Mast Size log

[Mastagon]

I dropped 20 pounds of mostly fat, now I'm ready to put on some size. Here is the general idea.

THE OLD BULKER:

I realize my last diet, I was just cramming in as much food as I could. Forcing myself to eat much more than I needed.

While it did take a long time to do it, I did put on more weight than I liked.

After being on the diet for 7 weeks, I think I can use it to give me a few calorie points:

NEW BULKER:


I.e. in bulking, I’ll be using

- low call dressings
- crystal light
- taper my carb intake down at the end of the day
- light meal in the morning
- less shit food

I’ll try to keep the meal spacing’s more consistent. Here some ideas on the diet.

Protien:

- Lots of chicken, but also
- more steak, I’ll aim for 1 a day
- Some pork chops
- Salmon
- Shrimp
- Cottage cheese

The carbs of my meals will be made up of

- whole wheat pasta
- brown rice
- potatoes in some form


Fats:

I can have my carbs and proteins down. Past bulking diets have consisted me of mostly managing these guys, and then shoveling loads of other shit on top to make sure I have all my “caloric bases” covered. But I’ve never really managed my fats.

Before, it was incidental fats, or just fats from “shoveling the crap/junk food” on. I wasn’t paying much attention, just eating the largest amount of food I could tolerate. This time around, I’ll be a much more active in the choice of fats. And much more cautious. My training and dieting so far has helped me realize how much fats can contribute to my goals, weightloss or gain, overall.

If protein and carbs are the foundation, then fats would be the mortar or something. That little bit extra on top, to make sure that along with the carbs, I ensure my body has the best steady and strong supply (but not an overwhelming supply) of nutrients that it can use to make sure all that ****ing chicken and training is going to accomplish something. So about that, fats will be around 20% of the caloric intake. This will be eyeballed, and also measured by how my body reacts to the fat (i.e. feel and weight gain).

So, fat sources will be:

- my primary fat
o milk
o peanuts/peanut butter
o extra virgin olive oil
o And my favorite, liquid whole pasteurized eggs. So I’ll be getting some more protein here. And I can get these by the 12L case for cost.


- other sources
o cheese
o cottage cheese
o salmon/other fatty meats like pork
o

I was thinking of bulking for a year, but I will see what happens after 26 weeks, or 6 months. So if by 6 months, I’ve had some solid strength gains, but I’ve put on 10 pounds more fat then I’d like, then I’ll diet that off in 6-7 weeks or however long, and then startup again.

Projections/goals of this diet as far as strength numbers at the halfway point are:

Bb press: 225x10, hopefully much higher. (185x7 current)
Db flat press: 110x10 (90x6 current)
BB row 275x12 (225x6 curent)
Deadlift: 400x8 (325x6 current)
Bb squat 265 x12 or higher. Squat form has always been a son of a bitch with me, so if I get a lower weight with very solid form I’ll take that. Even now doing only 225x10, which is light as far as these things go, my legs look better then some who do 50-70 pounds heavier.

Anyway, I'm mostly just interested in size. These numbers will be just useful goals/a guide.

My main goal is just general size all over, but I will be emphasizing chest. My chest pisses me off right now. The whole thing is just not enough for me, so I’m not going to put up with that anymore.

I want to bring my biceps and triceps up,

Rear delts need work.

Legs just general size, hamstrings need to be brought up more also. And calves. Lovely lovely calves...

I may throw in a shoulder day or so every now and again, but to me my shoulders look fine compared to the rest of me. So if things start getting a little more balanced at the 6 mark point (i.e. I’ve brought up the chest a lot) I will definitely throw in a shoulder day.

Training split is something like this:

chest/back/legs(break)chest/back/legs

There will be the odd arm/misc parts day here and there.

Basically, I’ll be taking what I was eating on my diet, increasing the carbs, and throwing in fats, but being much more cautious about my caloric intake, and eating less in general and less shit then my last bulker.

So here we go. I’m not sure how I’ll be updating this, probably sporadically as far as at least diet goes, just to give an idea of what I’m doing day to day, without posting what I’m eating every day. I’ll post every week out though, and thoughts about each workout etc. It may turn into once a week.

I know I have a world of stuff I don't know and need to know to get the most out of while, but I have no shortage of commitment. What I do know is that I’m through ****ing around. And I’m ready to get to work.

Here goes.

[Mastagon]

MEALS OCT 6

meal 1

3/4 cup oatmeal
zone perfect bar (you may laugh now. very uncommon. Its been chicken every day for the past 70 days)

meal 2

3/4 chicken breast
1/2 cup rice
handful of peanuts
small amount of cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk

meal 3

1/4 chicken breast (had to throw out most of it, tasted like ass water)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup rice
some peanuts

meal 4

3/4 chicken breast
1/2 cup rice
some peanuts
1/2 cup milk

meal 5

200g steak
1 cup hashbrowns
1 cup of meal + 2 whole eggs

meal 6

chicken breast
1 cup hashbrowns
some peanuts


--------------

too much fats here. I'm going just by how my body felt. I've noticed I've cut down on the protein a little since I started putting that fats on. I'm not sure if that's a very bad thing, as I think I'm still getting more than enough at each meal. Picked up some liquid whole eggs today. Couldn't get the cost price I wanted, but what I did get works out to $3.50 a liter, which is about 20 eggs, so its still a good price. This will be a great addition to pre-workout shakes, and just quality calories in general.

As a side note, I'll be taking ANIMAL PAK vit the entire time, as well as 5g of metamucil twice daily.

Overall:

I think the calories were a little on the high side, but I did have some good meal intake consistency, so that's great. Tomorrow is chest day at 6am. As I've said chest is one of my worst parts, calories will be allowed to get a little higher than the other days, but I'll try to keep it from getting reckless.

[GYMBRAT]

looks good bro keep it up and I'll be following your log as well.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 7 LEGS

leg sled

2 plates a side x12
3 x 12
4 x 12
4 1/2 x8

bb squat (fairly deep)

135x12
155x12
165x12
185x8

hack squat (deep, I did this twice)

165x12
185x12
205x12
225x10

ham curls

95x8
110x8
125x8

-------------

I'll be going easier with the weight on this day for a while. I'm not comfortable with form still. I'm still having a hard time mentally sorting out where the major thrust for the squat should be coming from. I'd like it to come mostly from the side quads, but I can't ignore the hip/glutes involvement. And not being confident enough with the form on this one, has cause me to put way too much strain and minor injuries to my right knee. So playing it safe, but I'm still giving it a good effort anyway.

