below)
70'sx10

Decline Benchpress
125x10
125x10
125x10 (video below)
125x10

Incline Flyes
30'sx15
30'sx15
30'sx15 (video below, battery died halfway through set)
30'sx15

V-bar Tricep Pushdowns
55x15
55x15
55x15
55x15

That was it for today. Lots of sissy weights, but chest is destroyed. I like the variation in this set-up and can really feel it in my pecs after a session.
Triceps were pretty pumped as well. My bench form sucks still, but seems to have improved somewhat. I weighed 168 this morning.
Today's food
I have a lot of stuff going on with my mom lately, trying to get all of her finances straightened out and get her set up with a regular doctor to hopefully counter some of the affects of the dimensia. Lots of legal paper work to be done to get things to where I can take care of her stuff. Hopefully it won't impact my lifting schedule, but that stuff has to come first. I had no idea of how bad things had gotten with her as she tries to hide her issues and was doing a pretty good job of it.







The flyes video wouldn't load for me.

[SteveWright1]

nice session Eric

160 x 8 is very good in my opinion and getting the triple on the joker set is icing on the cake

never tried decline bench press, you make it look easier than I figure it would be.

sorry to read about your Mothers issues, hope that works out for everyone sooner rather than later

[Jtbny]

Good on you for looking out for your Mom Eric. You are a good son.

5/3/1 is looking good so far. That bench form has plagued you since you started this journal

I agree with Gary, you are too hard on yourself. I think many of us are though. Your transformation is awe inspiring for sure. You deserve the accolades.

[EB68]

nice session Eric

160 x 8 is very good in my opinion and getting the triple on the joker set is icing on the cake

never tried decline bench press, you make it look easier than I figure it would be.

sorry to read about your Mothers issues, hope that works out for everyone sooner rather than later

Thanks Steve. I could have pushed a few more reps out on the plus set, but I want to be conservative for this first cycle.

Good on you for looking out for your Mom Eric. You are a good son.

5/3/1 is looking good so far. That bench form has plagued you since you started this journal

I agree with Gary, you are too hard on yourself. I think many of us are though. Your transformation is awe inspiring for sure. You deserve the accolades.

Thanks John. I try to treat my mother right and take care of her, I kind of feel that I owe it to her.
The bench press sucks for me with the shoulder issues, it is hard to find a set-up that doesn't aggravate my left shoulder (which has been giving me some grief today, although the reps yesterday were pain free).
I feel like I had a great run the first year and made some really good gains, but this year has shown very little improvement in strength or size. I suppose that is to be expected to some degree, but I also feel that the lack of rest is killing any improvement for me lately.

Off today. Chest is very sore, left shoulder is aching, and I am worn out. Hope to get at least 3 hours of sleep today, but I am going to have to get a lot done first. Today's food

[fittofattofit]

I remember those pics and I still can't believe that weighed 158 then .. I'd have guessed that you were at least 15lbs heavier
Going by the vascularity in your legs I'd say that you're not that far off that condition at your current weight

The benching looked very good to me .. you've got great range and great control. You think that you're pressing pussy weights .. I'm only pressing 110

[EB68]

I remember those pics and I still can't believe that weighed 158 then .. I'd have guessed that you were at least 15lbs heavier
Going by the vascularity in your legs I'd say that you're not that far off that condition at your current weight

The benching looked very good to me .. you've got great range and great control. You think that you're pressing pussy weights .. I'm only pressing 110

Thanks Andrew. Hopefully it won't take many more pounds to get to where I want to be. I really do not want to be under 165 ever again, but may have to go a little lower this time to be lean.
Benching will likely always suck for the both of us, but as long as I can keep slowly progressing the weight with little to no pain I will be happy.

[EB68]

I missed yesterday's session. I only slept 1 hour Thursday evening and then worked from 9:00pm until 7:00am, after that I had a lot of errands to run and stayed up until 2:00pm yesterday afternoon. I had not eaten very much and got really sick. I went to bed shortly after that and most likely didn't even get 2,000 calories in. I slept for 7.5 hours and had an easy day at work today, so I feel much better, but had to go up to Chattanooga after work and haven't had any rest much today either. I made up yesterday's session, but it was tough and everything felt much heavier than it should have. Anyway here is how it went.

