Time To Get Ripped --> [Transformation Station] <--

[gregorymcm]

What's going on everyone? I am creating this thread to guide myself along the lonely road of fat reduction. With your help I will be able to complete this transformation successfully and be highly satisfied with my accomplishments. I've had issues in the past with fat reduction. I've followed a diet and exercise routine for several weeks only to fall off the wagon and ruin my progress by indulging in sweets. This time around is going to be different, I will follow a carb cycle pattern of eating along with frequent weightlifting and cardio exercises to reach my goal. Without further ado, let's begin! I will not give up!

Stats:
Height: 5'10 feet
Weight: 175lbs
Age: 22
Bodyfat: 14 % +/-
Goal Bodyfat: 8%
Bodybuilding History: I've been working out for 6 years

Weightlifting Stats:
Flat Bench Press: 275 X 1. Goal: 300 X 1
Deadlift: 405 X 1. Goal: 435 X 1
Back Squat: 325 X 1. Goal: 365 X 1
Military Press: 165 X 1. Goal: 185 X 1

Time to achieve goal: 5 months

Supplement Plan: Basic
Due to the fact that i am a university student. My budget is quite low. therefore, the main supplements i will be using are;
-Protein Power
-Omega 3's
-Glutamine/BCAA
-ZMA
-Vitamin C,E,D

Nutrition plan:

Low-Carb/Rest Days (3 DAYS):

MEAL 1:
6 egg whites
1 cup spinach
1 tbsp extra mild chunky salsa
1 tbsp mashed avocado
1 scoop Whey Protein
1/4 shredded low-fat cheese

MEAL 2:
1 tbsp almond butter
1 apple
1 tsp coffee ground
1 scoop whey protein

MEAL 3:
6oz chicken breast
1 cup broccoli/beans
Green Tea

Meal 3 1/2:
Oatmeal Bar OR Trail mix

MEAL 4:
1 cup oats
1 scoop protein
1 tsp ground coffee

Meal 4 1/2 (Intra-workout)
Banana

MEAL 5:
8-10oz Lean ground beef OR Tuna
1 cup black beans
bell pepper
onions
mushrooms

MEAL 6:
1tbsp almond butter
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 scoop whey protein
10-12oz water

Totals:
Calories: 2065
Protein: 220g
Carbs: 160g
Fats: 47g

HIGH CARB DAYS (1 DAY):

MEAL 1:
1 cup Vector Cereal
1 cup Skim Milk
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 scoop whey isolate
1 banana

MEAL 2:
6oz Lean Steak
1 Large sweet potato
1 cup broccoli

MEAL 3:
1 scoop Whey Protein
1 tsp ground coffee
1 tbsp almond butter

MEAL 3 1/2:
Oatmeal bar
Trail mix

MEAL 4:
3 eggs
1 cup carrots
1 cup salad

MEAL 4 1/2 (Intra-workout):
banana

MEAL 5:
6oz salmon
1 tsp low-fat ranch
1 cup beets
1 cup brown rice

MEAL 6:
1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt

Totals:
Calories: 2810
Carbs: 270-300g
Protein: 185-200g
Fats: 70-80g

Water Intake daily: 3-4 Litres

Weightlifting Routine: (P.H.A.T Program)

Monday: AM: 20 minutes stepmill, PM: Upper Body Power+Abs Circuit, Stretch
Tuesday: PM: 15 minutes Incline walk Pre-workout, Lower body power, Stretch
Wednesday: PM: Calves, Intervals, Swimming
Thursday: PM: Back+Shoulders Hypertrophy, Abs Circuit, Swimming
Friday: GSP Rushfit Training/Insanity Workout
Saturday: Chest+Arms Hypertrophy, Calves, Intervals
Sunday: OFF

Progress Pics: Coming Soon

I am very open to feedback and constructive criticism. If someone believes i need to tweak certain things to reach my goal I'm all for it.

I WILL succeed this time around ! !

[gregorymcm]

Today was my Rest Day, but i still went for a 20-30 minute walk. It is cold outside (-5) so I needed to shock my body into getting motivated and adapting to the cold weather.