[Mastagon]

MEALS OCT 7

meal 1 (preworkout)

1/2 cup milk + 1 1/2 whole eggs

meal 2 (post)

1 cup milk
50g whey isolate
2 whole eggs
some peanuts

meal 3

3/4 chicken breast
1 cup cream of wheat

meal 4

3/4 chicken breast
3/4 cup whole wheat pasta
some peanuts
more peanuts

meal 5

3/4 chicken breast
3/4 cup whole wheat pasta
some peanuts
1/2 cup milk

meal 6

1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup rice
1 cup milk, 2 whole eggs, 20g whey concentrate

meal 7

1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk

--------------

meals went well enough. Not too much space in between, so thats good for constant nutrient flow. A little bit heavy on the fat side, but I think better than yesterday. Shit I love peanuts. Tomorrow Chest, at 6am. Horray

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 8 CHEST

incline bb press

155x5x4
160x5

flat bb press

155x12
165x12
175x12
185x8

flat db press

75x6
70x5
65x5x2

(I was a little burnt at this point, should have done a fly movement)

flat db fly

35x12
40x12
45x10
52x8
50x8

Machine press

185x12
195x12
215x10
225x8

-------

Going low on the weight, high on the workload. 5x5 worked great for my back, so I'm going to use it for a while on my upper chest. I wish I could have thrown in one more machine set, but I had to run to work after this. I find the machines really help me dig the last little bit out near the end of my workout

[Mastagon]

MEALS OCT 8

meal 1 (preworkout)

1/2 cup milk
2 whole eggs

meal 2 (post)

1 1/4 cup milk
50g whey isolate
2 whole eggs
protein bar

meal 3

3/4 chicken breast
1/2 cup whole wheat pasta
2 donuts (yes, you may laugh now)
some peanuts
1/2 cup milk

meal 4

3/4 chicken breast
1/2 cup milk
some peanuts

meal 5

200g steak
1 cup hashbrowns
10ml olive oil
some peanuts
1/2 cup of milk

meal 6

1 cup cottage cheese

meal 7

1 cup milk
50g whey
2 whole eggs

-----------

I'm still dicking around with my postworkout meals. By the time I get back from the gym I have about 10-15 min to eat something before I need to be out the door for work. I don't think I'm getting enough simple sugars with this, hence me needing the donuts at meal 3. Didn't really want to, but it was either that or claw my eyes out of my head.

It would be great to have a solid 30 min or more rest after the gym, but the opening hours of my gym plus the times I work, make this impossible. Whatever. aside from that, I think the calories went well today. Tomorrow is arms and leftovers at 6am. Horray

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 8 ARMS/MISC

bb hammer curl/overhead tricep ext superset

30x12/30x12
35x12/35x12
40x10/40x12
45x8/45x10
45x7/45x8

preacher bb curl/tricep pulldown superset

20x12/ 60x12
25x12/65x12
30x8/70x10
35x8/75x8
35x8/75x8

pully machine curl/pushdown superset

135x5/155x5 (x5)

seated calf machine

180x20
195x20
210x20
225x15
225x15

ham curls

90x12
105x8
120x8

----------------

Went well enough. I enjoy the super setting, so I'll stick with that for a while. This was a fairly low intensity workout.

[Mastagon]

MEALS OCT 9

meal 1 (preworkout)

1/2 cup milk + 2 whole eggs

meal 2

1 cup milk
2 whole eggs
50g protien
3/4 cup oatmeal

meal 3

1 cup pasta
3/4 chicken breast
2 donuts
some peanuts

meal 4

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup rice
3/4 chicken breast
some peanuts, some walnuts

meal 5

7 jumbo spicy chicken wings
some peanuts
1 cup milk

meal 6

3/4 cup cottage cheese w/ some grape jam
1 cup milk

meal 7

1 cup milk

------------------------

Went well enough. Meals for me I think should be like a very quick caloric taper up, and then a slower taper down near the end of the day. I.e.,

light pre workout meal
heavy liquid calorie meal + slow digestion energy base (oatmeal, I'd like to have this in the preworkout, but that would mean waking up at 4am, which I'm not going to do...)
first solid sitdown meal of the day can be the biggest meal of the day.
slightly smaller meal here, then I taper down the carbs gradually for each meal from this point.

This would ensure I have the largest bulk of calories near the time when I need them the most (i.e. within a few hours of lifting), and then I work down from there.

This makes sense to me. And will allow me to eat a little bit of dirty shit near the start of the day, so I don't go mental eating pasta and rice all day long for the next year. Tomorrow BACK DAY. Favorite day of the week.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 10 BACK DAY

BB ROW

205x5x4
210x8

DB ROW

85x12
90x12
95x12
100x10
105x8
110x6

wide grip pulldowns

160x8
165x8
170x8
175x8
180x8

retarded pulldown machine, with plates, its like a stupid seesaw or something

2 plates a side x12
3 x12
3 + 25's x8
3 + 10's x8

----------------------

BB ROW will shoot for 210 next time. I find 5x5 great for digging into the back, especially when you cut down on the time between sets. I go fairly slow upping the weight for this, usually the last set or last 2 set gets upped in 1-2 weeks by 5 pounds, then I match up the first 3 sets in 1-2 weeks. If that makes sense.

Shit god I love back day. There's nothing like cranking through sets like this.

Wide grips I don't screw around with anymore. Keep the weight reasonable, and concentrate on spot on form. Felt pretty good.

Wanted one more set I think, I like to finish things off with 2 machines, but I was definately 45 min late for work, so I thought I'd leave er be.

I'm pretty happy with this back day. Definitely one of my best. Next week I don't work at 8am, so I'll be able to put in some more time and hopefully get in an even better one.
I will post pics sometime in the next few days.

[Mastagon]

No training today. I got sucked into thanksgiving dinner with a friend's family. I'll do everything in my power to train tomorrow, if I can find a gym in town that's open. But it might not happen.

I think I have the right idea training chest/back/legs about twice a week. By the time I cycle back around to the 2nd one I find its mostly recovered. I think can improve recovery time with better sleep, but I can't keep sleep at a solid 8 hours due to mild insomnia off and on.

Recovery time's will change I think as I find the sweet spot in training volume/style for each body part. Back is pretty good. Chest is still me worrying too much about weight...

[Mastagon]

poop nuggets

[Mastagon]

no training oct 11-12

TRAINING OCT 13 CHEST

INCLINE BB

160x5
165x5
170x5
175x5
180x5

FLAT DB

75x12
80x12
85x9
80x6

FLAT FLY

45x5
45x5
50x6
55x5
60x5

BB FLAT

155x8
155x8
150x8
145x7

CABLE FLY

75x5
75x5
80x5
90x5
90x4

PRESS MACHINE

195x8
210x9
225x6
245x4

MACHINE FLY

195x8
210x8
225x8
240x6

---------------

I was playing it safe on a few lifts so I had to compensate by putting in more volume. I will shrink this down by cutting out a machine set, so I'll only have 2 at the end, and maybe by cutting out a set from the higher rep sets. I misjudged my strength on incline and 5x5 fly, so they'll start higher next time. The general plan of alternating between 8-12 rep sets with 5x5 will stay.