Legs Cycle 1 Week 2

Squats
110x5
135x5
160x3
190x3
215x3
240x5 (3+set)video below
255x3 (3?set)video below

Leg Press
250x15
300x12
300x12
300x12 (video Below)

Leg Extensions
75x20
80x15
80x15
80x15 (video below)
80x15

Leg Curls
60x15
60x15
60x15
60x15

That was it for today. I should have easily been able to get 8 or more on the + set, but 240 felt like 315 should have today. The leg extensions brought on a great pump and I threw in an extra set for good measure . I hate to keep getting my schedule off, but at least I have been able to get every session in during the week so far. I have no idea how many calories I had yesterday, can't even remember what I ate, but I tried to make up a little for it today. Hopefully tomorrow will bring a strong shoulder session after some much needed sleep tonight.
Today's food

[fittofattofit]

Plenty of volume to pump up the legs Eric, and tough after only an hour's sleep on Thursday and then a sh!tty day working. Those squats looked really good ... good form and looking strong and stable!

[EB68]

Plenty of volume to pump up the legs Eric, and tough after only an hour's sleep on Thursday and then a sh!tty day working. Those squats looked really good ... good form and looking strong and stable!

Thanks Andrew. I felt weak as crap yesterday after being sick Friday and not eating enough. The Squats were okay, but I should have been able to push out a few more reps on the plus set.



Today was Shoulder Day. Cycle 1, Week 3 and here it is.

Military press
Barx5
Barx5
55x3
65x5
75x3
85x12 (1+set)
90x3 (1? set)

BB Shrugs
135x15
225x12
295x6 (1 second pause at top, 3 second pause at bottom)
315x4 (same as above)
135x20

DB Military Press
30'sx15
30'sx15
30'sx15
30'sx15

Rear Delt Rows
30'sx12
30'sx12
30'sx12
30'sx12

Olympic Bar Curls
70x12
70x12
70x12
70x12

That was it for today. The OHP's felt really easy today, could have easily pushed out 15 or more on the 1+set, but figured 12 was enough. I went ahead and did 3 on the joker set since the + set went so easily. The shrugs felt good too, the 135x20 set left my traps on fire after the paused sets at 295 and 315. The rest was just punch the clock work as usual. I spent most of the day bush hogging at my mom's and got a nice sunburn, Benching could be painful this week . I can't believe I am already into week 3 on the 5/3/1 program, but I am still enjoying it a lot. Hopefully I can stick with it for a good long while and make some decent progress. I was back up to 170 this morning, but it could be water weight from yesterday's Carb binge. Today's food Today looks like a short day diet wise, but I may add a little later if I can.

[jonnyboy44]

good strong pressing then follow that up with some volume with the DBs Gonna get some wide shoulders with all that work

[EB68]

good strong pressing then follow that up with some volume with the DBs Gonna get some wide shoulders with all that work

Thanks Jonny. The weights on shoulder day are pathetic, but at least I can get through it with very little shoulder pain lately.

Off today. Not time to lift today, will have to make it up tomorrow. Today's food

[fittofattofit]

Thanks Jonny. The weights on shoulder day are pathetic, but at least I can get through it with very little shoulder pain lately.

Off today. Not time to lift today, will have to make it up tomorrow. Today's food

Nothing pathetic about that shoulder pressing ... we all have to work within our limitations and you've set yourself some very realistic targets early on which is the smart way to rebuild your RC strength. No pain and plenty of upside on the weights sounds good to me!

[FlaIronMind]

Great work continuing my friend. Keep at it (though I have no doubts you will). Good job.

[EB68]

Nothing pathetic about that shoulder pressing ... we all have to work within our limitations and you've set yourself some very realistic targets early on which is the smart way to rebuild your RC strength. No pain and plenty of upside on the weights sounds good to me!

Thanks Andrew. Hopefully I can progress the weights slowly and get back to a respectable level in time.

Great work continuing my friend. Keep at it (though I have no doubts you will). Good job.

Thanks FIM. Good to see you back in here.

[EB68]

Today was Back day, Cycle 1, Week 3, and here it is.

