Jked4life's Workout Journal

[jked4life]

History and Background

Throughout my whole life, I have always been an active and athletic person. When I was 8, I began climbing mountains with my father and to train for these climbs, we used to go running a few times a week. By 12, I was lifting weights in my basement to get “huge”. I really liked the pump that I got from lifting, but didn’t really have the drive or the knowledge to do anything with this. When I was 14, I began swimming on my school’s varsity swim team. This became an obsession and before I knew it, I was swimming year round to be the best I could be. By my senior year, I realized that I was not god’s gift to the pool, but I was good enough to help me get into a better school than my grades alone would have allowed me. I swam the first two years of my college career, but realized at the end of the second that I could no longer continue. After my last season, a few guys from my team and some guys in my dorm all became really interested in lifting. I started going to the gym and training. One of my dorm friends had done some bodybuilding competitions and showed us all how to train the right way. With a steady diet of lots of beer, dorm food and other “supplements”, I was able to pack on some size. Lifting was something that I seemed to have a natural ability for. I tried to train for my last college years, but beer drinking and other college activities kept me away from the gym. When I graduated from college, I moved in with my girlfriend from college (my wife), and we could barely afford to live on our own. We lived off the cheapest crap food we could afford, and I used the treadmill at our apartments “gym”. I wanted more, I wanted to get back into the gym and train for real. After 3 years of hard work, we were doing better financially and able to afford a house. We bought a house right down the road from a Bally’s. It isn’t the best place to workout, but it looked like heaven to me. I quickly joined in October 2004 and haven’t looked back since.

[jked4life]

Progress

When I was in high school, I was 6’2 at about 160 pounds. I gained fat weight during college and some muscle from lifting. After a year and a half of working out, I have lost some fat weight and put on a lot of muscle. I am now weighing in at about 240- 245 with about 15% body fat. I am quite pleased with my size gains, but not with my body fat percentage. As a meso-endo, I haven’t had much trouble putting on muscle, but body fat is a constant concern. I would eventually like more size, but I feel like I need to get body fat under control first.

Current State of Affairs

I have dedicated myself to training and have adopted the bodybuilding lifestyle about 75%. I still have the problem that I like to have a few beers with friends, and that I have cravings for crappy food from time to time. I am trying to get more serious though. I want to take the full plunge and cut out the bad habits that I still have. I think these bad habits are the main thing holding me back from the progress that I want.



Plan for the Next Few Months

This year has been a hectic one for me. I am at a new teaching job as a Special Education teacher and have a new job as a swim coach after school. For the past few months, this has hindered my training(some weeks only 3 workouts) and especially my cardio. I have also had problems planning all my meals ahead of time in the proper capacity. I’ve been getting all the macros and correct calorie amounts, but sometimes the food choices haven’t been ideal. I finally feel that I have all these factors in my life under control and am ready to take the next step in diet and training. I plan on clean bulking for another month or so, until my swim season ends and then begin my cut. I will have more time for the gym and for cardio, so it seems like a good time to start. I also have a trip to South Carolina planned for April break, which gives me about 10 weeks to diet. It seems like a dumb reason to diet, but I am really just using it as a concrete excuse to clean up my act.

Training

For the next month or so, I plan on lifting 4 times per week, with little cardio. My split will be:

Day 1: Chest and Biceps
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Shoulders and Abs
Day 4: Back and Triceps

In another month, I will introduce cardio to my routine gradually. I plan on starting with 2 times per week, and add one session a week until I hit 5 times/week. I will stay constant with this routine once I am there. As far as a training routine, I really don’t stick to a particular program, I mix a lot of different principles together. I use 5 X 5, higher reps, 20 rep squats, dropsets, supersets, rest pause and any other techniques that my body seems to need at the time. I feel like using these different techniques at different times helps to change things up and keep my body guessing.


Diet

I have tried a lot of different things with my diet, but I am starting to refine it and improve it all the time. Lately, I have been reading a lot about food separation and nutrient timing. I have been experimenting with it a lot lately and have been happy with it so far. I am consuming around 3500 - 4000 cals/day. Even at 6’2 240, this seems to be enough for a clean bulk given my slower than normal metabolism. I try to keep a 40/40/20 ratio of Protein/Carbs/Fat. Lately, I have been trying to get a larger amount of my carb intake from fruits and veggies. I have limited my starchy carb intake to a cup of ground oats in my shake pre workout, cup in my shake post workout, and either brown rice or whole wheat pasta in my post-post-workout meal.