[gregorymcm]

26-11-12

Upper Body power+Core Circuit+Cardio:

Dynamic warmup (rotator cuffs, leg+arm swings, good mornings, t-spine mobility, torso twists, etc.)

2 Warm-up sets before each exercise

Bent-Over Row:
185 X 7, 185 X 7, 185 X 6
Weighted Pull-ups:
15lbs X 9, 15lbs X 8, 15 lbs X 7
Rack Chins:
25 X 8, 25 X 8, 25 X 7
Flat BB Bench Press:
205 X 7, 205 X 7, 205 X 6
Weighted Dips:
80 X 9, 80 X 8, 80 X 6
Seated Arnold Press
45 X 10, 45 X 8, 45 X 8
EZ Bar curl
110 X 8, 110 X 7, 105 X 7
Skull Crushers
110 X 9, 110 X 7, 110 X 6

ABS Circuit: (3X)
Bird dogs X 15 reps
Bicycle Crunch X 20
Mountain Climbers X 20
Plank X 30seconds

15 minute Stair Stepping at Low-Moderate Intensity

5 Minute Stretching

Overall this workout was effective. My nutrition for today was off. was not able to prepare my food due to time issues. Tomorrow will be a better day for meal planning.

[gregorymcm]

27-11-12

Lower Body Power/Cardio/Stretch

Dynamic warm-up

2-3 warm up sets before working sets

Squats:
245 X 7, 245 X 7, 247 X 7
One Leg Leg Press SS with One leg leg extension
110 X 10/75 X 10 (3X)
Stiff-legged deadlift
205 X 8, 205 X 8, 205 X 8
Lying Hamstring Curl SS Seated Ham curl (Burn!)
95 X 10/80 X 10 (3X)

15 minute incline walk

cool down+stretch

Legs are finished, squats killed my posterior chain and hams. Need to focus a bit on depth and flexibility for squats to reduce the load on my lower back.

My calories were higher today because of leg day, needed more energy

Macros: Cals: 2450, Carbs: 255g, Protein: 180g, Fats: 70g

[phoenixr2]

27-11-12

Lower Body Power/Cardio/Stretch

Dynamic warm-up

2-3 warm up sets before working sets

Squats:
245 X 7, 245 X 7, 247 X 7
One Leg Leg Press SS with One leg leg extension
110 X 10/75 X 10 (3X)
Stiff-legged deadlift
205 X 8, 205 X 8, 205 X 8
Lying Hamstring Curl SS Seated Ham curl (Burn!)
95 X 10/80 X 10 (3X)

15 minute incline walk

cool down+stretch

Legs are finished, squats killed my posterior chain and hams. Need to focus a bit on depth and flexibility for squats to reduce the load on my lower back.

My calories were higher today because of leg day, needed more energy

Macros: Cals: 2450, Carbs: 255g, Protein: 180g, Fats: 70g

Good luck on your goals.
PHAT is an awesome, but brutal plan if you follow it right and push yourself.
Can you take a vid of your squat form? Id be happy to offer tips.

[gregorymcm]

Good luck on your goals.
PHAT is an awesome, but brutal plan if you follow it right and push yourself.
Can you take a vid of your squat form? Id be happy to offer tips.

Thanks Pheonix! I appreciate it. I love the P.H.A.T program by layne norton, i've done it before and saw amazing results, you're right. I've tweaked it a bit since then based on muscle imbalances but I'm still using all the essential exercises. I'll try to take a vid of my squat form, i've always wanted to do this but need to find a video camera or borrow one from someone. I'll see what i can do :P

[gregorymcm]

28-11-12

Calves/Intervals/Swimming

Seated Calf Raise
2 X WUPS
165 X 13, 165 X 11, 165 X 10 (Concentrated Reps: Tempo 2-2-3)
Standing Calf Raise
170 X 15, 170 X 20, 170 X 17 (Tempo: 0-2-3)

