PGSAM's road to 200+

[pgsam]

whats up everyone. I've always kept a training journal for myself, but I thought it might be interesting to keep one on here. I'm 20 years old and a student at maryland institute college of art, majoring in graphic design. I am fairly new to bodybuilding, about a year and 4 months to be exact, but competitive bodybuilding has really sparked my interest in the past 6 months. I'm in two touring bands and try to schedule my training breaks around that. I've been to a few shows and would love to get on stage one day- hopefully next summer.

I have a tall ectomorphic build. I started at 6'1, 155, and am currently 6'1 185. I would like to put on as much size as possible this offseason, hopefully breaking the 200's around my current bf (9-10ish). heres my current diet/split
Protein- 250g
Carbs- 554g
Fat-54g

3,808 cals

meal 1 (preworkout)- 1.5 cups oats, 1 scoops whey, 1 banana,
60g protein, 100g carbs, 9g fat

meal 2 (workout)- 1 scoop whey, creatine w/ Gatorade powder, dextrose/maltodextrin
24g protein, 60g carbs

meal 3(post workout)-tuna sandwich, 2 yams
61 g protein, 105g carbs, 7g fat

meal 4-chicken breast, mixed veggies/beans, 1 cup oats, 1 piece whole wheat bread
35g protein, 83g carbs

meal 5-2 whole eggs + 5 whites, 3 potatoes (450g), 1 piece whole wheat bread
42g protein, 102g carbs, 10g fat

meal 6(snack)-PB sandwich, apple
24g protein, 66g carbs, 20gfat

meal 7-3 cups milk, tablespoon of PB
28g protein, 39g carb, 8g fat

that would be a sample day, but meals 4-7 are sometimes swapped bc of schedule demands.

training-

Monday: Shoulders/arms
Tuesday: lower body
Wednesday: chest/biceps
Thursday: abs/calves/forearms
Friday: Back/triceps
Saturday: off
Sunday: off

if youre curious about why theres so much arms, youll see theyre probably my biggest weakpoint so i threw in the extra sets on monday. I tried to keep everything pretty basic and tried to give myself enough rest to grow. all days focus around a few compounds followed by some smaller isolation exercises as youll see. I will attach some pics/stats in my next post

-Sam

[pgsam]

heres some current stats/pics-

chest- 43'
thighs (6' above knee) - 23.25
arms- 14.75
calves- 16
shoulders- 50.5
forearms- 13.25

i know ive still got alot of frame to fill out as I am pretty long limbed. but some things im really trying to focus on besides overall size is arms, shoulders, upper chest, and back thickness. anything else- feedback is welcome.

-Sam

[pgsam]

allllllrighty....just got back from shoulders/arms. everything went according to plan, I did standing bb militarys for the first time in a long time. I used to be really weak at them, but im still pretty weak. they felt kind of awkward at first but i got used to the balance (im used to seated bb/db)

Standing bb press- 12 x 95, 10 x 105, 9 x 115. I did 3 of 125 and racked it- felt a little heavy for this being my first time trying them again, will save that for 2 weeks from now. (im alternating seated db and standing bb)

standing db laterals- 16 x 15lbs, 10 x 20lbs, 8 x 20 lbs
(supersetted with)
bent over db laterals- 12 x 20lbs, 9 x 25lbs, 6 x 25lbs - I like doing these more than one arm at a time braced against a bench. might try them again next week

Cable laterals- 3 dropsets using 25, 20, then 15 lbs. just an experiment im doing
(supersetted with)
cable rear delt move- dont know what its called
db shrugs (long squeeze)- 15 x 50 lbs, 12 x 55 lbs, 10 x 60 lbs

got all of shoulders done pretty quickly. then off to arm supersets

close grip bench press- 14 x 135 , 12 x 145, 10 x 155- felt like i couldve gone heavier on these, but after 155 my right wrist was pretty toasted. ill shoot for 145, 155, 165 next week though, i want to try and keep my reps in the 8-12 range
(supersetted with)
EZ bar curls - 3 sets with 25's on each side- 10, 9, 9