[jked4life]

1/16/06 Monday: Chest and Biceps

Flat Bench Press
245 x 10
255 x 8
275 x 8
315 x 5

Incline Dumbell Press
90 x 8
90 x 6
95 x 5
95 x 5

Ez Bar Curl
100 x 10
100 x 8
100 x 6

Flat Dumbell Press
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5

Concentration Curls
40 r 6 l 6
40 r 6 l 6
45 r 4 l 5

Dips (can’t find equipment to make them weighted)
10
10
10

[jked4life]

Wednesday 1/18/06

Squats (ATG)- I’m still getting used to going that far down, using lighter weights.
225 x 10
245 x 5
245 x 5
255 x 5
265 x 5

Leg Curl
70 r 6 l 6
70 r 6 l 6
70 r 6 l 6
80 r 4 l 4

Seated Calf raises
145 x 9
145 x 7
145 x 6
145 x 6

Front Squats- still getting used to the form, using light weight
135 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5

Stiff legged deadlift
225 x 8
245x 6
275 x 5
275 x 5

[jked4life]

Thursday 1/19/06: Shoulders

Military Press (smith machine)
205 x 5
205x 5
205x 4
225 x 3

Barbell Shrug
245 x 10
265 x 10
265 x 8

Dumbell Press
70 x 8
75 x 6
75 x 6

Barbell Front Raises

45 x 12
55 x 8
55 x 8
55 x 7

Standing Laterals
30’s x 7
30’s x 7
30’s x 6

“Hammer Strength” Behind the Neck Press
180 x 8
180 x 6
180 x 5

[Hola Bola]

Your journal looks good so far! You've definately got a good strength base already!

You might want to invest in a weighted dip/chin belt. Mine is worth its weight in gold to me. Heres the link to the one I use....

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/griz/grizfbelt.html

I noticed you said that with your busy schedule it's hard to get in quality, clean meals. Heres the link to the meal replacement shake I use. All the carbs come from quality sources (oats, barley, oat fiber), unlike most gainers currently on the market, and its got a good protein blend for prolonged absorbtion...

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/mhp/mass.html

At a little less than $2 per serving, its a much better choice than a quick meal at McD's, etc.

[jked4life]

Originally Posted by Hola Bola

Your journal looks good so far! You've definately got a good strength base already!

You might want to invest in a weighted dip/chin belt. Mine is worth its weight in gold to me. Heres the link to the one I use....

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/griz/grizfbelt.html

I noticed you said that with your busy schedule it's hard to get in quality, clean meals. Heres the link to the meal replacement shake I use. All the carbs come from quality sources (oats, barley, oat fiber), unlike most gainers currently on the market, and its got a good protein blend for prolonged absorbtion...

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/mhp/mass.html

At a little less than $2 per serving, its a much better choice than a quick meal at McD's, etc.

Thanks. The dip belt looks great, I'll probably throw that in with my next order. I just got my order of "Mega Milk" from Dymatize. It looks similar to what you recommend, with a mix of fast and slow proteins. The stuff you recommended looks better though. It seems to have less carbs(and lower GI ones) and less fat. This one is a bit heavier on the fat. Either way, its better than going without eating, or compromising with a crappy alternative.

[jked4life]

Here's a link to my daily diet from Fitday.com. I'm not exactly a computer geek, so here goes...

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...Owner=mspreter

[Hola Bola]

Originally Posted by jked4life

Thanks. The dip belt looks great, I'll probably throw that in with my next order. I just got my order of "Mega Milk" from Dymatize. It looks similar to what you recommend, with a mix of fast and slow proteins. The stuff you recommended looks better though. It seems to have less carbs(and lower GI ones) and less fat. This one is a bit heavier on the fat. Either way, its better than going without eating, or compromising with a crappy alternative.

I know you'll be happy you got the belt. Its a high quality fabric one too, instead of hard leather, so it conforms comfortably to your body.

I'd recommend using the "Mega Milk" before bed. Its high in protein/healthy fats (tonalin oil/sunflower oil/canola oil), which I feel is a good combo for bedtime.

The MHP Meal Replacement would be better to take during the day, or even for breakfast, as it has a good mix of carbs (low GI), protein, and healthy fats (flax seed/borage see oils).

I agree, either of the above would be better than not eating or eating crappy food.

One more thing... Milk. It has a good carb/protein ratio, and it has a lower GI than oats or brown rice. If I'm forced to miss a meal, I just buy a quart of milk at a gas station, and voila, you've got yourself a meal.

