The Incredible Bulk: Zulu's Size Quest

[Alpha Zulu]

Intro & Training History

First off, I am new to these boards but I don’t consider myself a beginner as I have been lifting for a few years now and I tend to read a lot of information when I get a chance. Hopefully people who look at this thread will benefit from my knowledge and I will be able to benefit from theirs as well.

As I said, I have been lifting on and off for about 5 years now. I started in high school and would always make good gains, but then each lacrosse season I would lose a lot of those gains due to poor nutrition and not really lifting. When I started I was 16 years old, 5’7” and about 115 lbs. I am now 20 years old and slightly taller, maybe an inch, and I currently weigh about 145 lbs but at a lower bf% (I predeict 8-9%) than when I was 115 (I think I was probably around 12%.) so I have gained a decent amount of muscle. I just finished my sophomore year of college. First semester I took about 6 weeks off from all lifting. Not surprisingly, I was smaller and weaker when I returned to the gym. I had a good few months and was up to about 165 lbs by March (fatter though). So I decided to cut up and have had a very successful cut that I believe has sparred most of my muscle and maybe even increased it. (Unfortunately, no measurements were taken so I am not entirely sure.) I am at the lowest body fat I’ve ever had and am ready to start a bulking cycle but I really don’t want to undo my awesome cutting progress. Enter THE INCREDIBLE BULK. NOTE: I HAVE CAPITALIZED THINGS I WOULD PARTICULARLY APPRECIATE FEEDBACK ON SO PLEASE PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THAT. BUT FEEL FREE TO COMMENT ON ANYTHING I HAVE MENTIONED.

Goal

My main goal is to gain muscle without a lot of fat. Ten pounds of muscle with under 2% increase in fat by Nov. 1, 2005 and then I will continue from there...I will have shorter range goals that I will post soon.

Training

I have 4 weeks left of the intro Max-OT cycle (with a few modifications) and I really like it. I will be finishing up this and then deciding what program I want to do, which could very well be another Max-OT cycle. It will definitely be a lower rep (4-8) program because I feel like getting stronger will expedite my mass gains as I am not really strong yet. So HST and GVT are likely no-go, but I WILL BE TAKING SUGGESTIONS FOR WHICH PROGRAM I WILL TRY OUT NEXT.

I start each session with 10 min of warm-up and finish with 10 min of cool-down, either on the bike or elliptical.

I will also be doing cardio 2-4x a week depending on how fat I am getting and my muscle gains. I will start at three sessions a week and adjust accordingly. Less if I am not gaining muscle and/or if I am not gaining any fat and more if I am gaining muscle but also gaining fat. DOES THIS SEEM LIKE A GOOD APPROACH TO MY CARDIO? I will choose from the following for my cardio sessions each week

--Steady State of 20-30 min on treadmill
--Basketball for half an hour (or maybe football or some other pick up sport)
--HIIT session of approx 15 min (either running, rowing, elliptical or biking)
--Sprints. ~10 sprints (running or swimming)

*I will not do both steady state and basketball in the same week for obvious catabolic reasons of prolonged sessions.

Some of my cardio will have to be done immediately after lifting due to time constraints (eliminating the 10 min cooldown). WHAT DO YOU GUYS RECOMMEND I SHOULD DO TO MINIMIZE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS THIS WILL HAVE ON ANABOLISM, SUCH AS WHAT TYPE TO DO AND WHEN AND NUTRITION TO GO ALONG WITH IT? I was thinking of having my post-workout shake as I do the cardio.

I also static stretch after each lifting session and sometimes in between sets.

Nutrition and Supplementation

I will follow roughly a 40/40/20 diet with the number of calories depending on what I weigh. My first priority is to increase them to maintenance from the deficit I am currently eating at due to cutting and slowly increase them to be hypercaloric. I will also adjust my calories downwards on non-training days, but I am not sure by how much yet.

Whole foods I am going to stress are: skim milk, oats, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, other fruits and vegetables, eggs (omega enriched and whites), chicken, tuna, lean beef, other lean meat, peanuts and PB, and whole wheat bread, pasta, bagels, buns, tortillas, etc...