v-bar pushdowns- 3 sets, all pretty high reps, didnt write down weight
(supersetted with)
incline curls- 3 sets using 25's, 30's 35's....reps stayed in the 8-12 range


i topped it all off with 2 sets of bodyweight to failure. im really hoping adding this extra arm day will help bring them up to par. sometimes its hard to tell if its a good idea with all the compounds. if more volume doesnt work, ill take the other approach, but some kind of action needs to be taken. my training partner and I made a stop by benigans afterward for some southwest chicken fajitas. thats all for today, front squats tomorrow should be interesting

[ugamelb]

our stats are pretty similar, except my bf% a bit higher

u already got good size bro, you'l hit 200 in no time

*subscribed*

[pgsam]

thanks man...I was actually 190 today (I weighed 185 after a week of not training)...i know most is water, so maybe 200 isnt that far around the corner...good luck with your training bro!

[pgsam]

Had a great leg day today. Front squat practice went great, makes me think I can get to a working weight sooner than I thought.

Box squats (14' box)- 12 x 140, 10 x 160, 9 x 185, 6 x 205
went very slow and controlled on these, still new to these

Leg press (close stance)- 14 x 3 plates +25's, 12 x 4 plates, 8 x 4 plates + 25

Front squat - form practice... these are getting easier and easier every week. I wasnt going for reps, just practicing holding it/getting the balance. I did 8 x 95, 8 x 115, then 6 x 135..I was very excited about this since last week, even 95 still felt weird. should be getting to working weight in the next couple weeks, hopefully being able to take a break from back squats for a while.

stiff legged dead lift- still going light on these as I am nursing a pulled back. did 15 + x 135, 12 x 155, 8 x 185. still feels iffy on the back

lying ham curls- 15 x 50 lbs warmup, then 3 x 8 w/ 70lbs

standing calf raises- 3 sets of 15ish reps, didnt write down weight

wouldve done seated calf raises but had to leave early. good day overall

[pgsam]

Chest/biceps

Incline BB- 4 x 8 w/ 140....last set repped out 11 to failure
these still feel light, but it should start setting in around 150ish

High incline DB- 14 x 45's, 12 x 50's, 10 x 55's, 9 x 60's
definitely going heavier on these next week.

flat flye- 3 sets w/ 25's...didnt write down weight

cable crossover- 3 sets bent over, little rest periods

hammer curls- 12 x 35. 10 x 35, 9 x 35

EZ bar curls- 10 x bar +25's, 10 x ", 9 x "

Cable curls standing- 15 x 65lbs, 9 x 75lbs, drop set- 75, 60, 45

Everything felt pretty light today which is good, looking forward to getting inclines strong again. High incline dumbell presses feel amazing, Ive been getting a really deep stretch and really squeezing every rep.

[pgsam]

missed yesterdays entry, although it was just abs/calves/forearms. consisted of-

hanging leg raises- 4 sets (8-15 reps)
seated crunch machine- 4 sets (10-12 rep range)
Standing calf raises- 3 sets (12-20 reps)
Seated calf raise- 3 sets (12-20 reps)
straight bar curl (pronated grip)- 4 sets to failure
behind the back wrist curls- 4 sets to failure

ill make a seperate entry for back

[pgsam]

today was back/triceps,everything felt pretty on point except for missing deadlifts. not sure if it was from legs tuesday, or falling down trying to learn backflips, but my knee felt very shaky which has never really happened. So I played it safe and just started with t-bars

T-bar rows-12 x 2 plates w/ 10, 10 x 2 plates w/ 25, 8 x 3 plates, 8 x 3 plates w/ 10

close grip pullups- bodyweight to failure- 9, 8, 6, 6

Seated rows- 14 x 120, 11 x 130, 8 x 140, 10 x 140 (dont know what happened here haha)

barbell shrugs- 3 sets to failure- 155, 165, 185

dumbell shrugs- 3 sets to failure- 55's, 60's, 65's

dips- 20 x bodyweight, 12 x 25 lbs, 10 x 25 lbs, 10 x 25 lbs then 5 bodyweight directly after

then I experimented with some different kind of french presses. Ive always had to work around elbow issues (used to have tendonitis in both elbows) and most overhead extensions (and skullcrushers) bother them. I think im going to stick to close grip bench, dips, and pressdowns

finished with v-bar pressdowns. this next week will be interesting as I will in between moving. not sure where im sleeping/cooking yet but hopefully that will all be settled by monday