[Mastagon]

OCT 13: NUTRITION

MEAL 1 (pre)

1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 whole eggs
some nesquik

meal 2 (post)

50g whey
1 1/2 cup of milk
2 whole eggs
nesquik

meal 3

peanut butter on a whole wheat bagel
1/2 chicken breast

meal 4

peanut butter on a whole wheat bagel
1/2 chicken breast

meal 5

burger king double whooper meal

meal 6

1 cup of milk
1 whole egg
nesquik

meal 7

1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup rice

meal 8

1 cup of milk
1 whole egg
nesquik

meal 9

3/4 chicken breast
1 cup of milk
whole egg
nesquik
---------------------------

Nutrition for chest day will always be heavier, like I explained at the outset. I had the day off, so I had free reign to eat outside of my regularly premade meals. I opted to go dirtier to get the extra calories, and threw in 3 extra egg-milk drinks for the same reason. Its nice that I can barely taste the egg if I throw in a bit of nesquik. I don't think I went longer than 1h 45 min between taking in some kind of food, so thats great. And I got about 8 1/2 hours of sleep. Overall, I think one of the best training/nutrition days for chest I've ever had.

[Mastagon]

OCT 14 TRAINING: LEGS

BB SQUAT

135x12
155x12
175x10
195x10
210x10

BB SQUAT 2

235x4
235x4
225x4

BB SQUAT 3

135x15
135x15
135x15

LEG SLED

3 plates a side x 8
4 x 8
5 x 6

seated calf machine

225x20
225x15
245x10
245x10
245x8

----------------------

I read a variation on this 3 BB squat style in a book by Fred Hatfield. For now, I will alternate this 3 BB squat with a different style of leg day, more like the previous one, with three machines + one bb squat.

I enjoy his ideas about compensatory acceleration, keeping the knees above the feet and back angle, and bar placement; they all seemed to help keep the stress on the quads during the bb squat, something I've had difficulty with. I just need to make sure the acceleration doesn't begin full power at the bottom of the squat; my knees don't like this too much. Nothing much else to say here. I still have yet to settle in with a form on squats I'm confident with.

Tomorrow is arms/misc

[Mastagon]

Also, I noticed some girl unloading plates from a bar beside the rack I was working on. I thought some asshole had left the weight on there and she had to take it off... I was wrong. She was actually loading weight on. After she loaded it up, she did 4 sets of 5 reps squats, at 265, without breaking a sweat. That was neat to watch.

[Mastagon]

NUTRITION: OCT 14

MEAL 1 (PRE)

1/2 cup of milk + nesquik

meal 2 (post)

50g whey
1 1/2 cup of milk
2 whole eggs
nesquik

meal 3

1 1/4 cup of rice
1 chicken breast
1/2 cup milk

meal 4

1 cup milk
3/4 chicken breast
1/2 cup rice
some walnuts

meal 5

mondo burrito, approximately
-50g protein
-200g carb
-15g fat

meal 6

3/4 chicken breast
1 cup whole wheat pasta
2 cookies

meal 7

25g whey
1 cup milk
2 whole eggs
nesquik

---------------

Went well enough. God the rice is good when you make it fresh. Ran out of peanuts, had to eat walnuts. Hurray

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 15: ARMS/MISC

DB HAMMER/OVERHEAD DB TRICEP superset

35x10/35x12
40x10/35x10
45x10/40x10
50x6/45x10
40x6/45x8

BB CURL/SKULL CRUSHER superset

50x10/50x8
65x8/65x8
65x8/70x10
65x8/80x8
65x6/80x8

CABLE CURL/CABLE TRICEP EXT

135x5/155x5
135x5/160x5
135x5/165x5
135x5/170x5
135x5/165x5

LYING LEG CURL

90x8
105x8
120x8
130x10

SEATED CALF EXT

180x180 reps

Done in sets of 20, escalating pauses between each set starting at 5 sec. So 1st set=5 sec pause, second set, 10 sec pause etc.

-------

Strength felt a little bit up. I could have gone heavier on the skull crushers but my right wrist was being funny. Tomorrow is back.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 16-BACK

deadz

135x12
225x8
275x8
325x8

BB ROW

205x6
205x6
205x6
205x7
205x8

db row

80x12
85x12
90x12
95x10
100x8
100x8

-----------
8 hours break
----------

wide grip pulldown

165x8
170x8
170x8

seated row

195x8
200x8
215x8
225x6

bb row II

205x10
220x10

----------------------

Boy this was a hoot. Got 3 hours of sleep, got to the gym a little later than I would have liked, so I had to cut the workout into two parts. First half went very well. Throwing on another set would have made it great. My grip was for shit on the deadlift. I could have done 335x6-7 easy if I wasn't so burnt. Next time I will shoot higher. I alternate deadlift every other week, and at this rate I think I can throw on another 5-7 pounds each time. If I keep this up, that should put me at about a 78 pound increase in 8 months, putting me a little past my goal. This should be doable as long as I don't dick my back up again.

DB row 5x5 will pop up in weight a little for next time, as will wide grips and bb row II if I do a second bb row.

Tomorrow is my one day off a week. And shit do I need it. Sunday is chest day.

[Mastagon]

NUTRITION: OCT 16

meal 1 (pre)

1 cup milk
2 whole eggs

meal 2 (post)

1 cup milk
2 whole eggs
nesquik
40g protein
3/4 cup oatmeal

meal 3

peanut butter on w/w bagel
3/4 chicken breast

meal 4

1/2 chicken breast
1/2 cup of w/w pasta

meal 5

3/4 chicken breast
peanut butter on w/w bagel

meal 6 (pre)

1 whole egg
1 cup milk


meal 7 (post)

2 whole eggs
1 cup milk
40g whey

meal 8

1 medium dominos pizza
3/4 chicken breast

meal 9

3 pieces of pizza

--------------

Yeah yeah, whatever. I needed the calories and it was delicious. There is still some solid clean food here regardless.

[Mastagon]

amazing chest workout today. Best yet.

And now I have food poisoning for some reason. mother****er

[GYMBRAT]

good work bro.....get that fixed up and kick some more ass!!

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 18: CHEST

BB INCLINE

175x5x3
180x5
185x5

BB FLAT

155x12
180x8
190x7
195x5

DB FLY

55x8
55x8
60x7
65x6

DB PRESS

70x5
70x5
70x4
70x5
70x4

FLY MACHINE

215x8
230x6

PRESS MACHINE

225x8
235x8
240x6

----------------------

Best chest day yet. I was very surprised by the flat bench increase. My last time with this was 185x8. I changed my form a bit, and I'm working more with explosive movements and that "compensatory acceleration" I talked about, so I think those factors plus a small strength increase are the reason for this. Next time should b even better, as long as I shake this food poisoning crap.

[warlock]

dude,,, have you ever heard of fruits and vegetables???? LOL

Everything seems to be under control but I'd ditch the peanuts for almonds/almond butter add fish/oregano oil have 2 pieces of fruit a day and shoot for at least one salad a day.