I plan on including the following supplements which I think will be cost effective as I do not have a lot of money to throw around on supps right now:
• Higher Power CEE: one serving 1 hr pre workout on training days and possibly post workout (not sure) or with dinner on non-training days
• Prolab glutamine: 5 g every morning and every night before I go to bed as well as immediately pre and post workout.
• Centrum Performance: ½ in the morning and ½ at night. (I know its not an Animal Pak or AST, but the cost is dirt cheap and I have always been fine using Centrum…I will go into my vitamin post/education session at another time…someone remind me)
• Vit. E: 400 IU daily (post-workout or with dinner)
• Vit. C: 500 mg, 3x daily…every night and pre/post-workout or (morning and pre-bed on non-training days)
• Calcium: 1.2 g daily…600 mg 1 hr pre-workout (or the morning on non-training days) and again before bed
• Fish Oil: 5 pills daily, 3 in the morning (this is mostly to help me pay attention in class once school starts b/c EFA help with attention span) and 2 with dinner
• Flax Oil: 2 pills daily, morning and dinner
• SciFit bulk BCAAs: Every day: 5 g morning, bed, and with dinner, with pre, during, and post workout serving on training days
• Green Tea: I will be drinking two cups of green tea a day: morning and early evening and if I need a third I will have one (probably will once school starts or I’ll sleep through my classes)
• EvoPro: 1 serving before bed each night and as necessary for protein needs
• Whey: Right now I have about 3 lbs of CytoPro to use but after that I think I am going to get *********’s NytroWhey Extreme. I know this isn’t very cost effective but my mom will buy it since it will save her a lot of money of chicken and turkey and stuff. I’ve tried it in the past and it tastes great and mixes really well. Please look at it and tell me what you think: p r o s o u r c e . net. This will be used pre and post workout and as necessary to meet protein requirements.
• PowerBar protein plus bars because they are cheap, tasty, and have a decent nutrient profile that is sans malto (I’m pretty sure). Used sparingly when I need a decent meal in a bind.
• MyoPlex: I will use half a serving because I am pretty light when necessary (probably sometimes between classes). I know this has malto in it, so leave that out of any critiques as it will be the only malto or dextrose I consume and it will not even be half a serving every day. Probably 1-3 times a week. Use will be similar to the protein bars.

I HAVE NOT YET PLACED MY SUPPLEMENT ORDER SO PLEASE CRITIQUE THIS AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

[Alpha Zulu]

On a side note, this will be the first time I have tried consuming my post-workout shake without any maltodextrin or dextrose because I am really trying to keep my insulin sensitivity as high as possible for both health and body comp reasons. The people of this board (John Benz and a few others, won me over to the low GI post-workout camp…Thanks)

Also, if energy (ie sleeping while in class or studying) becomes a problem when I get back to school I may order some Redline and I am also considering using cider vinegar and a daily teaspoon of Enova (DAG) oil in the near future.

PS: I am PS/PH/AAS free for life and do not plan on starting now or ever, so if you have anything to suggest in that arena, it will go unheeded. This is not a bash against anyone who does that b/c I have plenty of friends who have juiced before and I think each person needs to make their own choice, I just wanted to let you know where I personally am.

I will eat every 3 hours and will post my diets for your critique when I start this program as each day will be different due to a irregular work schedule, so there is no use in posting a sample right now. But I have one question: I have laid out my pre and post workout protein and supplement shakes. Post I will also include oats and fruits in milk but I was wondering: HOW MUCH, IF ANY CARBS, SHOULD I HAVE PRE-WORKOUT? I was thinking some oats or whole wheat toast and SHOULD I CONTINUE MIXING PRE.WORKOUT WITH WATER OR SWITCH TO MILK OR SOMETHING?

Obstacles
1. I tend to underestimate my fat intake and therefore my entire caloric intake.
2. Meals over which I have little or no control of what is being served and how it is prepared: this is mostly food at the dining hall at school and also dinner that my mom cooks and sometimes breakfast on Sunday mornings. I will have to try to estimate my nutrient breakdown and control myself as to what I eat in these situations and plan ahead with educated guesses as to likely nutrient ratios and amounts to be served.
3. Alcohol. I like to drink. It is as simple as that but I am going to make an effort to cut down on my intake. I will not eliminate it entirely as I like to have fun but I will hopefully reduce it from the 2-3x a week I was doing last semester. PS: this is kind of a non-issue during the summer because there is not much to do at home, so I will be dealing with this in about two months.

Final Notes

I will start this process on Monday, June 27th. Tomorrow I am going to visit my girlfriend and will be gone until Sunday afternoon. Please bump this or respond to my questions so this thread gets some attention while I am gone as I have put a lot of effort into this intro. While gone I am not going to watch my diet very strictly or take any supps as I figure this four day hiatus from the mental drudgery of planning, etc… will allow my mind (any body) to relax a little and be completely ready for the hard work that is ahead. Hopefully I will have some pictures for you on Sunday or Monday and I am also probably going to order calipers and a tape measure so I can give you some accurate stats. Thanks and enjoy. -Zulu

[Alpha Zulu]

I was wondering what the carb/fat content of the casein shake I have before bed should be...I am about to go do the last workout of my cutting phase and then the fun will begin next week. I made a sweet techno mix for my mp3 player also because everyone knows that if you want to get big you have to listen to techno, its science....Not really, I just felt like changing it up from all the hard stuff I've been listening to lately. -Zulu

[Alpha Zulu]

bump

[Alpha Zulu]

OK, so I'm back from the girlfriend's now and I see no one has replied to any of my posts, but whatever...I'll keep posting and if no one replies than so be it, at least keeping track of all this will help me organize myself better and who knows maybe I'll get a few of you to help me out along the way.