Intervals
Stepmill: 45 seconds high intensity followed by 45 seconds Low-moderate intensity
15 minutes

Swimming:
12 laps of Olympic style pool
5 minutes treading water

Short and sweet is the way i like it XD. Fast workout but kicks ass nonetheless. I need to bring a watch next time i swim so i can time my laps to give me something to aim for. But i'm happy

Macros: Cals: 1959, Carbs: 153g, Fats: 52g, Protein: 214g

Meals were spot on today, excellent day for food intake. I'm going to reduce the 1 cup of oats for my pre-workout meal to 1/2 cup basically because it didn't mix well and my carbs are still where they need to be. I also added some skim milk to my last meal for consistency and some added casein.

Cheers

[gregorymcm]

29-11-12

Back+Shoulders Hypertrophy/Swimming/Abs Circuit

Dynamic warm up

2 WUPS before working sets
60 second rest periods

Hyperextensions:
BW X 15 (3X)
Wide-grip Pullups
BW X 12, BW X 11, BW X 9 (Tempo: 1-2-5)
Straightbar Lat Pulldowns
110 X 12 (3X)
Seated Cable Row
120 X 15, 120 X 12, 120 X 12 (T: 2-2-3)
Wide-grip lat pulldowns
95 X 20, 95 X 15, 95 X 16
DB Shoulder press
70 X 10, 70 X 9, 70 X 8
DB Shrugs
70 X 20 (3X)
Side Lateral raises DB
20 X 15, 25 X 12, 25 X 10

Ab circuit (3X)
Barbell Rollout: 12
Hanging leg raises: 10
Oblique twists (10lbs): 15
Reverse Crunches with hip lift: 10

Stretch

Below are a few pics of recent meals that i have made in the past. All of them turned out well for the taste factor :P The Extra lean turkey meatballs and corn is what i had for my post-workout meal today.

Macros: cals: 2090, Fat: 72g, Carbs: 137g, Prot: 207g

Meals were great today. Workout was somewhat sluggish, the lower calorie/low carb is starting to take effect. I might need to start taking my bcaa's/glutamine more frequently to combat these side effects.

BakedChickenBruschetta.jpg
ChilliConcoction.jpg
CreamyChickenCasserole.jpg
EggParfait.jpg
ExtraLeanTurkeyMeatballsOnCornBed.jpg

[gregorymcm]

Front.jpg

Here is a picture of me about 2-3 months ago. around 12% Bodyfat.

[gregorymcm]

30-11-12

Rushfit Training: Abdominal and Strength workout

10 minute warm up

45 minute circuit training

Rushfit is incredible! really hits the core and stability muscles hard!

Carbs were higher today and less protein. Lack of time management. but still hit my calories! so its all good

Macros: Cals: 2035, Carbs: 172g, Fat: 68g, Protein: 180g

[gregorymcm]

1-12-2012

Chest/Arms/Intervals

2-3 wups before working sets

Flat DB Press
80x10, 90x9, 100x4
Incline DB Press
75x12,75x10,75x10
Incline cable flyes
40x15,40x12,50x10
EZ bar curls (Inner/Widegrip)
75x12 (3x)
DB hammer curls
40x10, 30x10,30x10
Overhead Tricep Extension EZ-bar
65x15,85x10,85x8
Rope pulldown
Dropset+partials (2x)
110xfailure, 70xfailure, 40xfailure

Intervals 5x
High rep squats SS renegade rows SS Oblique twists

Workout was pretty good, strength has gone done significantly, but it is expected. carbs were higher today, my high carb day, calories were monitored but not excessively. A little too much leeway but will make up for it tomorrow

Macros: Cals: 3270, Carbs: 375g, Fat: 109g, Protein: 207g

Tomorrow ideal macro range: Cals: 1800-2100, Fat: 50-75g, Carbs: 125-175g, Protein: 175g-210g

[gregorymcm]

2-12-12

REST DAY. Definitely needed a rest day. I haven't been getting much sleep lately because of school and final exams. I tried to get in some good protein and quality fats. My brain is taking a beating.:P