Good luck

[Mastagon]

Hey Warlock,

Thanks for the info. I was wondering what was wrong with peanuts?

Also, I don't write it in the log, but I do get some fruit in every now and again.

And what's the point of throwing in the salad?

-Mast

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 20: LEGS


LEG PRESS

2 plates a side x8
3 x 8
4 x 8
5 x 8

BB SQUAT

155x12
185x8
205x8

HACK SQUAT

170x12
190x12
215x12
230x8

-----

That's all I had time for.

I went very deep on the leg press. BB squat went well enough. Hack squat was for shit.

I've said a few times that my right knee bugs me sometimes. Well, I think I may have figured out what it is: "first degree medial collateral ligament sprain." Looking at some musculature diagrams of the side of the knee, that's exactly where I feel pain, and where the pain radiates from. I'm pretty it comes from me squatting like an idiot.

[Mastagon]

NUTRITION OCT 20TH

MEAL 1 (pre)

1/2 cup milk

MEAL 2 (post)

1 cup milk
2 whole eggs
3/4 cup oatmeal

MEAL 3

3/4 chicken breast
w/w bagel

MEAL 4

3/4 chicken breast
1 cup rice

MEAL 5

chicken breast
1 1/4 cup hasbrowns

MEAL 6

chicken breast
1/2 cup rice
doritos

MEAL 7

3/4 chicken breast

[Mastagon]

OCT 21 TRAINING: ARMS/MISC

Screw posting numbers today. Training was all over the map, so there is no point. Lets just say I know there was some minor strength increases.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 22: CHEST

BB FLAT

155x12
180x9
190x8
200x7

BB INCLINE

175x5
175x5
170x5
165x5
160x5

FLAT DB FLY

60x8
55x8
50x8

FLAT PRESS MACHINE

240x9
235x8

-------------

Hurray for breaking the 200 mark. I think the training was more effective last time though, as I'd been doing that arrange of lifts for a few weeks... but I know I needed to change things up. I can't seem to really load on the sets/punishment as much with chest. Maybe that's just me, or a side effect of the way I'm doing things now. So thank god its back day tomorrow.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 22: BACK

BB ROW

210x5
210x5
210x5
215x5
220x5

DB ROW

85x12
90x10
95x10
100x8

WG PULLDOWN

160x8
165x8
170x8
175x8

--------------

Felt something pop in my right wrist on the second DB row. It feels fine as long as I don't put any strain on it. Not sure what did this. Might be the dumbell curls from a few days ago. This was an okay back day despite this, but I was hoping for more.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 25: CHEST

BB INCLINE

180x5
175x5x3
175x6

BB FLAT

180x8
185x8
190x6

DB FLAT

50x8
55x8
60x6

STUPID FLAT PRESS SHIT MACHINE

225x8
245x8
275x4

FLY MACHINE

215x8
235x6
240x5

---------

Numbers went down. Form was better. I think the first 3 lifts of this training day are an effective choice as far as reps/sets/effort, but its hard to get settled on what comes after...

[Mastagon]

NUTRITION:

I might just start to make this a "general comments" entry. It bores the shit out of me to write everything out. I think I have enough consistency in my diet, that I don't have a huge variation of things each day. I'll sub a dagwood and chicken for chicken and rice sometimes, sometimes I'll go out for dinner or something, but on the whole I stick to roughly the same routine. So lets assume if I don't post it, its something like this every day:

meal 1 (pre)

1 cup milk
30g whey
1 whole egg

meal 2 (post)

1 1/2 cup milk
30g whey
2 whole egg

meal 3

chicken breast
1 cup rice
some peanuts

meal 4

3/4 chicken breast
w/w peanut butter bagel
some peanuts
1/2 cup milk

meal 5

3/4 chicken breast
1/2 cup rice
more nuts

meal 6

3/4 chicken breast
1/2 cup rice (or less, depending)

meal 7 (if I get to it)

1/2 chicken breast
1 cup milk

This is the diet for training in the morning, with minimal changing if I switched it to the afternoon. And for anyone who can't find it, yes there is some fruit in here.

Lately, I've been feeling like I've been overdoing it on the calories, so I'll be cutting back a little bit. Eating the shit out of everything in site hasn't worked stellar for me, and I have to pace myself. I have 5 months ish more of this to go before I do a major status check and decide if I should diet a little.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 26: LEGS

BB SQUAT 1

135x12
155x12
175x10
205x10
220x8

BB SQUAT II

240x4
240x4
235x5

BB SQUAT III

135x15
135x15
135x15

LEG SLED

3 plates a side x 8
4 x 8
5 x 4

-----------------

Minor improvements all around. I backed off where I needed to, to be careful of my right knee, so that was good. This style is fairly brutal for me, so I'm glad to have another style of leg day to alternate this one with.

I didn't quite lose my tuna wrap lunch with 15, so lets see if I can make it 20 reps on BB SQUAT III, or higher, but with constant tension, fewer stops.

[warlock]

Hey Warlock,

Thanks for the info. I was wondering what was wrong with peanuts?

Also, I don't write it in the log, but I do get some fruit in every now and again.

And what's the point of throwing in the salad?

-Mast

According to all granola people in Canada and States peanuts are all contaminated with fungus making them not just the most allergenic of all nuts but they got "spiked", on top of that they are the one that have the least nutrient content.

Almond butter is far superior in terms of nutrition and Cashew has a higher concentration of oil if I am not wrong.

Ideally you should rotate your nut intake in a daily basis (insert joke here) in order to avoid any sort of digestive problem and increase your nutrition intake.

When bulking fruits are a great option to add fiber/sugar/nutrients eat more of them get bigger and healthier

The point of eating green leafy veggies is that they have such a high nutrient content and coupled with fiber making them healthier for your GI tract and helping to have nutrients absorbed.

A suggestion that I have for anyone that is eating higher quantity of food and having a high load of protein and fat is to add digestive enzymes to their main meals.

Don't forget that what really matters is what you absorb not just what you eat.

If you have gas:fart, constipation, burps, diarrhea or any other type of GI unbalance that means that you have a diet unbalance as well. If you have any questions please PM me.

BTW great work, you are inspiring me to start logging again.

[Mastagon]

I will buy some more nuts to rotate. I love eating nuts. Nuts are the best. Nuts.

What's the best fruit in your opinion. I stick with blueberries, cranberries and apples and such. These may not be the best choices. I don't know. What about grapefruit?

What enzymes would you recommend? I get bromelain, inulin, lipase, pancreatin, papain and pepsin with my current multivitamin, plus protease.

Also, I'd like to give Wolverine a big kiss for suggesting Metamucil to me. I get about 20-30g a day spaced out through the day and its just the best.

I think I might be able to get myself to eat lettuce or broccoli or something.

Gas runs in my family, Metamucil has relieved any and all constipation and diarrhea.