That being said, I would really appreciate some feedback on my supplement list as I want to place my order soon...

Also, I have decided that I will find the time to get to the gym early on those days I plan on doing my cardio and then going again later in the day to lift so any suggestions on how I should eat/supplement on this schedule would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks and enjoy. --Zulu

[sword chucks]

about your supplements, it looks nice and straight forward, nothing crazy in there, you should do well with what uve got.

Before bed you should try to have more than just 25g or whatever amount of protein is in ur shake because 20-30g is not much. Try having some cottage cheese or something along with it and milk to bring u up to 50-60g. For fat intake, it depends how much you have had in other meals- like if u shoot for 75g fat a day adn you already ate 60 through various trace fats and whatnot, throw 15g of fat in that last meal. You get the idea.

good luck

[Alpha Zulu]

Tomorrow is the start of my bulk. Like I said, I am currently doing the Max-OT intro course. If anyone is familiar with this, you will know that there are three splits outlined in the "course" as you move through the weeks. I am currently on the third one but have rearranged it a little. The original split as given in the course looks like this:

M-Back/Bis
T-Legs
W-Chest/Abs
Th-Shoulders/Traps
F-Tris/Forearms/Abs

I think this split is stupid because the triceps are working three straight days so I rearranged it to look like this

M-Chest/Abs
T-Legs (I am also adding power cleans here)
W-Tris/Abs
Th-Back/Bis/Forearms
F-Shoulders/Traps

Hopefully, this will work better. I'll do this split for three weeks and then I'm gonna SD for 9 days and maybe start a new program.

So tomorrow is chest day and I will also work in a short and slow 20 min. jog (mostly just to keep fitness up...HIIT will be to keep the fat levels in check.)

Peace

[Alpha Zulu]

Today was the start of my new phase, it went pretty well even though I had a stressful day and I had trouble sleeping last night (only about 6.75 hrs) Here's the rundown of how it went.

Nutrition/Supplementation

9:45 AM - Breakfast (Oatmeal)
.5 cup oats
.75 serving CytoPro
4 oz milk
.25 cup blueberries
.5 banana
3 fish oil pills
1 flax oil pill
5 g L-glutamine
8 oz green tea
500 mg vit. C
.5 multivitamin

1:30 PM - Lunch (Sandwich)
2 slices whole grain bread
4 slices turkey

4:15 PM - Pre-Workout Shake
.5 serving CytoPro
5 g L-glutamine
500 mg vit. C
600 mg calcium

5:45 PM - Post-Workout Shake
8 oz skim milk
.5 cup oats
1 serving CytoPro
5 g L-glutamine
400 IU vit. E
500 mg vit. C

7:30 - Out to eat (Trout)
12 calamari rings
1.5 slices of bread
.5 tbsp butter
6 oz trout w/ pecan crust
1 cup cauliflower mash
.25 slice of strawberry shortcake
2 fish oil pills
1 flax oil pill
8 oz green tea

12:30 - Pre-Bed
8 oz low-carb milk (3 g carbs/12 g protein..waiting on my micellar)
5 g L-glutamine
.5 multivitamin
500 mg vit. C
600 mg calcium

I also drank about 165 fl oz of pure water today...not including the water I mxed any powders in, etc...I am shooting for 1.5 gal a day

[Alpha Zulu]

Like I said, I feel like I overate a little due to going out to eat because right now my calories are still kind of low as I am increasing them slowly from the cutting phase I was in. Not a big deal though.

Training

As far as training goes, I decided to reduce my warm-ups and cool-downs to 5 min to save me a few minutes and calories and that I would perform my static stretches after I shower each day (muscles will still be warm) instead of right after I lift so that I can get my post-workout nutrition that much faster.

Today was chest day:

BB Bench (inc. warm up)
80 x 12
80 x 10
120 x 6
145 x 3
165 x 1 (last warm up set)
175 x 6
175 x 6
175 x 5 (so close to getting 6)

DB Incline
70 x 4
70 x 2 (totally hit a wall here)

Weighted Dips
+25 x 6 (felt fairly easy, gonna go up 5 lbs)

Cable Rope Crunch
110 x 12
110 x 12 (really easy, I'll 20 lbs)

Decline Crunch
25 x 10
25 x 10 (going for the 35 plate next time)

After this, I did a short and very slow jog for 20 min....I went back to deciding to do my cardio right after my training at least once or twice a week because its just too hard to get to the gym twice and pack all those meals and stuff...Hopefully this will work out.

My strength gains have started to stagnate just a little bit this week and last. This is my third or fourth week cycling off of creatine and I think this might be the reason, but I placed my supp order today and my calories will be going up, so this shouldn't be a problem for much longer.