Macros: Carbs: 180g, Protein: 202g, Fat: 71g

[gregorymcm]

3-12-12

Upper Body power+Cardio

2 Warm-up sets before each exercise

Bent-Over Row:
190 X 7, 190 X 7, 190 X 6
Weighted Pull-ups:
20lbs X 9, 20lbs X 7, 20 lbs X 7
Rack Chins:
25 X 8, 30 X 8, 30 X 7
Flat BB Bench Press:
210 X 7, 210 X 5, 185 X 10
Weighted Dips:
80 X 9, 80 X 8, 80 X 8
Seated Arnold Press
45 X 10, 50 X 8, 50 X 7
Preacher EZ Bar curl (Tempo: 2-2-3)
85X 10, 85 X 10
Skull Crushers
110 X 9, 110 X 8, 110 X 7

10 minutes stationary bike

Today's workout was effective however i wasnt able to complete my abs circuit because the gym was closing and they threw me out :P. I'll tackle abs when i get the chance. Final exam tomorrow so i will be studying for 2-3 more hours and probably only getting 5 hours of sleep. Sacrifices have to be made in order to succeed.

Macros: Not monitored due to the fact of poor time management on my part. However i know i took in at least 200g of protein.

tomorrow's a new day!

[gregorymcm]

4-12-12

Lower Body+Cardio

Dynamic warmup

2-3 warmups before working sets

1-leg pistal squats
BWX8 (3x)
Squats
255X8,255X7,255x7
1-leg Leg Extensions SS Seated leg curls
90X10/115X10 (3X)
Lying Leg curls (Tempo: 2-1-3)
100X10, 100X9, 100X9
SL Deadlift
215X8, 215X8, 215X7

15 minute incline walk: 3.5mph X 8 incline

Stretch

Knee's were hurting a bit while squatting and now one hour later, joints r feeling banged up. I've injured my left knee before while squatting, i want to avoid that at all cost. I might bring my knee straps next time.

Macros: Calories: 1,898 Carbs: 169g Fats: 32g Protein: 231g

On a side note; I will only post my meals if they look worthy of posting. I might try a new recipe sometime soon and post the pictures. In the meantime my meals r boring to the look but taste wise theyre okay.

[gregorymcm]

5-12-12

Swimming/Calves/Abs/Intervals

Swimming: 15 minutes laps
5 minute treading water

Seated Calf raise
120X25, 180X12 (3X), Dropset
Standing Calf raise
160X15 (3X), Dropset

Abs Circuit (3X)
Hanging leg raises
Broomstick twists
Weighted situps
oblique twists

Intervals

Stationary bike: 6 intervals: 40 second sprint to 60 second low-moderate intensity
5 minute cool down + stretch

Workout was fulfilling and fun. However, my left hamstring is strained, i walked home limping cause it hurt to stretch it. applying some ice on it and about to sleep it off. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow. Knee's are a little better. I chugged down a few scoops of bcaa+glutamine for some added recovery and reduce the cravings that i was having. (Major cravings)

Macros: Calories: 1,901 Carbs: 129g Fat: 56g Protein: 215g

[gregorymcm]

6-12-12

Swimming/Back/Shoulders Hypertrophy

Swimming 15 minutes

Dynamic warm up
2 wups before working sets

DB Rows
70X12, 70X12, 70X15
Wide-grip Pullups
BWX12 (3x)
Seated rows
150X12, 120X15, 120X15
Close-grip pulldowns
120X12 (3X)
DB Shoulder Press
55X15, 55X12, 55X12
Upright Rows, Kettleball
35X20 (3x)

Stretch

Macros: Calories: 2,030 Carbs: 176g Fats: 44g Protein: 241g

workout was good, felt a little more energized thanks to the scivation xtend that i sipped throughout. So far so good

[gregorymcm]

I went for a jog on friday for 30 minutes but besides that i've been taking is easy. giving my brain a rest so i could concentrate on exams and research papers instead of counting calories, macros. I still followed a more or less 40/30/30 apporach but with ease and a little less strictness.