[pgsam]

ahhh, first day of school/first day back at golds. I actually had the oppurtunity to train AM/PM today due to scheduling problems, which turned out to be pretty cool. I did shoulders in the morning and arms later. since i had the time and another 2 meals in me I ended up just doing straight sets for arms.

Seated DB press- 11 x 50's, 8 x 55', 7 x 55's, 4.5 x 60's

Standing laterals- 15 x 20, 8 x 25, 6.5 x 25
(superset with)
Bent laterals (head braced)- 10 x 20 lbs, 10 x 20, 9 x 20- these are alot harder than without being braced...cant use any swing

Cable laterals- 3 dropsets - 25, 20, 15
(superset with)
reverse pec deck- 3 sets didnt write down weight

then arms in the PM-
cloe grip benchpress- 15 x 135, 14 x 145, 13 x 155, 9 x 165- felt real good, im getting stronger at these
dips- 11 x bodyweight, 9 x ", 8 x "...tris were more burnt than i thought after the benching
straight bar pushdowns- 3 sets- didnt write down weight...reps around 10-15
EZ bar curls- 13 x bar +25's, 10 x ", 9 x ", 9 x "
DB hammer curls- 4 sets w/ 35's


some reflections on my first day back at golds- I came in during the peak hour the second time i came in, there musvte been at least 40 people. it looked like a huge dance party (music too). im pretty sure they hide a DJ back where they wash the towels.

sights- first an intelligent conversation between two frat boys about doing deadlifts. one was teaching the other, and on form said - "you dont want to use your legs too much, your ass will seriously be so sore the next day. so what I do is just lift with all back its much better"...he followed up by showing his partner...his starting position had his toroso below parallel with the floor, back fully rounded. then his friend tried it and said it hurt. big suprise

then this older guy came over with a younger training partner, and just slapped 185 on the bar in the squat rack. his partner was like "ohhhh ok starting heavy are we" and the old guy just smiled and gave the "this IS my warmup" look. mind you he was probably 5'9, 145 lbs. while hes at the water fountain his partner starts squatting it (no warmup at all) and had clearly never squatted before. every rep it looked like his knee was going to break in half or something (he was probably lowering down 6 inches, but forward onto his knees). then the older guy followed, with similar form. i miss the gym at home already

[pgsam]

today had a great mid-day leg day, made a few PR's, was stoked...first time I've trained legs without a partner in a while.

forgot a pen today so Ill go from memory as best as I can....

Box squats (14' box)-15 x 135 (warmup) 12 x 145, 10 x 165, 7 x 195, 6 x 215 (PR)

Front squats- 135 x 8, 135 x 6, 145 x 6- these are still feeling weird....I was hoping to bump up to 155 this week. At the bottom it felt like every muscle in my core was flexing, and was still hard to stabilize. its not like its heavy, it just felt uncomftorable still. next week ill bump up to 155.

Leg extension- 12 x 70, 10 x 80, 8 x 90, 8 x 100- move up weight

SLDL- 145 x 15, 165 x 12, 8 x 195, 8 x 215 (PR)
i dont know if id actually call this a PR, ive done more but my back has been acting up for a while now, and these actually felt really good today. Back didnt bother me

Lying ham curl- 12 x 60, 10 x 70, 9 x 70, 7 x 80

Seated calf raise- 3 sets....20 lbs, 30 lbs, 40 lbs....reps in the 12-20 range
Standing calf raise- 3 sets.....105, 115, 135......reps in the 12-20 range