Thanks, I'll be back tomorrow...In the meantime, any suggestions are welcome...Peace

[Alpha Zulu]

Well, I had a great day in the gym. It was leg day and I am one of those rare individuals who loves training legs, esp squatting. I had to work out in the morning at about 9:30, which I normally don't do or like to do, but I still had a killer workout...

5 min warm-up on bike

Squats
145 x 12
145 x 10
200 x 6
240 x 3
270 x 1 (last warm-up set)
290 x 6
290 x 6
290 x 6
Leg Press
420 x 6
SLDL
200 x 6
200 x 6
Leg Curls
105 x 6
Standing Calves
260 x 6
260 x 6
Leg Press Calves
220 x 6

5 min cool-down on bike

I generally rest 2 min between each set. I time my rest intervals so that my time is always constant and the only change is in weight and/or reps. I rested 2.5 min between my work sets on squat and 1 min between my calf sets.

Squats went awesomely. I think that is a PR for me and if not, I def haven't gone that heavy for that many reps in about 3 years (since senior season of FB in HS). I nearly puked after the last set of squats, which I think is great. I had to take a little break before hitting the leg press, which I also did very well on. Hell, I may have set a PR in every exercise I did today and the total elapsed time from my first warm-up rep to last rep wat 41:38, which is about 2 min shorter than the last time I did this workout. I am very pumped to get into the gym tomorrow.

[Alpha Zulu]

Despite the great day in the gym, I struggled slightly with my nutrition. Here's how I ate...

9:00 AM (Breakfast/Pre-Workout Shake)
.5 cup oats
.5 serving CytoPro
5 g L-glutamine
8 oz green tea
500 mg vit. C
600 mg calcium
.5 multivitamin

10:45 AM (Post-Workout Shake)
8 oz skim milk
.5 cup oats
1 serving CytoPro
5 g L-glutamine
400 IU vit. E
500 mg vit. C

12:45 PM (Lunch I)
Avid Source Bar (5 g fat, 18 g carbs (no maltodextrin), and 20 g protein from soy, whey, and milk)

3:45 PM (Lunch II)
1 whole wheat pita
5 slices turkey
3 slices ham
2 slices roasted peppers
8 oz green tea

6:45 PM (Snack)
2 oz Steakhouse Beef Jerky

9:45 PM (Dinner)
8 oz salmon
1 cup salsa
1 cup salad greens
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
2 fish oil pills
1 flax oil pill

12:45 AM (Pre-bed)
8 oz low-carb milk
5 g L-glutamine
.5 multi-vitamin
500 mg vit. C
600 mg calcium

I also drank about 155 fl oz of water...I decided to reduce water intake slightly because I was peeing way too often.

I forgot to bring my fish oil and flax seed oil pills to work, so I missed taking those and then I forgot a 500 mg vit. C with my salmon, which I had originally intended. I also ate way too much salmon so my protein and fat were way higher than I had planned and my carbs were a little too low. Tomorrow I need to do better than this.

Looking in the mirror, I definately noticed a little damage from this past weekend at my gf's, in which I ate a lot that I shouldn't have...I was planning on having a weekend cheat meal, but this steeled my resolve and that will no longer be happening, hopefully.

I will also have, pics and an excel spreadsheet similar to Beast's for measurements and stats up by Sunday, I have just been extremely busy these past few days...Peace. --Zulu

[Alpha Zulu]

My Internet was out last night because of a vicious t-storm, so I didn't get to post Wednesday. It was a great day, my workout was so awesome, I felt like a damn animal in the gyma and my nutrition was almost spot on how I had planned it and I felt great all day. I am really getting pumped about working out each day and I am just excited for what the future holds. Anyways, here's the breakdown...

Nutrition

10:00 AM Breakfast: 5 cup oats
.75 serving CytoPro
4 oz milk
3 fish oil pills
1 flax oil pill
5 g L-glutamine
8 oz green tea
.5 multi-vitamin
500 mg vit. C


12:45 PM Pre-Workout Shake:
.5 serving CytoPro
5 g L-glutamine
500 mg vit. C
600 mg calcium


2:45 PM Post-Workout Shake:
1 serving CytoPro
.5 cup oats
5 g L-glutamine
400 IU vit. E
500 mg vit. C


3:45 PM Lunch (Sandwich): 2 slices whole wheat bread
4 slices turkey

6:45 PM Snack (Jerky and Fruit)
2 oz Steakhouse Jerky
6 oz cantaloupe

9:45 PM Dinner (Smoked Sausage and Peppers)
3 oz smoked sausage
.5 cup cooked peppers
1 whole wheat pita
(Garden Salad)
2 cups garden salad
2 tbsp soy vinagreitte
2 fish oil pills
1 flax oil pill