[MsDominatus]

Hey dude..


where's the progress pictures?

keep it up, some of those you're not too far behind HOla on

[jked4life]

Originally Posted by MsDominatus

Hey dude..


where's the progress pictures?

keep it up, some of those you're not too far behind HOla on

Thanks. I'm gonna try and post progress pics, but I'm not exactly sure how to post pics. It says that the files are too big. They are 1200 x 1600 and I guess they need to be 1000 x 1000 or something. As for the weights, I have about 7 inches of height on Hola, so I would have to do a lot more weight to have the same physique, but I appreciate the props.

[jked4life]

Originally Posted by Hola Bola

I know you'll be happy you got the belt. Its a high quality fabric one too, instead of hard leather, so it conforms comfortably to your body.

I'd recommend using the "Mega Milk" before bed. Its high in protein/healthy fats (tonalin oil/sunflower oil/canola oil), which I feel is a good combo for bedtime.

The MHP Meal Replacement would be better to take during the day, or even for breakfast, as it has a good mix of carbs (low GI), protein, and healthy fats (flax seed/borage see oils).

I agree, either of the above would be better than not eating or eating crappy food.

One more thing... Milk. It has a good carb/protein ratio, and it has a lower GI than oats or brown rice. If I'm forced to miss a meal, I just buy a quart of milk at a gas station, and voila, you've got yourself a meal.

Yeah. I think I am going to have that stuff before bed. Right now I am having a cup of cottage cheese and some whey before bed. I think either would be good, but the extra fat int he mega milk might slow absorbtion and be a better option.

I like the milk option as a meal. I do this frequently when I am not at work, but when I am, I need to limit my fluid intake saomewhat. I am a Special Ed. teacher and I can't leave my room to go pee, if i do all H** will break loose with another person in there.

[jked4life]

More information in the aspect of my diet. I have posted my link to fitday.com, and I wanted to give a rundown. I have been reading a great deal of info by Dr. john Bernardi about staying lean. I really like his outlook on nutrition. Right now, I'm trying to keep it simple, and am trying to live by his 7 habits.

Here's a link...

http://johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/7habits.htm

[jked4life]

I figured some out there would like to know what supplements I use, so I'll psot them.

Philosophy on Supplements

Supplements are exactly what the name states, supplements. I'd say they make up only a small part of the equation, MAYBE 10 % of the whole picture.


Creatine: I've had great luck with creatine and I am going to stick with it. My body responds very well to it. Right now I am using Phosphagen by EAS

Whey: Whey is crucial for pre and post workout, but I don't see this as a supp, just part of my diet

Mega-Milk: Mix of fast and slow digesting proteins for those times during the day, not around the workout.

Multivitamin: Crucial for overall health, nobody gets enough of what they need through food alone, supplementation = vital.

Fish + Flax Oil : I use this mostly for the benefits to the heart, but I like what i have read about the benefits through fat loss.

St. Johns Wort: I take this only for stress and anxiety. I am naturally an anxious stressed person, plus my job can be very stressful. This does a great job at calming me down.

Ginko Biloba: As a teacher, I need to be mentally alert at all times, not sure if this works, but it is cheap and the research supports it.

[WEDGE]

wow, you've really done your research on everything and seem to have ur stuff planned out rather perfectly. Wow, hope you lose the weight your looking, i'm sure you will. Just stick to the diet, thats about 80% of this, and keep working out as hard as you can and you wont have any problems.

WEDGE

[jked4life]

Originally Posted by WEDGE

wow, you've really done your research on everything and seem to have ur stuff planned out rather perfectly. Wow, hope you lose the weight your looking, i'm sure you will. Just stick to the diet, thats about 80% of this, and keep working out as hard as you can and you wont have any problems.

WEDGE

Thanks. I am not a newbie by any stretch, and I do a lot of research in my spare time. I wanted to make this thread to keep myself honest and get some critique from some of the guys and girls (Ms. Dom) on here. I feel like I have a good base, but I always appreciate the support and comments of others. Glad to have you aboard.

[jked4life]

This morning was weigh in, and good news. I dropped 5 pounds. I started the week at 240 and now am at 235. I am a bit alarmed by this amound of drop in one week, but I know that my body natuarlly fluctuates 5 up to 10 pounds in one day. I think most of that 5 pounds is probably water, and next week will be only about 1-2 pounds. I do feel leaner and my upper abs seem more visible in the mirror. Things seem on the up and up.