[pgsam]

hmm..yesterday was probably the worst chest day ive had in a long time. I decided to do chest/tris instead of chest/bis which I liked, but thats about the only thing I liked about yesterday. my shoulder has been feeling kind of shaky this week, and when i started warming up today it was feeling real weird. but I kept warming up

incline BB- 4 x 8 145....this was much harder then it shouldve been

Incline DB- 11 x 55, 9 x 60, 8 x 60 this is where things went off track- after my second set my right front delt just felt like ridiculous, like really burnt out...i know its 2 incline moves, but its never happened before. my shoulder felt weird, I just didnt feel I had it in me to do another set

flat flyes- 4 sets w/ 25 until failure, short rest periods...felt ok

so after that I was pretty frustrated. so I did extra tris to make myself feel better

dips- 3 sets

v-bar presssdowns- 4 sets

seated french press- 3 sets - one reason I like doin tris after chest, my elbows were already warmed up....these didnt hurt for once

dip hammer machine- 3 sets

tris put me in a better mood. Im def gonna change something up next week with chest, I think I might start with flat DB just for variation, then do incline DB.

[pgsam]

today 100% made up for yesterday. trained for the first time with an ipod....good god...I trained so much harder with it. so happy I have it. totally worth the 40$ haha. I was stinkin up the squat rack today, it smelled like a sewage tank ruptured by the time I was done with deads/t-bars. all of the intrabdominal pressure was not helping at all

Back/Bi's

Deads- 135 x 12, 155 x 8, 185 x 8, 205 x 8, 225 x 6...these were all really easy, I think my back is almost healed. I forgot my straps today too but its probably good since I couldnt let myself get too heavy too fast. I think next week Ill ramp up to 245/275. im looking forward to getting up to a good working weight again, still feeling em out.

T-bar row- 115 x 12, 135 x 10, 160 x 6, 145 x 8

wide grip pullups- 2 sets- bodyweight x 7, 6

close grip pullups- 2 sets bodyweight- 8, 6

seated cable row- 10, 8, 8 x 135

standing hammer curl- 11 x 30, 9 x 35, 7 x 40, 6 x 40

EZ bar curl- 3 sets w/ 25's...10, 8, 8

Cable curl- 3 sets...didnt write down reps/weight

I was gonna do some extra forearms, but they were done by the time I was done with bis. my bis were supringly tired by the time I was done with back...but was a great time nonetheless. I was pumped the entire time, and since its like hurricaning barely anyone was there. workout time was probably about an hour 20 minutes...im going to start logging that

[pgsam]

since yesterday was labor day and the gym closed early, I skipped the second half of class to go to the gym today. it sucks but I felt i had no choice haha. Even though I had a solid 4 meals in me, the weights felt heavy today. I didnt really feel there mentally but I still got through everything.

Standing BB press- 12 x 95, 9.5 x 105, 6.5 x 115, 6 x 115...these in particular felt heavier than last time

standing laterals- 13 x 20, 9 x 25, 7 x 25
(superset with)
bent DB raises- 3 sets w/ 25's....10, 8, 7

cable laterals-3 sets w/ 25 lbs
reverse pecdeck- 3 sets w/ 90 lbs
DB shrugs- 3 sets

Closegrip bench- 14 x 145, 12 x 155, 9 x 165
(superset with)
standing EZ curl- 3 sets w/ 25's

dips- 2 sets bodyweight to failure

Straight bar pressdowns- 3 sets w/ 120
(superset with)
Seated alternate DB curl- 10 x 35's, 8 x 40's, 5 x 45's....never curled the 45's before so didnt get many

one arm preacher curl- one burnout set with each arm

like I said today everything felt a little off...plus I forgot my musical steroids (ipod) so that mightve had an effect...didnt put up any PR's but I guess you cant every time. tomorrow ill be doing legs, and doing front squats first in the lineup. that will be a first...hopefully ill be able to get a little heavier on them.

[M.J.H.]

No recent updates?