12:30 AM Pre-Bed Meal 8 oz low-carb milk
5 g L-glutamine
.5 multi-vitamin
500 mg vit. C


Training

Cable Pushdown
75 x 12
75 x 10
100 x 6
125 x 3
140 x 1 (last warm-up set)
150 x 6
150x 6
Skull Crushers
95 x 6
95 x 6

1 Arm DB Ext
40 x 6

BB Wrist Curls
70 x 10
70 x 10
DB Wrist Curls
40 x 8
Leg Raises
17.5 x 15
17.5 x 15
Cable Rope Crunch
150 x 10
150 x 10

Once again it was an intense workout but I got through it. I was really focused. I have never had a tougher ab workout than those four set (with one minute rests). I was the kind of intensity I usually reserve for the squat rack. Unreal. I was so amped after that workout. Anyways, that was yesterday, I'll be back on tonight before I go to bed to review today, but for now I'm gonna go watch a movie with my dad and play some xbox. Peace

[sword chucks]

nice workouts!

[Alpha Zulu]

Thanks SC, I appreciate the motivation, now all I need is a few more devotees...I just looked over your journal and am about to make a few comments, let me know what you think.

[Alpha Zulu]

I had a pretty good day today. My focus, intensity, and dedication to this has been amazing. I am surprising myselg at how focused I have become on my goal. Anyways, I ate prefectly today with the exception of dinner. Coming from an Italian family, the occasional pasta meal is inevitable and tonight was one of those nights. They don't come around very often anymore, as both of my parents realize the damage a load of pasta can do on the wasitline, but my mom makes pasta every now and then and I love it so I eat it. Here's the day:

8:45 AM Breakfast (Oatmeal)
.5 cup oats
.75 serving CytoPro
8 oz milk
.25 cup blueberries
.5 medium banana
3 fish oil pills
1 flax oil pill
5 g L-glutamine
8 oz green tea
.5 multi-vitamin
500 mg vit. C


11:30 AM Lunch (Tuna Sandwich)
2 slices whole grain bread
.5 can tuna
1 tbsp light mayo

2:30 PM Snack (Fat Free Yogurt)
1 cup Giant Light Yogurt

4:30 PM Pre-Workout Shake
.5 serving CytoPro
5 g L-glutamine
500 mg vit. C
600 mg calcium


6:30 PM Post-Workout Shake
1 serving CytoPro
.5 cup oats
5 g L-glutamine
400 IU vit. E
500 mg vit. C


9:45 PM Dinner (Scallops and Pasta)
5 oz fettucine
2 tbsp parmasean cheese
.25 cup half and half
3 oz scallops
(Garden Salad)
1.5 cups garden salad
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
2 fish oil pills
1 flax oil pill

1:30 AM Pre-Bed Meal
8 oz low-carb milk
5 g L-glutamine
.5 multi-vitamin
500 mg vit. C
600 mg calcium

I have had plenty of energy this week as well, which is a welcome thing after having reduced carbs the past few weeks during the last stages of my cut and being pretty lethargic. I also only have about 1 serving of glutamine left, but luckily my supp order should be here by Saturday, so no real harm there.

Training

Today was back and bis. I was really focused and the pump I got on biceps was sweet.

Lat Pulldown
80 x 12
80 x 10
110 x 6
130 x 3
150 x 1 (last warm-up set)
160 x 6
160 x 6
Neutral Grip Pulldowns
165 x 6
165 x 6
Barbell Rows
165 x 6
165 x 6
Alt. DB Curls
25 x 3
30 x 1 (last warm-up set)
35 x 6
35 x 6
BB Curls
85 x 4
85 x 4

Like I said, this was a pretty good workout. I was esp satisfied with my biceps work as I had plateaued for about 2 weeks and totally busted through today. Unfortunately, I may have had my first set back as I think I tewaked my lower back during the BB rows. It had been a little sore since squatting on Tuesday and I think I may have pulled something. I'll have to see how it feels tomorrow. I was gonna deadlift, but I think that is out of the question, hopefully I'll still be able to do shoulders. I am pretty bummed out about this, but if I need to rest it up I will. I was planning on going two more weeks after this then SDing, but I may just do it next week, we'll see how it feels on Sunday night, but this might be good because then I can SD and since I'll be getting all my new supps this weekend, I can just postpone starting them a week. I may also do HST to give my back some low rep work for a few weeks to slowly build it up again. We'll see how it goes but ANYONE WHO HAS HAD LOWER BACK PROBLEMS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW YOU DEALT WITH THEM. Thanks. --Zulu

[Glyder]

Hi Alpha, just saw your post in SC's journal, and thought I would come by. Sorry I didnt come earlier, but I never did see it on the boards heh. Anyhow, looks pretty solid. One thing that I noticed, and maybe its a Max OT thing...but why do you do so many warmup sets before your work sets? It seems like your doing 4-5 warmup sets, then 3-5 work.