Thanks for the comments. The log's not here to get me showered in praise, but it gets a little depressing when there is no comments for weeks at a time...

Its been a little rough, but I think with a little more variation in carbs, protein and fat, my caloric intake will be solid. With that in mind, I'd like to start slowly working on the diet "extras" of greens, fruits and other things you suggest to round things out.

[warlock]

Keep having the Metamucil and that will generate an intolerance in long term, Poliquin told me that all BBder that he knew had intolerance to Fiber supplements and whey as well.

Green leafy veggies and your digestion will improve considerably, cook them with a bit of chicken stoch and they will taste even better...

Fruit? I love them all and when you are bulking who cares about the sugar content in fruit? enjoy it!
I just use a a basic enzyme sold at Shoppers.

Cronic gas = cronic GI umbalance

[Mastagon]

I will look into other digestive enzymes.
I will eat more green leafy
I have had funny gas all my life, so has my dad, and my dad's dad. Which is kind of strange, because they ate crap all day long, and I eat fairly clean most of the time. So I'm not sure what I can do about the gas. It doesn't really bother me.

P.s. I've never had almonds before, they are wonderful.

[warlock]

I will look into other digestive enzymes.
I will eat more green leafy
I have had funny gas all my life, so has my dad, and my dad's dad. Which is kind of strange, because they ate crap all day long, and I eat fairly clean most of the time. So I'm not sure what I can do about the gas. It doesn't really bother me.

P.s. I've never had almonds before, they are wonderful.


I used to as well but in Brasil we eat rice and beans 2X a day, moved to Canada improved my diet and it is present only when I eat crap.

Macadamia nuts are wonderful as well

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 28: ARMS MISC

I did some decent work, but I think the only thing worth writing down is the cable curl/cable tricep extension.

135x5/170x5
135x5/170x5
140x5/165x5
145x5/165x5
150x6/165x5

This is the only exercise I have the form and feel very locked in. I know what the motion is like, and exactly what its like when its stimulating the muscle properly. The other exercises aren't secure enough I don't think to have much of an impact on muscle growth/stimulation. This stems from my lack of armwork in general I think. When I have better understand and control I'll start posting up numbers, but until then...

LYING 2 LEG HAM CURL

90x8
105x8
120x8
135x8

SEATED CALF EXT

180x100 (8-10 sec pause, in 20 rep increments)

hams feel a little stronger. Legs are still feeling funny from the last training. Calves are still a little burnt to.

Tomorrow is either chest or back, depending on how my right wrist feels.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 29:CHEST

BB PRESS

155x12
180x9
190x8
200x8

DB FLAT FLY

50x12
55x10
60x8

FLAT STUPID MACHINE PRESS

225x8
275x8
295x6

SEATED CHEST PRESS MACHINE

235x10
255x6

---------------------

The first chest day format is set, the second one here, not sure. Its starting to take shape. I like the BB PRESS and FLAT FLY where they are, but I'm not sure what I want to throw on after that as a regular thing. I picture this more as a heavy day, so I'll have to construct it around that idea... 4 exercises is a good choice, no more than 5 when I finally settle down on my exercise choices.

As far as the training itself, it went well. Squeezed out an extra rep at the 200lb BB PRESS, and the fly form was great and I was satisfied with the # of reps I cranked out. The last press machine is rigged up in a retarded way, so while the machine says 255, its probably closer to a 1/4 of that. Regardless, it felt great. I may shoot for 205 x6-7 next time, depending on how I feel.

I think my progress towards a goal of 225x12 is going well. I'm fairly sure I could crank out 12 at 180, so if that means I can do 200x8, then I think it would be a rough guess that if I want 225 for 12, I should be shooting for 245ish for 8...

I guess it seems wild to expect to throw 45lb on my bench in 5 months. That's about a 6.5lb increase a month. But I'm starting to realize how far away I am from my natural potential, so I think its doable.

--------------------
Back day may require some tinkering because of my right wrist. Dumbbell rows are out for sure. Last training was shit compared to my norm, so I'll have to think of something.

[Mastagon]

Kit Kat, you are a shitting thing to eat before bed. You make me want to barf in the morning.

[kloan]

lol, i feel your pain bro... i ate some kind of natural energy bar last night. made me feel sick... serves me right for cheating and eating carbs before bed.. shame on me.

[Mastagon]

With quality carbs from rice and w/w pasta and taters, quality protein from chicken, whey and beef, and fats from a variety of nuts, I for some reason physically sense something missing in my diet... When I eat like this all day for days at a time, I am physically full of food most of the day, but I still feel empty somehow. I still feel my diet is missing something that would help push me towards a higher and more constant anabolic state for throughout the day...

I find that milk, peanut butter and shit junk food like burgers and other take out helps fill this need... Maybe this stuff is the final touch on rounding out the diet. Giving it that last little push to maximize protein for muscle repair and building.

I've been thinking a lot on this one. And I think I am on to something, but this is something that I should be careful with because with all the rest of the stuff I'm eating, this "little bit extra" seems like it can easily just end up making me fat.

Who knows.

[kloan]

I believe it's called 'cravings'. ;)

They can trick you into thinking of all sorts of misleading ideas...

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 29: BACK

BB ROW

215x5
215x6
215x5
215x5
215x6

DEADZ

135x12
225x8
275x8
335x8

BB ROW II

205x8
215x8
225+6 (+ 2 shit reps)

WG PULLDOWNS

160x8
170x8
185x6 (+ 2 shit reps)

SEATED ROW MACHINE (uses plates)

225x8
275x6
275x6

-------------

I will be cutting out DB rows for a while, maybe a few weeks, to give my wrist a break. Just like with chest, I'm going to have 2 alternating styles of back day, I just haven't really fleshed both of them out yet. I think the first 3 exercises of this one stand well enough, I just need to find another 1 or 2 to tag on the end.

I will bump up the last set or 2 of BB ROWS I up 5 pounds, depending on how I feel next time. Form was good here, though I just noticed I have a problem keeping my wrists parallel with my arms...

DEADZ had a big improvement. The first 2 sets, I wasn't sure about going up another 10 pounds. There's something funny going on with a disc in my back, so I wasn't sure about going 100%. I threw on a belt for good measure and shit, I could have done another three reps ontop of what I did on the heaviest set. So that's great. Next time I don't think I'll have any problem at all going 350x6. If I can keep this up and still be careful with my back, 400x6 in 5 months should be very doable.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 1:LEGS

LEG SLED

2 plates x 8
3 x 8
4 x 8
5 x 8

BB SQUAT

155x12
185x10
215x10

HACK SQUAT MACHINE

190x12
220x12
255x12
270x10

SEATED CALF MACHINE

185x12
250x12
275x10
285x8
275x8
260x8
285x6

---------------------------------------------

LEG SLED was done rock bottom, as was the hack squat machine. I held off doing that with BB squat, as I don't think my form and control is advanced enough for that, not to mention I'm not sure if its what I want to be doing. Other than that, every exercise here had solid improvements. The last BB SQUAT went up 10 pounds, and 2 reps, and the machine, well, its a machine, so last time was 225x8, this time was 270x10. I'll just take that as things got better there.

