June 2012
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Updating my progress on Friday
Put on about 5 lbs now. Very very proud of myself. Going to post my transition pictures this Friday so everyone can see how far I’ve come. I have a previous one. Please go back to my archive to view my past progress thread if you’d like.
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Plateau? Change your routine
I’ve been doing Layne Norton’s PHAT routine for a while. Its centered around 2 heavy full body days followed by 3 hypertrophy days. It’s given me amazing results, but I think its time to change to a new split.
The reason being is that while I’m still making some gains, they aren’t happening as fast and I’m not as motivated. As you continue to do the same...
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The Diet is working
Spoke with a IFBB pro bodybuilder the other day. Told him my bodyweight wasn’t increasing [My cals were about 3000-3400 a day]. He said as a general rule of thumb do the DESIRED BODYWEIGHT x 20 to get your caloric intake needed. Granted I am 23 and work out extremely hard so this may not apply to everyone…but it has given me AMAZING results. I’ve put on a solid .5-1lb a week...
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Not seeing progress? Maybe you should write down...
This goes out to all the people who don’t write out their routines/weight/notes during/after workouts. I feel that keeping a log of your workouts is one of the most important things you can do….so I’m going to rant about it a little.
The reason I’m writing this post is because I was at the gym 2 days ago when an older gentleman came up to me and exclaimed proudly that he...
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May 2012
7 posts
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ANTI-SUPPLEMENT LAW. LETS STOP IT GUYS! →
Please support bodybuilding supplements. This congressman has absolutely NO idea what he is talking about. If you take supplements for bodybuilding or just for overall well-being I urge everyone to sign this petition. Please repost-share this!
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TrueNutrition.com →
By far my favorite supplement site. I advise everyone to take a look at what they have to offer. Bodybuilding.com/Vitamin Shoppe/Amazon.com/etc. all stink in comparison to these guys. They cut out the flashy advertising and allow you to make your own customprotein/supplement mixes. This lowers the price and ensures that the product is tailored directly to you. Personally I use Team Skip...
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20 awesome recipes with protein powder that aren't... →
Livestrong offers 20 great recipes with protein powder from deserts to Hamburgers to help you reach your required daily protein intake.
April 2012
33 posts
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Time to focus
Sorry I haven’t been posting too much. I’m finishing up my last few exams for college then I’m going to dive hardcore into completing my goals.
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Short on time? Here's a way to still get that...
I’ve consistently used this routine whenever I’m very short on time for cardio or just general maintenance. Thank’s Chad Waterbury. This thing will have you DRENCHED in sweat in under 15 minutes.
He notes: “If you’re ever short on time, use complexes. If you ever want to burn a little extra fat by boosting your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), use...
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PHAT workout routine. It's tough, but it's the... →
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Constant Tension for Hypertrophy
Just wanted everyone to recognize how important Constant Tension on the muscle is.
There are a lot of people that workout who lockout at the bottom and top of each rep. For example with the bench press they fully extend their elbows which puts increased pressure on the shoulders. This technique is incorrect for hypertrophy. I’ve found that not only do I fail sooner, but I’ve noticed better...
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Leg Power day
If you’d like to see the full routine please go back through my Archives. I post these for record keeping purposes and for the people that like to judge progress.
Squat:
320 x 5
360 x 4
360 x 5
Hack
270 x 10 (no lockout)
320 x 10 (no lockout
320 x 10 (failure/no lockout)
Seat calf raises (did this earlier because I need to pump my calves up)
90 x 20
90 x 25
90 x 20
Leg...
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Legs day
nuff said
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Rest Days and Sleep
Rest days are one of the most important parts about bodybuilding. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen people who are motivated to get strong or improve their physique who workout 24/7 and wonder why they aren’t experiencing gains equivalent to others that workout less.
This is because your muscles need to recover before they can be torn all over again. When you workout you...
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Why bodybuilders are more jacked than powerlifters →
For those figuring out their workout routine…and why SS may not be as good as you think.
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Lower body power day
My workout April 14, 2012
Squat with plate machine (3 sets of 3-5 reps)
90 lb x 12 warm up
270 x 5 easy
320 x 5
340 x 5 (failure)
Hack squat (2 sets of 6-10 reps)
230 x 12 (easy)
320 x 11 (failure)
Leg extensions (2 sets of 6-10 reps)
210 x 10 failure
230 x 10 failure
Stiff leg deadlift (3 sets of 5-8 reps)
135 x 12 (easy warmup)
185 x 10 (easy) -back started to hurt so I...