I noticed it first on the chest workout, where you did 5 WU, then 3 work for 175. You could get away with doing say 95 for 10-12, 125 for 8-10, 145 for 2-4 then your work. I think you may be tiring your muscles out too much, then when you hit your work sets your struggling more.

Like I said, if its the Max ot prog, then cool. Just curious.

Anyhow, it looks good, and it looks like you have your diet in check. How is it working out for you so far? Your a few days into it and how is it feeling?

[Alpha Zulu]

Hi Alpha, just saw your post in SC's journal, and thought I would come by. Sorry I didnt come earlier, but I never did see it on the boards heh. Anyhow, looks pretty solid. One thing that I noticed, and maybe its a Max OT thing...but why do you do so many warmup sets before your work sets? It seems like your doing 4-5 warmup sets, then 3-5 work.

I noticed it first on the chest workout, where you did 5 WU, then 3 work for 175. You could get away with doing say 95 for 10-12, 125 for 8-10, 145 for 2-4 then your work. I think you may be tiring your muscles out too much, then when you hit your work sets your struggling more.

Like I said, if its the Max ot prog, then cool. Just curious.

Anyhow, it looks good, and it looks like you have your diet in check. How is it working out for you so far? Your a few days into it and how is it feeling?

Yeah, that warm-up is from the Max-OT site and I actually like it a lot. It doesn't tire me out at all and I always feel good on my first set. My old WU I usually felt like I hit my stride on my 2nd or 3rd set but this way I feel good on the first.

Anyways, my diet has been working out pretty well...I'm coming off a cut that was low-carb at times and I was so tired when I reduced the carbs, but I feel so energized every day with this new diet. I would be dragging my feet during the cut, but now I don't. I actually felt a little lethargic today but I think that was more of a mental thing on account of my back (more to come on that later tonight when I post my WO and nutrition for the day) and not my diet.

I thought I was eating maintanence this week and then I would up the cals from there, but I think I am still slightly below maintenance as I dropped about a pound since Monday. It is all good though, its summer so any fat loss is welcome as long as the muscle is remaining which I think it is. I could actually see the striation b/t the two heads of my biceps during yesterdays DB curls which was tight and when I was getting undressed after my WO today I noticed some veins running laterally across my quads, which has never happened before. I thought it was sweet.

I also got all my supps from BB.com today as well as the digital calipers and measuring tape so I'll be sure and post some stats and pics by the end of the weekend. Also, my mom picked up some Enova oil, so I'll start using that on my salads...

That's todays news, I'll post diet and training b/f I go to bed...

[mivi320]

Nice workout there, man. Keep it up.

[Alpha Zulu]

I already posted a good amount of info about my day. Here's the diet:

10:15 AM Breakfast (Oatmeal)
.5 cup oats
.75 serving CytoPro
8 oz milk
.25 cup blueberries
.5 small banana
3 fish oil pills
2 flax oil pills
5 g L-glutamine

12:45 AM Pre-Workout Shake (30 min prior)
.5 serving CytoPro


2:15 PM Post-Workout Shake (Immediately after)
1 serving CytoPro
.25 cup oats
.5 small banana

3:30 PM Post-Workout Meal I (~ 60 minutes after) 1 PowerBar ProteinPlus

6:30 PM Snack 2 oz Steakhouse Jerky

9:30 PM Dinner Pork Chop
4 oz grilled pork chop
1.5 tbsp BBQ sauce
Garden Salad
1.5 cups garden salad
2 tbsp soy vinegrette
2 fish oil pills
1 flax oil pill

1:30 AM Pre-Bed Meal 4 oz low-carb milk
5 g L-glutamine
1 serving Micellar Matrix

I also broke downa little bit and had a few Starbursts. I love those things, but that 150 cals of sugar I could have passed up so my total cals was a little high. Oh well, I will just have to improve. I wasn't planning on having the Micellar Matrix yet, but it came in the mail and I just couldn't resist seeing how it tasted. It was actually not bad, (I had heard casein was gross) sweeter than any whey I have ever had, but maybe that's a casein thing, this is my first time trying any form of casein. I know I had said I was gonna get EvoPro, but this was cheaper...maybe I'll switch it up next time and see which I like better.

One last thing as far as diet goes that I haven't mentioned yet...A lot of stuff, I estimate the amounts...I don't measure out every little thing...From now on, I'll asterisk the stuff I estimate.