I am happy with this leg day. Pain in my right knee was virtually non-existent, which I think I was due to improvements in form and me not squatting like a dickhead with too much weight anymore. Its good to know I did this well, but I was still holding a little back.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 2: CHEST

INCLINE BB PRESS

180x5
180x5
180x5
180x5
180x7

FLAT BB PRESS

165x12
175x11
185x8

FLAT FLY

50x5
50x5
50x5
55x5
50x5

FLAT PRESS MACHINE

225x12
235x8 (rough)

Will post comments later.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 4: ARMS/MISC

Went well. I am slowly improving my form, by next time I think it will be good enough so I'll be ready to post numbers and stuff as they will actually begin to mean something.

Right now, here's just a little bit:

Cable curls/cable tricep ext superset

140x5/165x5
140x5/165x5
145x5/160x6
150x5/160x6
150x5/160x8

Bicep strength is up a tiny bit, can't tell about tricep though. I am still
wary of pushing myself harder because of my wrist.

LYING 2 LEG HAM CURL

90x10
120x10
140x8

Improvements on ham strength I attribute to deadlifts and squatting properly.

[Mastagon]

NUTRITION UPDATE: NOV 4

I am eating more fruit now. I can't be sure, but I think its helping with stress and I just feel more balanced eating it. I haven't put in any leafy greens yet because, well, I just haven't. I will get on that as of tomorrow.

Milk kicks a lot of ass, as does halloween candy after heavy leg workouts :) Though don't let that fool you, there is a boatload of quality calories underneath these extras, so I'm not worried about shortchanging myself.

Main protein sources continue to be something like 60% chicken, 10% peanuts, 10% whey/cottage cheese and other sources. Meal quality overall is good and balanced.

Sleep has been going well also. On days off I can usually get in a solid 9, most other days its 7 1/2-8. So I have been seeing some benefit of that on recovery time.

thats about it

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 5: HEAVY CHEST

BB PRESS

155x12
180x8
190x8
210x7
220x5

DB FLAT FLY

55x8
60x8
65x8
65x6

STUPID FLAT PRESS SHIT MACHINE

225x8
275x8
315x5

SEATED FLAT PRESS MACHINE

240x6
260x5

-------------------

I was very sure from the last chest workout, that with the Date Tate form I've started using I could do 210 this time around. 210 felt too easy, strangely enough. The last 2 reps were rough, but there. As for 220, well I won't win any form awards, but I did it. Good range of motion for 4 reps. So that would be 20lb higher and 3 less reps than the previous heavy chest day. The increase I attribute to a combo of better form + strength increase, not sure how big a part each played.

Everything else went up a bit as well, so that's good. I guess that's a hurray for being far from my genetic potential.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 7: BACK

DB ROW

80x12
90x12
100x10

BB ROW

175x12
195x12
185x12

WG PULLDOWN

155x12
165x12
175x10

SEATED ROW

175x12
185x12
195x12

---------------------------

Learning to row without tweaking my wrist turned this session into mostly bullshit. I can work with no motivation, I can work with bad form, no energy, I can work with muscle fatigue, but I don't know how to work with an injury and still have my training be effective. I'll have to do some thinking I think on this one. Not sure how I can structure this to get the most out of it... Maybe more machines, but up the intensity to compensate? I don't know. It is frustrating to feel like I'm wasting my time in the gym, but not knowing what to do about it.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING OCT 8: LEGS, 3 SQUAT

BB SQUAT 1

155x12
175x12 (last time x10)
210x10 (last time 195)
225x8 (last time 220)

BB SQUAT II

240x4
240x4
240x3 + 1 negative (last time 235x5)

BB SQUAT III

135x20 (all were x15 last time)
135x20
135x20

LEG SLED

4x4
5x4
6x1
4x8

---------------------

Shit on me this was a gooder. Nearly every lift improved right where it counted. Form was good, but not great. I'm starting to work with altering the bar position; I think next time I will go with a lower bar.

SQUAT II was good until the last set. Fatigue got to me or something, I lost focus and went too low on the last rep and got stuck there. I had to drop the bar off my back, which sucked, but it made a nice noise.

SQUAT III was a huge improvement over last time. I only paused after every 5-10 reps, which considering the work I already did to my legs at that point, really lays on the strain. I was also able to throw on another 5 reps, so thats great.

LEG SLED will be in the low reps from now on on this day. More reps would just chew up my knees and there is more than enough punishment in the training session before this to make sure I can use the low reps, high weight here effectively to really dig into my legs.

-------------------------------

Nutrition for this day went well. Nice protein shake, and oatmeal after. And then a plate of 9 hot wings (something like 800-900 calories) 1 1/2 hours later. I filled out the rest of the day with chicken and rice, along with a few chocolate bars, and 2 liters of milk thrown ontop. Yes I am eating fruit with this. Yes I am eating leafy greens with this. No I do not see a problem with eating some chocolate bars throughout the day. Training + nutrition were a good match today. I ate the calories my body told me I needed, and did not go overboard.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 9: LIGHT CHEST

BB INCLINE

180x5
180x5
180x5
180x5
180x5

BB FLAT

165x12
175x12
190x9
175x13

FLAT FLY

50x5 a bunch
55x5
60x5

FLAT PRESS MACHINE

225x12
240x9

-----------------------

Some okay increases. BB FLAT 165-175 I will go for 15 reps, 190 hopefully for 11 next time. Flat fly will start 55 next time. 50 is too low to be useful.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 10: ARMS/MISC

DB CURL/DB TRICEP EXT

35x8/35x12
40x8/35x12
45x8/40x12

CABLE CURL/CABLE TRICEP EXT

140x5/170x5
140x5/170x5
145x5/165x5
150x5/165x5
150x6/165x7

LYING 2 LEG HAM CURL

90x12
120x10
140x8
145x6

----------

I think I might prefer cables for arm training. It might be that I suck training arms, but it seems difficult to keep muscle tension consistent throughout the movement...

[Mastagon]

Back or chest tomorrow, depending on how my chest is feeling.

I am pumped about the way thing are going so far. This has only been 5 1/2 weeks, and my flat bench has come up very well in this time. My sense of form and diet are improving little be little each day, so I'm actually starting to think I just might beat the shit out of my 225x12 (with rock solid form) goal.

Rows are going to be shit for the next while because of my wrist, but I know I can still put on some size with deadz and to some extent squats. Deadz have always been a good exercise for me. Even before I knew what I was doing, when I had barely spent much time in the gym I could dead 315 no problem, though my form was shit and still is not that great. If I keep myself from messing it up and put in some solid work on my form, I think I can be headed for 450x8, instead of 400 like in the original plan. But we'll see.

