Journal of a guy who wants to look like he works out

[RXP91]

I've started a couple journals on here, but all failed cause I coudln't be bothered. Hopefully now I have the motivation.

history
Anyway brief history. I'm 5ft6", I used to be really skinny 110lbs and then I bulked up to around 130 lbs around Oct 2004. I then got some serious stresses and lost alot of weight, I got down to 100lbs at one point. [included in the pics]. That was around Dec 2004. I bulked back up and this time rounded off at 140lbs, which is my current weight. But I gained alot of fat. I gained 40lbs but not much of it could be muscle cause even if 20lbs of that was, you'd see the difference.

Anyway, my short term goal is to cut the fat off. Be around 125lbs 10% bf. Then bulk. I hate the fat I have right now. I want to look like I actually bust my ass every week lifting weights, cause currently I just .... don't.

Workout routine

I have at least two compound lifts in every work out. The only isolations I'll do is ham and bicep curls. My new plan is to only have two workouts and leave two days rest between each. I might not need two days rest, if I feel up for it I'll workout after one days rest. But a typical example of my routine:

Day 1: Squats, benchpress, ham curls, mil press, calf raises, shurgs
Day 2: rest [cardio]
Day 3 rest [cardio]
Day 4: Deadlifts, barbell rows, weighted crunches, seated dips, bicep curl
Day 5: rest [cardio]
Day 6: rest [cardio]
Day 7: repeat Day 1.

Problems with the plan:

I work out at home so I can't work my back properly, which is increadibly frustrating. I don't have a chinning bar here and even if I did, the one I use at home I don't have sufficent lat strength to do many. I need to do lat pull downs but can't. So my lats and back will most likely suck until I can get into a gym.

Squats too are a problem. So I do hack squats, I realise this isn't as good but it's the only thing I can do and honestly it feels tough. Although sometimes I fear for my back.

I'm going to take poundage off all my lifts and perform them with maximal tension i.e. not letting the bar hit the floor or locking knees etc. My lifts are pretty poor anyway so it's gonna look even worse. But hopefully i'll make progress this way.

Diet

I've finally started calorie counting properly. I use some software called 'CalorieKing'. it'st he only one that I found that will let me do what I want and figure out ratios.

My cutting diet is 2220calls in a 40/40/20 split. The software helped me realise I really wasn't getting enough fat and eating way too many carbs before actually too many calories period, if I'm honest.

Staple carbs: Powdered oats, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoe
Staple meat: turkey although I do mix it up with chicken, tuna, mackerel

Post work out: Immediately after: whey and dextrose, 30 mins later: potatoe and meat, 60 mins later: potatoe and whey.

I gotta get some natural penut butter, so add that. I used to eat a ton of tuna but after reading about mecury stuff I got scared, so meh. Only gonna eat it twice a week.

Supps
I just stopped creatine cause I'd been on it for a couple months. I'm taking Whey, milk protein concentrate, fish oils, dextrose and powdered oats.

measurements

Arms: 12.8"
Forearm: 10.5"
Chest: 35"
Quad [4" above knee]: 17
Calf: 13"
Waist: 32.5" [I used to be 28"!]

I've attached pics of me from yesterday at 140lbs and when I used to be 100lbs. I'll post measurements and pics every month and update the journal with each weights session. I'm hoping I can keep on track, keep motivated and if I don't make gains because I'm watching my diet closely you guys can give some advice.

Oh yeah one last thing might be helfpul my maxes:

Bench: 107 [I cannot get past this, extremely frustrating]
Squat: 107 x 12 [works out to around 150-160lb max)
Deadlift: 107x11 [ditto]

[RXP91]

Had an awesome workout yesterday. Set a new deadlift PR (117x7) and the target I have written on my wall is only 120x10 so I guess I have to up it cause that target is for July 2005. But my form must have been dodgy or I shruged the bar cause my back felt 'dodgy' after like a burning. I usually get that when I do things wrong. I have to prop the bar up on some books so I don't have to go to low to pick it up.

The log from my excel sheet:

	        kg      reps

Deadlifts	39.3	13
	        43.9	8
	        53.1	7, 7, 6

Barbell Rows	28.5	10
	        33.5	6, 5

Military Press	14.7	13, 11, 9

Seated Dips	24.5	10, 10, 9

Ham Curls	11.3	9, 9, 7

The first two sets of DL were contant tension, no locking, no resting the bar.

I'm keeping my mil press really light and gonna do some high rep ranges for a month or so because strength really hasn't increased for them at all after years of training them. They're by far my weakeast part (I can bicep curl more than military press). Basically trying perodization on them and I prolly will for all my lifts soon.

I overshot my cals yeterday, 2500. That was cause I needed to have pre and post work out meals. I'm actually just gonna keep cals on non work out days to 2200 but on workout days I'll eat more carbs. I don't want to do workouts like this feeling empty.