Training

A decent day in the gym considering my back pain. I did shoulders and normally I would have done DLs and shrugs, but I skipped those to rest my back up some. I probably shouldn't have even lifted at all, but it was the last day of the week, so I just had to. Depending on how I feel on Monday morning, I'll decide if I am going to lift next week or not. I may just take it off and then start a new program after that (not sure what program though). It is starting to feel a little better and I am going to skip my cardio tomorrow just so my body has every bit of energy to repair that blasted back. Here's the details:

Military 60 x 12
60 x 10
80 x 6
100 x 3
110 x 1 (last warm-up set)
120 x 6
120 x 6 (kind of tough, but I thought it would be way harder)
DB Military
60 x 4
60 x 3
Side Laterals
15 x 8
15 x 8 (I was gonna shoot for 30s this week, but that was when I wasn't injured as I tend to bounce a little on these and didn't want to aggrevate the back. Man I hope it gets better soon...So I did the 15s really slowly, which was pretty cool as I had veins popping all over my shoulders and arms and the striations on my delts looked really sick (in a good way))

So that was that. Off to bed and to pray for healing...Good night

[Alpha Zulu]

One more thing...I was a little confused with the calipers I got...please check out a thread I started in the Losing Fat forum that addresses the issues...

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=520332

[sword chucks]

good shoulder strength!

I hope the back heals soon!

[mivi320]

Nice pressing and laterals there. Looking good!

[spirit3530]

Lower back problems

Well make sure you warm up really good. Try increasing the work you do for your lower abs and hip flexors. Do 2 for 1 on lower to upper ab work. rev grip pulldowns pullovers SLDLs, hyperextentions are good for building lower back core support strength. Also you might want to do as much of your exercises seated so you don't put more strain on your lower back than you have too.

Lower your weight 15%, regroup and start again. Now that you are injured in cannot produce max effort so don't increase weight too fast and don't rush. Just because you think you feel really strong you just got serious and your body may not be ready to take the load. For example, just because you could squat 315 for 10 while doing football a couple years ago doesn't mean you can jump back in and get there within 6 weeks. Maybe you need to workout less days for more rest. Try a 4 days split perhaps. Also soaking in epson salt can help elevate some of that pain after a hard workout.

I hope this will help.
Big Perm, Big Worm

[Alpha Zulu]

Thanks for the lower back info spirit...

Today was a pretty uneventful day. My back felt dramatically better though, but I think I will still take this coming week off from the gym and then hopefully I can start out the week after that, although I have no idea what program I will follow. I am looking into it. I read a lot of periodization stuff today, esp Lyle McDonald's Periodization for Bodybuilders articles. Some pretty interesting stuff there...I may take a stab at that. I actually want to try HST as I think the two weeks of 15s would be a good way to ease my back's return to lifting, but I don't want to rest this coming week, find maxes, and then rest another week before I can start. Any suggestions on that problem anyone???

Anyways, I had a pretty good day nutrition-wise...I ate a little more than I had planned, but most of it came from protein, so its all good, but I am trying to improve my discipline a little more:

9:00 AM Breakfast
.5 cup oats
.75 serving CytoPro
8 oz milk
.25 cup blueberries
.5 small banana
3 fish oil pills
2 flax oil pills
4.5 g L-glutamine
8 oz green tea
.5 multi-vitamin
500 mg vit. C
400 IU vit. E
600 mg calcium


12:00 PM Lunch
2 oz pork chop
1 tbsp BBQ sauce

3:30 PM Lunch II
2 slices whole wheat bread
4 slices turkey

6:30 PM Snack
2 oz Original Jerky

9:30 PM Dinner
5 oz grilled chicken breast
1.5 tbsp BBQ sauce
1 cup cooked peas
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 oz ricotta/spinach tortellini
8 oz green tea
500 mg vit. C


1:30 AM Pre-Bed Meal
.5 serving Micellar Matrix
4.5 g L-glutamine
1 flax oil pill
2 fish oil pills
.5 multivitamin
500 mg vit. C
600 mg calcium

Hopefully, I will have a few minutes to take some pics tomorrow.

PS-How the hell do I format the font to be bigger, bold, diff colors, etc...

[Tony L]

PS-How the hell do I format the font to be bigger, bold, diff colors, etc...

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/misc.php?do=bbcode

I actually want to try HST as I think the two weeks of 15s would be a good way to ease my back's return to lifting, but I don't want to rest this coming week, find maxes, and then rest another week before I can start. Any suggestions on that problem anyone???

Like others said make sure you don't rush it. This way you are able to recover and slowly increase weights / stress on your back. Wouldn't start with Max-OT because it is all about max intensity. I don't think your back can take it yet (I wouldn't risk it either). Maybe do some "recovery" Max-OT. Keep within the 4 / 6 reps range but don't lift at max intensity?

[marinecorps85]

Keep up the good work, I was just wondering how many calories you are consuming in a day? Also, I have a question on your warmup sets. For instance, on chest how do you know what weight to start your warmup sets at. I typically end my flat bench with my heavy weight of 4-6 reps and that is around 245, but I am having trouble on finding a weight to start my warmups at. I do not want to get tired by doing them, I want to benefit from them. Do you have any suggestions for me. I hope your back is feeling better.