----------

NUTRITION

I've actually cut down on the protein a little. This strange bloated, high blood pressure, "my system feels screwed up" feeling seems to go down a little when I do this. And no, its not just the raw calories. Its not that I'm just bloated with food. I can fill myself up with burgers, pizza and other horseshit calories, and this feeling is different that food bloat. I complained about this in the last bulker, and a few people suggested more fibre, leafy greens and fruits, all of which I am now doing and are great, but they have not helped this feeling at all. So for now, my body tells me to scale back protein a little bit, so I will listen.

[kloan]

......good log so far

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 12: HEAVY CHEST

FLAT BB PRESS

180x8
195x9
215x8
225x4

FLAT DB FLY

55x8
60x8
65x8
62x6

FLAT STUPID PLATE PRESS MACHINE

225x8
295x6
315x5

SEATED FLAT PRESS MACHINE

240x10
260x6
280x3

BUNCH OF SETS ON THE FLY MACHINE

----------------------

Its all well and good to keep this 2 different alternating chest days going on for variety. Things change up so I don't get very bored, and I still have enough consistency to properly gauge strength increases. But I guess even this can get boring... This feels a lot like the last leg day. Things didn't go exactly as planned, but they went very well regardless. By the end of this, I wasn't feeling totally burnt yet. It might have been a concentration problem, but I just didn't feel the regular training setup helped me dig deep enough to call it quits at the end, so I had to throw in 6 heavy sets on the fly machine for 4-5 reps. That about did it.

The FLAT BB PRESS was difficult enough for me that I couldn't really concentrate on how good form was exactly. I do know there was a little bit too much front delt involvement, and that the ROM was down to about 1-2" off my chest. I'm satisfied with the level of improvement I've seen in my bench with the Dave Tate form.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 13: BACK

BB ROW

215x5
215x6
215x5
210x6
210x6

RVG BB ROW

185x12
205x8
215x7
225x4

WG PULLDOWN

155x12
165x12
185x6

CG PULLDOWN

200x8
22x5

DEADZ

135x12
225x8
275x8
350x9 (335x8 last time)

--------------------

Its to have a decent back day after a few shitty ones in a row. I was going to do a second set of bb rows, but I suddenly thought of Dorian Yates for some reason. I tried reverse grip rows a few years ago and didn't like them. They did the trick today though. Really worked my forearms, but it didn't tweak the tendon on the side of my wrist. I have left hand grip strength issues, so that works great.

The entire workout went well after this. And deadz were kind of surprise. 350x9 was easy. Next time is either 365-370x 6ish. I've been up and past 400 a few times before. But this time around, I plan to do it properly and not dick my back up. If I don't end up doing that, I think 450x8 or better is possible in the time I have. Yes I am using a belt, as I don't think I have a choice.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 14: "LIGHT" LEGS

LEG SLED

2 plates a side x8
3x8
4x8
5x8
5x6

BB SQUAT

155x12
185x12
215x9
235x5

HACK SQUAT

190x12
230x12
260x12
280x12
310x6

LYING 2 LEG HAM CURL

120x10
150x5
130x8

BUNCH OF CALF WORK

-----------

Minor improvements on most lifts. I wanted to try a lower bar position with the BB SQUAT. But after using this on just the first set, it was pretty obvious this is something I need to work on before I launch into it. Time for some burger king post workout.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 16: ALT CHEST

BB INCLINE

185x5
185x5
180x5
175x5
170x5

BB FLAT

165x12
180x9
190x7

FLAT DB FLY

55x5x5
60x5

FLAT PRESS MACHINE

210x13
240x10

-------------------

Through in a warmup set beforehand. That helped get things started. But I'll have to drop the incline down to 175 to keep the form solid all the way through. When I start to struggle, the weight starts to shift to the shoulders.

Not much else to say about the entire training session. It kind of pissed me off.

[Mastagon]

goddamn you nolvadex. You have ruined my eyes.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 18: BACK

BB ROW

205x5
205x5
195x6
195x7
195x5

RVG BB ROW

185x12
205x8
205x8
215x7

WG PULLDOWN

165x8
180x8
190x7

RVG SEATED ROW

185x12
210x8
225x6

--------------------------

I lowered the angle of my back for the bb row, so I think I will pull the weights back a little.


RVG were just as good this time. I don't think it will be too long until I see the left hand grip strength benefit of this.


I have been focusing on form while ignoring feel. I'll work on changing this. There are a few sets after the last one recorded here that I won't bother putting down. I think in part I put them in to make up for the inefficiency of the first 4 lifts here. They made the training session a good one, but I know I can condense things down with better mental focus combined with dropping the weights back a little.

-----------

Nutrition went well today. I didn't work today, so I basically sat at home infront of a computer working for 6 hours, so meals were very solid. Fruits and veg at every one, higher fat content which is what I'm starting to believe I need, and smaller meals spread out over a longer period. I think I'm going to get into the habit of cooking more often. Eating reheated chicken and rice, and reheated chicken and pasta for the past year has me craving more fresh stuff. I think I'm starting to realize that my entire approach to nutrition when bulking has been eating an absolute maximum amount of food. Like, developing a physical sense for how I can eat to cram in the largest mass of food each day. **** that noise. I am sick of doing this and I think the strange feelings my body has been having for the past while are my body's way of telling me this. I want a more balanced approach. With all this talk of shakes lately, I think I'll throw in 1 or 2 a day, and shrink the food content for each meal but up the animal/nut fats. I hope that this, plus the fruits and vegatlbes I've started eating, in combination with all the fiber I'm taking in, should help me feel better. P.s. bacon and eggs at 11:30pm kicks ass.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 19: 3 SQUAT LEGS

BB SQUAT I

155x12
175x12
215x10 (up 5lb)
230x9 (up 5 lb + 1 rep)

BB SQUAT II

235x5
235x6
235x8

BB SQUAT III

135x25 (up 5 reps)
135x20
135x20

LEG SLED

4x8
5x8

LEG EXT

HAM CURL

125x10
135x6

BUNCH OF CALF WORK

----------------

One step closer to better form. Still playing it safe with the weights, but I didn't have a problem with some minor increases. I think I could do 245x4x3 next time, not sure if I will. I'm still not convinced with back angle and bar placement... I need to work on my concentration for the sets of high rep squats. Fatigue and pain gets in the way of focusing on the quads.

Everything went very well. I though some leg extensions, ham curls and calf work at the end. I just couldn't get enough. Walking should be fun tomorrow.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 20: CHEST

BB FLAT PRESS

175x10
200x8
200x6.5
215x5

DB FLAT FLY

56x8
62x8
65x6
60x6

FLAT PLATE PRESS MACHINE

225x8
295x7
305x6

SEATED FLAT PRESS MACHINE

240x10
250x5
270x3

SEATED FLY MACHINE

240x8
255x6
270x4
270x3
240x6

-----------------

Concentration was shit last time. I fixed it for this time. You can't really tell in the numbers, but this training session was worth much more than the last one. I know I will get better growth from this one. Now the challenge is bringing this same level to every following chest session.