[pgsam]

allllrighty...first day back from my week off...everything is feeling good except my shoulder is still feeling just a little loose but it should shape up. heres the routine ill be following for the next few months....albeit there will be some fine tuning as i work through it

Monday- lower (power)

Back Squats (4 x 6, 5 x 5, 3 x 3)
Deadlifts (4 x 6, 5 x 5, 3 x 3)
Glute ham raises (not sure on reps)

Standing calf raises- 5 sets
Seated calf raises- 5 sets

Tuesday- upper (power)

Incline DB press- (4 x 6, 5 x 5, 3 x 3)
Seated DB military- (4 x 6, 5 x 5, 3 x 3)
Weighted pullups- (4 x 6, 5 x 5, 3 x 3)
Close grip triceps- (4 x 6, 5 x 5, 3 x 3)
DB hammer curls

Wednesday- cardio/abs

Thursday- lower (hypertrophy)

Front squats-
DB lunges-
Leg extensions-

Stiff legged dead- 4 sets
Lying Ham curls- 4 sets
Standing calf raises-4 sets
Seated calf raises- 4 sets

Friday- upper (hypertrophy)

Incline DB press-
Flat DB press-
(superset with)
Cable crossovers (or) Incline hammer strenth (or) chest dips

Seated DB-
Side laterals- "run the rack",
(superset with)
Rear delt raises

Pullups-
T-bar rows-
(superset with)
Cable rows

tricep extensions
(superset with)
Standing EZ bar curl
Seated french press
(superset with)
Seated DB press
Edit/Delete Message

[pgsam]

Lower power day-
still feeling everything out, so weights were a little light today. the same will probably go for tomorrow

Squat- 4 x 6 w/ 195

Deadlift- 4 x 6 w/ 225

glute ham raises- still learning these...actually felt alot better than last week, got a couple full reps each set

ham curls- 2 x 8 w/ 80lbs

Standing calf raise- 4 sets w/ 175 lbs....8- 12 reps
Seated calf raise- 4 sets w/ 25 lb plate

[pgsam]

Upper power day-
today kind of blew because golds gym decided to get rid of their dip belt over the summer, so I couldnt put on weight for pullups/dips

Flat DB press- 4 x 6 w/ 75's
Seated military- 4 x 6 w/ 50's...more weight...definitely 60's next time
Pullups- 4 x 6
dips- 4 sets failure
Hammer curls- 10 x 40's, 8 x 40's, 8 x 40's, drop to 6 x 30's

overall wasnt too great. days like these where youre getting in the swing of things arent very exciting, but I guess are necessary.

My diet has been on point since I moved in to my new place, been getting a solid 7 meals a day, and managed to continue eating cleanly.

[pgsam]

figured id attach some recent pics since i neglected this journal for a while-

[pgsam]

lower hypertrophy day-

did front squats for the first time sincei hurt my shoulder doing them about 3 weeks ago. just stuck with 135 and worked on keeping the bar further back on my delts, but didnt get any pain so thats good

Front squats- 3 sets- 3 x 8-12 w/ 135 (form practice)

Walking DB lunges- 3 sets- 20 yards w/ 40, 45, 50's....second time doing these, love them

Leg extensions- 3 sets - 100 lbs x 8, 90 lbs x 9, 80 lbs x 11, drop to 60lbs x 4, 40 lbs x 6

Glute ham raises- 3 sets- 3 full reps each set (yesss)....couldnt even do 1 2 weeks ago...getting more every time. looking forward to getting stronger at these

Lying ham curls- 4 sets- 80 lbs 8-10 reps, last set drop to 50 lbs and rep out

Standing calf raises-4 sets- higher reps today w/ 135 lbs
Seated calf raises- 4 sets- w/ 50lb
hanging leg raises- 4 sets
weighted crunch- 2 sets, roman chair raises- 1 set

then did some walking when i got home but it started raining about 15 minutes later sooo such much for cardio.

[racin jasin]

look good, man keep up the work. I can see that ur shoulders have grow well.