[Alpha Zulu]

Thanks to all of you who have been posting here and thanks for the recommendations about the way I should approach this back problem. Feedback is always appreciated and sought after on my part. I promise that I will look over your journals and other threads when I have some time. Unfortunately, I am lifeguarding as a summer job and this weekend is real busy due to the holiday so I have been working 10 and 11 hour days and will be for the next few days but after that I will take the time to review your threads.

Keep up the good work, I was just wondering how many calories you are consuming in a day? Also, I have a question on your warmup sets. For instance, on chest how do you know what weight to start your warmup sets at. I typically end my flat bench with my heavy weight of 4-6 reps and that is around 245, but I am having trouble on finding a weight to start my warmups at. I do not want to get tired by doing them, I want to benefit from them. Do you have any suggestions for me. I hope your back is feeling better.

marinecorps:
First off, I assume you are a Marine and mad props for that. I just wanted to take a second to thank you for the service. My brother is a Marine and I have nothing but respect for those in the armed forces. I am acutally considering maybe going to OCS next summer. Something I will have to figure out over the next few months. Now to your questions...

In terms of calories, I think I am eating about 2000 calories a day right now (or maybe even a little below), which if you read above, I thought was about maintainence, but seems to still be below that as I dropped a little weight this past week. I am not exactly sure because I have trouble estimating my portion sizes at dinner and when I make sandwiches and stuff like that, so that is also just a rough estimate. I know this is low, but keep in mind that I am hovering right over 140lbs right now (damn my thin bone structure), so I don't have a huge energy requirement. I am going to continue to add calories and hopefully will be eating around 3000 a day (with minimal fat accumulation) by the time I go back to school in mid-August. As for the warm-ups (impressive benching numbers btw) as I said, it is straight from the Max-OT intro program. It doesn't lay out percentages or anything, but I went ahead and figured out the approximate percentages that were being used in the examples. Here's what it look like with the percentages based on the weight you will be using for your work sets in a 4-6 rep range:

WU set 1: ~50% x 12
WU set 2: ~50% x 10
WU set 3: ~68% x 6
WU set 4: ~82% x 3
WU set 5: ~93% x 1

I rest about 1.5-2 minutes after each of these. Like I said, I really like this method, so go ahead and give it a shot during your next workout. You might be converted. Some people might think the last set of one is weird but I think it gets you mentally and neuronally ready to handle the heavy weight. I have no basis for the part about the neurons other than I know that some WSB variations have the lifter do walk outs on squat and lift off/holds on bench with weights above their 1RM to prepare the body and mind for handling such a heavy load. Maybe the synaptic response is different based on the weight encountered or something, I really have no idea, its just a hunch and what I do know is that I really like warming up like this.


Diet

My diet was pretty clean today but I still need to work on my will power, I am having cravings for junk whenever I am around it and need to get stronger in this regard. Since I am not going to be lifting over the next week, I decided to save some money and give my liver/kidneys a little bit of a rest and stop taking all of my supplements this week. This will also be my fourth or fifth week cycled off of creatine, so when I start it again next week, my receptors should be in good condition. Here's the details:

10:30 AM-Breakfast (Eggs w/ toast)
2 whole eggs
3 slices toast
2 tbsp butter

I usually like to have oatmeal in the morning but we ran out of milk and eggs sounded mighy good.


12:30 AM -Snack (Leftovers)
3 oz chicken breast
1 tbsp BBQ sauce

3:30 PM-Lunch (Sandwich)
2 slices whole wheat bread
4 slices turkey

6:30 PM-Snack (Jerky)
2 oz Original Jerky

9:30 PM Dinner Chicken 4.5 oz chicken breast
1 tbsp BBQ sauce
Salad 1 cup garden salad
1 tbsp soy vinegrette

12:30 AM .
25 slice of swiss cheese and 2 slices of ham (once again, no milk, so I just ate some meat)


As promised, I will take measurements tomorrow morning...I don't know how my skill on the skinfolds is but I have been working on it. If I can find time between the 11 hr workday and everything else I have going on tomorrow, I will also take some pics, but I am not promising anything. Enjoy the holiday everyone!!!

[marinecorps85]

Zulu, thanks for the response I will try that out on my chest day this week. Also, your calories sound good, but like you said you might want to increase them a little more. Sometimes I have to force feed myself. For example, I weigh 180 and I am having about 4500 calories a day and that has helped me make great gains with very little fat. If you have any questions about nutrition just let me know. As far as the marine thing, I am a LCPL and the marine corps is sending me to school right now and I will go to OCS next summer after my school year. Then I will graduate college about a year later and be commissioned as an officer. Good luck with whatever you decide, the marines is always a great choice I believe.

[sword chucks]

nice workouts, looks like max OT ish to me

[spirit3530]

me too