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Grocery List
Pineapple
Bananas
Chicken Breast (protein)
Turkey Breast (protein)
Tilapia (protein)
Cottage cheese (protein)
English muffin (carbs)
Whole grain toast (carbs)
Honey (carbs)
Whole grain pasta (carbs)
Old-fashioned oatmeal (carbs)
Brown rice (carbs)
Sweet potatoes (carbs)
TONS of frozen/unfrozen vegetables (fibrous carbs)
Raisins (fat/low glycemic)
Avocado (fat)
Almonds (fat)
...
Starting the diet
Time to start the diet. Going to be eating about 6-7 meals a day at 3 hour intervals. They are going to contain proteins/fibrous carbs/and healthy fats. I’ll post in more detail later today or throughout the week.
Diet Tip for Lean Mass
Want to lose weight, but still keep your mass? The key is to keep insulin production at a low (the stuff that stores calories as fat). To do this eat your starchy carbs like oatmeal in the morning and more fibrous carbs towards the end of the day (vegetables, etc.). This will help you keep insulin spikes down if combined with healthy fats like almonds, peanut butter, etc. As usual, eat a lot of...
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Upper body power day
My workout for April 13, 2012
DB bench (3 sets x 3-5 reps)
45’s lb x 12 warm up
80’s x 6 (easy)
90’s x 4
95’s x 3 (failure)
Weighted Dips (2 sets of 6-10 reps)
45 lb x 12
55 lb x 10
Barbell Row on platform (I can drop the bar much lower if I stand on a platform) (3 sets of 3-5 reps)
185 x 6 (easy)
225 x 4
205 x 5
Weighted pull up (2 sets x 6-10...
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Want to see a Bodybuilders diet and how it works?... →
Scivation’s diet. I’m going to follow something very similar to this over the next 3 months. They also have precontest diets and workout regimens/diets for women. All very well written and easy to understand.
By the way these pdf books are free.
Here is a direct link to the lean mass diet.
http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/other/theleanmassdiet.pdf
This is also one of the...
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Chest/Arms Day April 11, 2012
Wanted to take a moment to post my routine from yesterday. It was a PHAT routine by Layne Norton.
Dumbbell bench (6 sets of 3) (EXPLOSIVE) (Use 60-70% of 1 rep max)
40’s x 12 warmup
75’s x 4
75’s x 4
75’s x 5
75’s x 4
75’s x 4
75’s x 4
Incline Dumbbell (DB) (3 sets of 8-12)
65’s x 10
65’s x 12 failure
65’s x 8 failure
Hammer...
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Last training day of the week
Last training day of the week for 2 days.
Let me use the non-fitness fanatic example. Why do you love Fridays? Well assuming that you have a 8-5 job and that it has been pushing you to your caffeine limits all week, you are really looking forward to finishing up at work and then heading home to relax….aaAaaAAhh (Sigh of relief)…knowing full well that you don’t have to even turn...
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Leg Workout
My hypertrophy leg workout April 10, 2012. (NOT my strength routine)
Squats with assistance (Used a squat machine where you add plates since my knees aren’t durable). 6 sets of 3. The key here is EXPLOSIVE
135 x 8 warm up
180 x 4
180 x 5
230 x 4
230 x 4
250 x 4
Hack squats (3 sets of 8-12)
200 x 12
200 x 15 (failure)
200 x 14 (failure)
Leg Press (2 sets of 15-20)
410 x 16...
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Tip to remember
Your battle in the gym isn’t to a hit a number, its to reach a sensation. The feeling that you can’t go any further with a rep or set. That you’ve truly brought your muscle to its breaking point and you still cranked out one more rep. If you make it this far in a set you will be on your way to muscle growth, otherwise all you’ve have to look at the end of the day is a...
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Competition Time
Well…I’m going for it. I’m going to enter my first competition. I’m currently surfing contests that I could get my foot in the door with, but far enough out so that I have enough time to correctly diet and get my mind in the right place. Keep checking the blog for progress pictures.
Anyone interested in the “PHAT” routine will definitely be able to see how...
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How did you die? →
Not usually the kind of guy that likes poems, but this one is definitely inspirational.
March 2012
7 posts
I hate leg days
Self-Explanatory.
Back to the Grind
After a brief stint of serious overtraining (I think) it’s back to the workout grind. Going in for a hard power lifting day to day.
By the way from a person perspective I’ll give you my overtraining symptoms:
Dull headaches
Lethargic (absolute NO motivation to workout)
Decreased energy in the gym and in life.
Very very groggy and my mind felt slow/cluttered.
Achy body and felt...