[Mastagon]

NUTRITION: NOV 21

Just for fun, here's today's nutrition.

MEAL 1

40g whey
3 whole eggs

MEAL 2

3/4 chicken breast
1 cup oatmeal

MEAL 3

1/2 chicken breast
2 1/2 pieces of pizza
some almonds
lettuce
bit of milk
fruit

MEAL 4

2 pieces of pizza
3/4 chicken breast
almonds
lettuce
2 whole eggs
fruit

MEAL 5

peanut butter whole wheat bagel
3 whole eggs

MEAL 6

40g whey
300ml milk
2 whole eggs

MEAL 7

300g steak
some almonds
1/4 head of lettuce
1/3 cup of fruit


---------

Other than the pizza, this is fairly typical. I usually have whole wheat something or brown rice. I love me some eggs. Throwing in some eggs and cutting back on the chicken has helped me cut back on the chicken, which was great. I'm obviously no pro, so dolling out $400 a month for chicken breasts was getting a bit intense... And I think it was making me a little loopy.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 23: BACK

BB ROW

205x5
205x5
205x5
205x7
215x7

RVG BB ROW

185x12
205x7
205x7
215x7
215x6

WG PULLDOWN

165x8
175x8
185x6

RVG SEATED ROW

200x8
200x8
210x8

DEADZ

135x12
225x8
275x8
365x8
385x3

--------------------------

Playing around with weights and form here. I'd say form an concentration was a little better than last time. I'm not superman, so there has been some shit in my life that's been distracting me and eating my time for the last few days, hence the breaks inbetween training days. Today's nutrition was off, on the count of me having no time to cook anything. So there was a bigger space between meals than I would have liked which effected my energy in the gym. 365 could have been easier with better energy to help, as it was it was kind of hard. Big break between the last 2 reps. This made me pissed off, so I decided to go for 20 pounds heavier. Concentration and fatigue meant I rounded my back a little bit on the last 2 reps and made it difficult to keep the force driving into my heels (I find this helps for me), but whatever, its there. On a tip top day, 385x5 would have been doable, but whatever. Bitch bitch moan. Today was what it was.

I think its hard to tell what I'm doing here in these back sessions (and I think in others as well), with my dicking around of weights and form. I think the last chest workout, the one that went really well, was an eye opener in a way. For the next little while, I need to focus on the feel of the muscle when I lift. Because I know that I can set two chest workouts side by side and have the exact weight, rep, exercise setup and rest "content", but how I concentrate on how the muscle feels as it goes through the motions of each lift can greatly effect things. One day could do dick all, and the other could be great. I'm still feeling the effects of the "great" one. Its hard to explain it, but my chest definitely feels more "worked over," and the feeling is more uniform, rather than the kind of burnt feeling I get in the muscle, which sometimes centers on the tendons and outside of the chest.

So muscle feel is what I'll work on I guess. Maybe all analysis I'm doing is just noise from an amateur, but its what I think I gotta do.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING NOV 25: CHEST

INCLINE BB

170x5
170x6
170x5
170x6
170x6

FLAT BB

165x12
180x12
190x8
195x6

FLAT DB FLY

57x5x5

FLAT BB

175x7
185x6

BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF

---------------------------------

Went well. Knocking back the weight on the incline a relief. Now at least I can make sure I'm doing these properly, and not just working towards injuring my right shoulder.

The structure of these two alternating days breaks down sometimes because I start to rely on instinct.

Diet has been a little screwy because of something needed a lot of my attention the past few days, this mostly resulted in meal gaps and more eating out. Tomorrow things will be back on track. I think I am actually starting to enjoy the taste of lettuce...

[Mastagon]

I obsess about the numbers, so I've been bouncing around the idea of not putting any numbers down for a month... Not sure I want to do that yet. As for arm training, I don't really care (todays was arms). I was going to do legs, but my knees were rough today and I was tired and I didn't want to. Bitch bitch moan. Legs tomorrow.

After having a less than ideal diet the past few days, I was really surprised about how much I could eat today. I'm not sure if it was appetite... Just feels like the tank takes a few days of nominal eating to balance things out again. I don't know.

[Mastagon]

I think I will try to go with not recording any numbers for a week. It may go longer. I'm always counting in my head when I'm lifting. Number of reps, amount of weight,, blah blah blah. Its distracting. At least where I'm at right now it is.

Today was leg day. I find it hard to feel the tension in the side of the legs, whatever that muscle is called. Muscles like the chest or bicep are easy to understand. I can look at a musculature diagram and see exactly how they work. Chest contracts to pull them arms infront of the body. I can understand this and feel this when I do chest exercises. As far as legs go, I look at the diagram, and do the exercise (squats for example), and I just can't figure it out. I want to feel the tension mostly on the side of the quads, but I can't. I'm not even sure if this is the right way to be thinking about it. Maybe there are many more muscles involved and that I shouldn't focus so much on that one...

Strangely enough, I don't find I have this problem on the hack squat machine. I can feel it much better there. I go fairly intense when I work legs. As far as I can tell, no one trains them as hard as I do at my gym, but I'm just worried my hang ups with technique are not allowing to get the best out of my training.

[Mastagon]

TRAINING DEC 1: CHEST

Went well. I'm trying more and more to not pay attention to numbers, and not use the clock to judge my rests between sets. I think it worked well. I did some dumbell inclines today. With these, I can't help but feeling I have no idea what I'm doing. There is too much shoulder involvement in this one. I have no idea why that is. It just feels like the shoulder was doing almost half the work, and that's not what I'm after. Not sure how I can fix this.

So like I said, I'm trying not to focus on the numbers, but I'd just like to point out that 7 1/2 weeks ago when I started this whole thing, my max flat bench was 185x7. As of today, it is 225x5. I don't need anyone else to tell me that's a good increase, but if anyones paying attention to this log feel free to clap...

[Mastagon]

Past few days have been good. Paying little attention to weight and reps has helped improve the quality of my training. I've also been using the "warm up, then start with your heaviest set first, increased the reps as you decrease the weight of each successive set" thing that Praetorian's talked about it. There's probably alot about it that I am doing wrong, but I do like the idea, and I think I'll play with it for the next few training days. Been eating lots of eggs lately, and lowering the calories of each meal I eat, while trying to put more meals in the day. I am sick of ramming in as much food as possible.

Today was 3 squat leg day. Less weight on the heaviest set of squats (3 sets of 4-6 reps, same weight), but the form was better than last time. As I see it, I have a problem with using the teardrop as the primary mover, and I have a problem with not knowing how to drive myself upwar.. ah **** it. My squat form is ballz. Today showed an improvement. Hurray