What I've done:

I really like limiting starchy carbs to around workouts, I feel much more energetic. My carb intake has been plenty high for energy, and my overall calories is up there where it used to be. Basically my calories and macros haven't changed, just the source. I will probably start dropping calories gradually in a few weeks once this weight loss slows. Right now, I am keeping my cals around 3200- 3800, which seems to be maintenance. Although, with this eating technique, maybe my maintenance is higher.

[_Dominik_]

Subscribes

Originally Posted by jked4life

I just got my order of "Mega Milk" from Dymatize. It looks similar to what you recommend, with a mix of fast and slow proteins. The stuff you recommended looks better though. It seems to have less carbs(and lower GI ones) and less fat. This one is a bit heavier on the fat. Either way, its better than going without eating, or compromising with a crappy alternative.

It's heavy on the calories like I said in Aqua's thread so it's clearly not for everyone but most people see "fat" mentioned and freak out, which is obviously why most whey supplements have close to zero carb/fats. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a key ingredient and as Hola pointed out, the fats are the healthier variety.

MHP/Up Your Mass has 7g less fat per serving but more calories total thanks to all those carbs. While it has 14g more protein per serve you're paying a premium for it: there are 13 less servings per tub, and Mega Milk actually has more protein total: 960g (/30) to 782g (/17). So at a glance it might trick you there since it's 4 scoops per serve vs. 2 for Mega Milk.

[jked4life]

Originally Posted by _Dominik_

Subscribes

It's heavy on the calories like I said in Aqua's thread so it's clearly not for everyone but most people see "fat" mentioned and freak out, which is obviously why most whey supplements have close to zero carb/fats. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a key ingredient and as Hola pointed out, the fats are the healthier variety.

MHP/Up Your Mass has 7g less fat per serving but more calories total thanks to all those carbs. While it has 14g more protein per serve you're paying a premium for it: there are 13 less servings per tub, and Mega Milk actually has more protein total: 960g (/30) to 782g (/17). So at a glance it might trick you there since it's 4 scoops per serve vs. 2 for Mega Milk.

Thanks Dom, glad to have you here. I didn't see that at first glance. I'll use the Mega Milk for those hard to get meals, and in another month when my life calms down, I'll be eating whole food only except whey around workout times. oh, and I really like the idea of doing the laterals 3 times per week. I just cranked out a few sets in the basement. I usually am conscious about overtraining, but this is such a small muscle group that it shouldn't be a problem. A wealth of knowledge as usual ...

[jked4life]

This morning I did another weigh in, bodyfat measurment, and bodypart measurment. For the first time since I started bodybuilding, I have made no progress. Since November, my stats have stayed the same except for a slight drop in bodyfat (which I can't figure out). I attribute this to my hectic schedule of teaching, swimming, grad classes. I have struggled to properly plan meals and get to the gym for the past few months, but I haven't been able to stick to my regimen 100%. Stress, anxiety, lack of sleep has definately played a part in this lack of progress. I am actually happy that I am stuck at the same spot, because In November, I was expecting a backslide during this period. Its still frustrating though. Okay, rant over.

Stats

Height 6'2
Weight 236
Bodyfat 12.5%- 13.5% ( Using myostat calipers. I don't trust this reading because I see a lot of fat in my midsection, and it seems like more like 15- 16% by using the mirror. I think ALL of my fat is stored in my stomach though. Here are the individual stats for the calipers. Pec-5.0, Waist 36.0, Thigh 4.0.

Bodypart Measurements (Using Myotape- seems to read about 1/4-1/2 inch smaller than a regular tape measure, but it holds the end in place and is easier to use.

Arms: 18'
Forearms 14 1/4'
Neck 17
Chest 47
Waist 37 1/4
Thighs Upper 27 Lower 25
Calf 16 1/4

[jked4life]

Today was back day, but I did a couple sets of ATG squats to help bring up my legs. I consider them to be a lagging bodypart, so I wanted to get some extra sets in.

ATG Squats
255 x 5
255 x 5
265 x 4
275 x 3

Rack Pulls
415 x 5
415 x 5
425 x 5
315 x 12 (burnout set)

Close Grip Dumbell Press
60 x 10
75 x 7
75 x 8
75 x 8

Close Grip Chins
Bodyweight x 7
Bodyweight x 5
Bodyweight x 4

Pressdown
90 x 12
100 x 8
100 x 5

Wide Grip Pullups
Bodyweight x 5
Bodyweight x 5

Hammer Row
115 r 6 l 6
120 r 5 l 5
120 r 5 l 5

Lat Pulldown
150 x 7
120 x 12 (burnout)

This was a tough workout, I was spent once I was finished.