Tomorrow i am going to do some weak point training and some intervals and follow my macros to the best of my ability.

[Bunnyphant]

Good job!
Nice to see a log of someone else who does PHAT!
You are doing great, keep up

[gregorymcm]

Good job!
Nice to see a log of someone else who does PHAT!
You are doing great, keep up

Thanks a lot buddy for the support!

PHAT ALL THE WAY!

[gregorymcm]

09-12-12

Chest/Triceps Hypertrophy

Dynamic warm-up
2-3 wups before working sets

Incline Bench Press
185X10, 185X9, 185X8+2 Rest-pause
Flat DB Press SS Reverse Flyes
80X12/15X15 (3X)
DB pull over SS OVerhead DB ext
75X10/80X12 (3X)
Skullcrushers
105X10, 105X7, 85X18
Dips SS rope extension
BWX20/100X12 (3X)

Stretch

Good workout, i wanted to do some intervals but i got too caught up with a friend that i hadn't seen in a while. Socializing get the better of me. Oh well! next time music goes on and i train like a beast!

Macros: Cals: 2460, Carbs: 235g, Fats: 77g, Protein: 190g

[gregorymcm]

I found one of the factors that is stalling my progress. It's going over to my parents house because my dad always has a tendency to buy sweet foods and sugary junk. Now i know i can't avoid my parents, therefore the next best thing is going to my parents house prepared! That is to say bringing over frozen meals like chicken breast/brown rice/fish/veggies/Extra lean meat and other acceptable food sources that will enable me to stay on track! Therefore the next time i go over to my parents house i will bring enough supplies to last me at least 3 days.

This will require more planning and much more will power because the sugary foods will be at an arm's length reach at all times. On these days, I will have to be solid and really mentally focused.

I am considering doing weekly IF's to counter balance this if things don;t work out. That way i can eat clean monday through friday, indulge a little saturday, and fast from sunday to monday morning.

Experimentation!

[gregorymcm]

11-12-12

Quads/Hammies/Cardio

Dynamic warm up

2-3 wups before working sets

Back squats
95X20, 135X15, 185X10, 225X10, 225X8, 275X5, 275X5, 135X20

Leg Extensions SS Seated leg curls
200X12/135X10 (3X)

I was short for time today so i decided to hit volume for squats and a superset and call it a day. For some reason i can't do shoulder width apart high bar squats. I also can't seem to do narrow stance squats. I try doing narrow stance and my knees cave in. I am bull legged so i have a tendency to walk with my feet pointing outwards unfortunately. I do a little wider thn shoulder width with a low-bar squat. I would like to be able to do a high bar squat but it hurts my back too much.

If anyone has any suggestions, i would definetly appreciate them!

Cheers

[gregorymcm]

12-12-12

Swimming/Calves/Core/Intervals

15 minutes swimming laps

Dynamic warm up

Abductor+Adductor exercises (Weak point)
3 sets x 15-20 reps

Seated calf raise
150X20, 200X12, 200X12
Dropset (2X): 200X10, 120X10, 60XFailure
Standing calf raise
185X15 (3x)
DS: 185xfailure, 95xfailure, 50xfailure (Repped out)

Planks SS windmail raises
BW X 20 (3X)

Stationary bike intervals (6X)

30 second sprint followed by 60 moderate intensity

cooldown+stretch.

Macros: Cals: 2326, Carbs: 237g, Protein: 186g, Fat: 55g

Macros were off more or less due to lack of preparation! tomorrow's a new day! lol, as long as i keep saying that to myself it's all good.

[gregorymcm]

13-12-12

Back/Shoulders Hypertrophy

Dynamic warmup
warm up sets

Bent-over BB rows
95X20, 135X15, 185X12, 185X12, 185X10
Seated Medium-grip cable rows
120X15, 150X13, 150X12, 150X12
WG Pullups
BWX12 (2x), -20lbX10
CG Pulldowns
120X12, 110X11, 110X12+3 partials
Seated DB Press
50X20, 65X12, 65X12
One-arm upright rows SS Incline reverse flyes
30X12/20X12
Side lateral raises
20X15, 20X15, 30X10+2 negatives

Stretch

Workout was beastly, didnt have my ipod unfortunately so i got distracted (T N A :P) and ended up staying a little longer than expected, oh well still got in the sets and reps.