[pgsam]

you are right about that...theyve come up alot this summer, thanks for the feedback

[pgsam]

Upper hypertrophy-

Chest-
incline DB bench- 3 x 8 w/ 70's
flat DB bench- 2 x 8, 6 w/ 65's, supersetted with 2 sets dips- 10 reps, 8 reps

Back-
widegrip pullups- 2 x 7 w/ bodyweight
closegrip chins- 2 x 8, 6 w/ bodyweight
t-bar rows- 11 x 115 lbs, superset with seated rows, 120 x 12, then 9 x 115 on t-bar, supersetted with 120 x 10 on seated rows

Shoulders-
arnold press- first time doing these, liked them alot- 3 x 7-10 w/ 45's
DB laterals- 1st set- 25's x 7, drop to 20's x 5, drop to 15's x 4
2nd set- 20's x 10, drop to 15's x 7, drop to 10's x 6

supersetted with- rear DB raises- 2 sets w/ 25, 20 lbs
- did dumbell shrugs throughout shoulders when I had a break, got 3 sets in

Arms-all supersetted
tricep pressdown w/ straightbar- 3 sets w/ 120 lbs supersetted with
standing EZ bar curl- 3 sets w/ 75 lbs
Seated french press- 2 sets w/ 60 lb ez bar
Seated alternate DB curl- 2 sets w/ 35's

then on my way out I did a set of tricep dips since I was still pumped...banged out like 10, I was done

everythign felt great today. had a solid 4 meals in me, and was pumped the whole time

[pgsam]

Lower strenth day-

Back Squats- 4 x 4 w/ 225 lbs....felt like the perfect weight, probably couldve done 2 more each set...will probably do 245 next week

Deadlift- 4 x 4 w/ 255 lbs...these were pretty hard actually...decided to go up 30 lbs from my 4 x 6 weight so these were a bit harder...but I was pumped all day, really wanted to go heavier. the first rep on each set was very hard, but once it was up, the 4 after were no problem

Glute ham raises- these didnt go so well since I went harder on squats/deads...did 3 sets, and got 3 reps, 2.5 reps, 1.5 reps

was running so late so only got 6 sets of calfs

Standing calf raises- 3 sets w/ 195, dropped to 135 last set
Seated calf raises- 3 sets w/ 50 lbs

seated calfs were supersetted with weighted hanging leg raises...1 set unweighted, the other 2 with a 5lb DB between my feet

overall good...im feeling pretty beaten up, in my obliques/lower back mostly.

[MOD]

looking forward to seeing your progress on this new routine. good luck.

[danj112]

Journal's looking good man, keep it up. How are you liking the upper/lower?

[pgsam]

I think Ive come down with some sort of flu and had to miss yesterdays workout. hopefully I wont be missing thursday, but right now its looking like I might be. ughhh

[Anotherfling]

Dose up on those C vitamins and chicken noodle soup! I feel for ya man, I hate being sick, hope yer able to get back at it asap!

[pgsam]

allright well I havent updated this in almost 3 weeks but I have some extra time now so why not. Everything has been on track- weights going up, bodyweight going up etc. Today was upper strenth day-

Flat DB press- 3 x 5 w/ 90's..hoping to get these to 100's in 3-4 weeks or so

DB shoulder press- 3 x 5 w/ 65's...70's next time

Weighted pullups- 3 x 6 w/ 10, 3 x 6 w/ 15, 3 x 6 w/ 20...Ill do all 3 sets w/ 20 next time

Weighted dips- 2 sets w/ 25 lbs, then 2 sets on dip machine w/ 225 lbs
DB hammer curls- 1 set w/ 45's, 1 set w/ 40's, drop to 30's

Im still pretty pissed about not being able to do a solid compound movement that mainly involves triceps. Closegrip bench kills my elbows for whatever reason, dips hurt my shoulder. skullcrusher/overhead extension movements usually hurt my elbows as well unless im really warmed up. for someone whos really trying to focus on getting arms up, this isnt helping

[pgsam]

i should also mention that I weigh a solid 191 now...Started this journal at 185, and Ive maintained my BF% throughout. so I think Im on the right track here