[The Real Deal]

nice lifts. by ur measurements ur a big boy. keep it up.

[jked4life]

Originally Posted by The Real Deal

nice lifts. by ur measurements ur a big boy. keep it up.

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate the nice words. My lifts are relatively solid, but my mass is hidden by a little extra bodyfat. I plan to clean up a bit and then go back for a clean bulk. Right now, I am just a BIG dude, not so much a bodybuilder look. I want to change that and possibly compete in a year or so. I have a long way to go though and a lot to learn.

[jked4life]

Thanks man. I'm trying. I plan to clean up my bodyfat levels a bit and then clean bulk in late spring. I'd like to get real serious and possibly compete in a year or so, but I have a long way to go and a lot to learn. Thanks for stopping by.

[jked4life]

Today I did my normal Chest and Biceps routine with an added few sets of ATG squats. Legs are still a lagging bodypart, so I need a few more leg excercises in a week. I have an old minor injury in my left delt and bicep that was acting up today. Not enough to put me out of commision, but limited the amount of weight and reps I could do today. Feels fine after putting some flexall on it after my workout. Between this and losing about 5 pounds, the weight felt a little heavier than normal.

Bench Press
warmup
135 x 10
135 x 10
225 x 4
245 x 1

Working Sets (flat bench)
275 x 8
295 x 4
275 x 5
225 x 8

Ez bar curl
100 x 10
100 x 5

ATG Squats
255 x 5
265 x 5
275 x 4
175 x 16 (burnout)

Incline Dumbell Press
85's x 9
85's x 5
85's x 5

Concentration Curls
45 r 5 l 5
45 r 6 l 6

[jked4life]

Diet:

The diet is going very well. I have had no trouble sticking to it. My calorie levels are still high, around 3500 calories a day. My carbs have been varying from between 160g on non workout days to 300 on workout days. Protein has been high, usually over 400g per day. My body has been responding well, as I have plenty of energy during the day and for workouts. My body has felt unusually healthy, which I attribute to the large amounts of fruits and veggies. Overall, I am happy and starting to see results. My diet is available for viewing at fitday.com

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...Owner=mspreter


Physique

I have dropped around 4 -5 pounds in the past week and a half, and I feel good. In the mirror, I look much more defined than I did. This is probably due to me holding less water, and some fat loss. I don't see any muscle loss yet, which I am trying to minimize. No strength loss, but it was hard to tell today as my left delt was hurting me due to a minor injury. I can attribute lower workout weights today to that.

[Hola Bola]

Nice workout today! You used some heavy weight, even with a nagging injury!

Your fitday diet looks good too.

[jked4life]

Originally Posted by Hola Bola

Nice workout today! You used some heavy weight, even with a nagging injury!

Your fitday diet looks good too.

Thanks man. I appreciate the input. I have really been working on the diet. I've been using food separation and nutrient timing to minimize fat gain and still get all the macros. I love it so far, it looks to be similar to what W8 is doing. Feel great, healthy, energetic.

The injury isn't that bad, its just one of those annoying things that hurts a little and you can train around, but it sucks. I think going for too long with low rep workouts brings it on. I couldn't stick with my Max- OT program a few months ago for the same reason. I guess the really heavy weight hurts my tendons and ligaments. I may need to spend some time going back to higher reps, lower weight for a while to heal. Thats okay, maybe I'll get in some supersets and dropsets. Haven't done them in a while.

[ShreddedShruggin]

Nice weights your using on them lifts, man. I'm impressed that through all the troubles you mentioned you've went through, you have still stuck with lifting. Kudos.

-Grimface

[jked4life]

Originally Posted by Still_Shruggin

Nice weights your using on them lifts, man. I'm impressed that through all the troubles you mentioned you've went through, you have still stuck with lifting. Kudos.

-Grimface

Thanks for checking in man. I appreciate the props. Lifting and eating healthy is something I really enjoy and I am glad I stuck with it too. I'm not one to give up easily, so I've kept going. Plus, being an athlete in my younger days, its hard to sit around and be lazy. I couldn't get used to being "retired" as an athlete at 21. I still have athletic and competitive fires burning and bodybuilding is a good outlet for that now. I may or may not compete, but I like the training.