Deadlifts
140x5
175x5
210x3
295x5
330x5.5 (1+set, video below, lost grip on 3rd rep and switched to mixed grip)
350x3 (1?set, video below)

Chin-ups
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10

BOR's
135x10
155x10 (video below)
175x10
185x10

That was it for today. I worked 14 hours today and was too tired to lift, but had already skipped this session yesterday. I dropped some of the accessories, but still feel worked. Diet has been crappy lately, I really need to get a handle on it again. Today's Diet

[SteveWright1]

5 at 330 on 1+ day is excellent Eric, well done

pushed yourself on the joker set also with 350 for 3 reps = icing on the cake with that, in my opinion

liking your progressive work on the BORs also, start low and building up - making it harder and harder with fatigue entering the equation after a couple of sets or so
not for me at this time but I think starting high and reducing would be something that would appeal to me for future BBB sessions

[EB68]

5 at 330 on 1+ day is excellent Eric, well done

pushed yourself on the joker set also with 350 for 3 reps = icing on the cake with that, in my opinion

liking your progressive work on the BORs also, start low and building up - making it harder and harder with fatigue entering the equation after a couple of sets or so
not for me at this time but I think starting high and reducing would be something that would appeal to me for future BBB sessions

Thanks Steve. I should have gotten 7 or 8 on the + set, but after losing the grip and having to switch up mid set I just cut it off at 5. The BOR'S felt great and my lats are sore today, so they got the job done.

[EB68]

Today was Chest day Cycle 1, Week 3, and here it is.

BB Benchpress
75x5
90x5
110x3
135x5
150x3
170x8 (1+set video below)
180x3 (1?set video below)

DB Benchpress
75'sx10
75'sx10
75'sx8
75'sx8

Decline Benchpress
130x10
130x10
130x12 (video below)
130x12

Incline Flyes
35'sx10
35'sx10
35'sx10
35'sx10

Straight Bar Tricep Pushdowns
60x12
60x12
60x12
60x12

That was it for today. Chest, Delts and Triceps are all pumped good. My Lats are sore from yesterday's session and was really holding me back on the DB presses, didn't have much affect on any other exercise though. Shoulders are a little sore as well, but the upper body will have a few days off to rest now. Today's diet was better than it has been, wish I could hit these numbers everyday, I suspect the fat would be falling off quickly if I could. Today's foods

[fittofattofit]

Really great looking deads Eric! You really make them look effortless and you keep a very constant form ... you're quick to address the bar (no fcuking around), you keep your chest and head up, you get great drive from the hips and it always looks smooth. I'm very impressed that you could get any reps out at 330 going DOH. Great form on the BORs as well ... no body english at all!

Looking very strong on the benching today

[EB68]

Really great looking deads Eric! You really make them look effortless and you keep a very constant form ... you're quick to address the bar (no fcuking around), you keep your chest and head up, you get great drive from the hips and it always looks smooth. I'm very impressed that you could get any reps out at 330 going DOH. Great form on the BORs as well ... no body english at all!

Looking very strong on the benching today

Thanks Andrew. I was doing sets of 3 or 4 with 345 before DOH, But my grip was weak yesterday. Lats are terribly sore today from the Deads and Rows.

[EB68]

Today was an off day, but since there are no calf exercises in my new program I decided to have a day for lagging parts (may start doing this 2 times per week on off days.

Calf Raises
180x20
180x20
180x20
250x15
250x15
250x15

Seated Incline Curls
15'sx20
15'sx20
20'sx15
20'sx15
25'sx12
25'sx12

Hanging Leg Raise/Crunches Supersets
x15/x25
x15/x25
x15/x25
x12/x20

That was it for today. No real heavy lifting, just some calf work and a little extra Ab/Bicep work. I would like to see my calves and Biceps at 16" by mid summer, but that may be unrealistic. Today's food

[FlaIronMind]

Great work and effort the last couple of days brother. Well done.

[fittofattofit]

I like the idea of a 'lagging body parts' session (I'm getting lazy with my calves ) I'd have thought you weren't far off the 16" for the bis and calves already Eric ... what do your arms and calves measure at the moment?

[Jtbny]

I like the idea of a 'lagging body parts' session (I'm getting lazy with my calves ) I'd have thought you weren't far off the 16" for the bis and calves already Eric ... what do your arms and calves measure at the moment?

This. I think using the 5/3/1 template you are using it fits in well. Now if you were using the boring but big template I'd say you will wear yourself out in a few cycles

Good stuff Eric and strong cycle so far.