Macros: cals: 2120, Carbs: 170g, Protein: 205g, Fats: 78g

[gregorymcm]

What i had for supper. Grilled chicken with spinach salad/raspberry vinaigrette

[gregorymcm]

15-12-12

Chest/Triceps

Dynamic warm-up
Warmup sets

Flat BB bench press
185X10, 205X8, 215X5, 215X5
Incline DB flyes
45X12, 55X12, 70X10, 70X10
Weighted Dips
20lbsX20, 25lbsX15, BWXfailure
Tricep extension bar SS triangle pushups
150X12/BWXFailure (3x)
CG Tricep Press
135X15, 135X12 (2X) (Slow concentrated reps: mind-muscle connection )
Overhead DB Extension one-hand
25X15 (3X)

Stretch+Cooldown

Chest and triceps were pumped today, walked home and felt like my shirt was going to split lol.

Macros: 40/30/30 approach more or less

[gregorymcm]

16-12-12

Today was supposed to be rest day, but since i took a rest day yesterday, i figured i might as well hit up some big weights

Deadlifts/Adductors/Abductors

Dynamic warm up + 10 minutes moderate int cardio

Deadlifts
135X20
185X12
225X10
315X6
315X6
315X6

Adductors + Abductors exercises

Hyperextensions
BwX20
25X15
25X15

Stretch

I hurt my back deadlifting about 5 months ago and i'm just getting back into it. Making sure my form is solid. My lower back is still a little tight but not like it used to be.

I am changing up my Workout routine just a bit. Friday i am going to train chest+arms hypertrophy + Intervals/Cardio

and saturday I am going to work on deadlifts and weak points. Saturday will also become my refeed day. Sunday will still be rest day, only stretching. Might Fast on sunday, not sure yet.

Macros: Cals: 2225, Carbs: 230g, Protein: 186g, Fats: 66g

[gregorymcm]

17-12-12

Rest Day

I was supposed to train upper body today but i've been really tired lately because of final exams and aching all over. My tricep started twitching for like an hour yesterday, so i am going to take it easy this week, still train 3-4 times but less intensely!

this week is my last week of exams then i can get right back into it!

Macros: Macros will be observed a little more this week since my training is off (Except for today, i had a few slices of pizza for lunch, reward for completing an exam that i think i aced)

[gregorymcm]

Changing meal 4. Replacing Whey Powder with Whole Protein Source and adding a tbsp of Natty peanut butter to Meal 3.

Meal 4:
6oz Tilapia/Basa fillet
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup blueberries

[gregorymcm]

18-12-12

Upper body power/Abs/Cardio

Dynamic warmup
warm up sets

WG Weighted pullups
25X10, 25X8
Flat BB Bench press
135X20, 185X10, 225X5, 225X4
Bent-over rows
135X15, 205X8, 205X6
DB military press
55X15, 75X8, 80X5
Weighted dips
90X10, 90X10 (Chest started really hurting)
EZ bar preacher curls
85X15, 105X8, 110X6
Skullcrushers
110X8, 110X6

Abs circuit (3X)
knee ins
reverse crunches
Weighted oblique twists
jackknife situps

Cardio: 20 min stationary bike

Stretch

not bad not bad, however, my chest really started hurting after the dips, i think i was about to pull a muscle, it wasnt the lactic acid buildup it was more of a knife jabbing pain, good thing i stopped it there and finished my workout.

Macros: Cals: 2190, carbs: 210g, protein: 206g, fats: 71g

side note: Weight was 170.8lbs after the gym so i'm assuming in the morning i will weigh 168lbs give or take. Still need to lose more bodyfat. i want to be around 165lbs at 8% before my next bulk. its going to take some time..