Training for over-all mass - no holds bar
Here's how my training has been going for the past few months. Note that I try to get in at least 2 body parts per session & I train only 3 days per week. The rest of the time is spent resting & eating to maximize the potential for gaining weight. Here we go...
Sunday - Legs
5 x 25-20 squats (1 set warmup, 2 sets close, 2 sets wide)
6 x 12-15 leg press (2 sets with each of 3 foot positions)
3 x 8-10 leg curls
3 x 8-10 leg ext... superset with curls
8 x15-20 calf raises
Tuesday - Chest & arms
5 x 8-10 bench press
4 x 8 inclined DB press
3 x 8 close grip bar press
4 x 10 tricep presses
4 x 12 tricep ext
3 x 12 reverse triceps
4 x 10 EZ curls
4 x 6-8 DB curls
Thursday - Back & shoulders
6 x 6-10 bent over rows
4 x 10 deadlift
5 x 8-10 reverse pull-downs
4 x 8 seated rows
4 x 10-12 barbell shrugs
4 x 6-10 DB press
3 x side lateral raises
I also do ABS, but only twice per week @ 4 sets per day, 12-15 reps. I alternate upper one day, lower the next. I lift very heavy for all my exercises & I rest at very long periods to FULLY recover. This is hard, because at times I just want to doze off! Because of this, my gym time stretches to about 1.5 hrs. The other thing I should mention is that the only day that I train when I also have to work is Thursday. I'm off the other two days so my legs & chest can be fully rested for maximum growth, & so I can prepare for the next workout.
March 13th
Back & shoulders day!
Well, i've developed some pain in my left elbow now. Plus, my left shoulder is bugging me again. So I went a little lighter... just a little.
2 x 12 deadlift - warmup
5 x 6-8 deadlift - 185@10, 185@10, 225@8, 275@8, 315@6
5 x 10 back hyper extentions with 45lb plate
5 x 7-10 reverse lat pulldowns - worked my way up to 200lbs... elbow wouldn't allow anymore.
4 x 10 machine rows - 90lbs per hand
4 x 7-10 DB press - 70@10, 80@10, 80@9, 90@7
4 x 10 DB side lateral raise - 35lbs (couldn't find the 40's)
4 x 10 rear delt fly machine - 145 I think
4 x 12-15 shrugs - 225lbs
I tried to superset shrugs & upright rows, but my elbow said HELL NO!
So I did ABS - cable crunches, 4 x 15 with 85lbs
This may be my last training blog. Don't know yet. I know I still have to get my recent pics on my page, & believe me, i'm working on it. Since my wife went to England withj my camera, i'll get my dad to take some fresh ones - only 2 weeks difference, 1 or 2 lbs.
I must say that since i've started "reporting" my info on here, i've gained 8-9lbs. I've also learned alot from Steve, Jamo, Will, & Bobby about dieting & specific exercises as well. As you know, if you've been following our "reports" Bobby, Steve & I had 3 specific goals, in which we have all achieved. Personally, i've surpassed my own & I am elated! Lastly, we all learned many thinga about ourselves; things that will continue to strengthen us as we proceed towards our goals of becomming massive & drug free.
Smart training & smart eating, with lots of rest will get you your goals no matter what they are. Your body will call for it! Because of that, i've gone from a body weight of 192-212 between December 14th to now, March 14th. All I did was eat until I felt like I wanted to vomit. Then i'd eat one more fork full just to make sure I got all the calories I could possibly get in. But it's not so much how much you eat. It's what. Ive've also learned that my body will suck up anything I feed it if I combine the right foods at the right times. I could go on & on...
Thank you to all of you who have been following our posts, reports, blogs, whatever you want. Jamo, i'll be putting my pics up this weekend for sure. I get my own computer at home.. lol. By the way, I won't be posting my diet either. It's been so repetive over the past 3 months, I know that the only things that will change are what fruits i'll eat with each meal. But i'll always have my pineapple with beef!
Look out for my pics & measurements for comparison
Yeah
First Bobby :(, now you :(. Lol its just Bill and I now :-p.
I think what all of us that have been usingheavy poundages need to do is take like two weeks straight and do all high reps. Or even 1 week. I dunno but i think its just that my muscle strength is developing much faster than my joint strength, as im sure all of ours are.
AMEN brother.
AMEN brother.
Funny that you said that...
... look at what I just typed below & compare it to my "back" workout lastnight.
Great minds.,..
Damn I hate to hear that you
Damn I hate to hear that you wont be posting anymore, I really have enjoyed and gained a lot of motivation from your posts. look forward to seeing the pics and measurements, I should take some measurements see where i am at in all this. You are the best Bro and I have gained a lot from your posts.
Thanks bro
I've gained alot of inspiration from you too. Whatever Jamo was thinking of when he decided to take on this project, i'll never know. But I thank him for bringing all of us together like this. But like I said, my dieting probably won't change that much. What will is how I train... right now i'm doing slow movements to a squeeze (whatever that's called). But that's only to accomodate the healing process of my lanky limbs. lol
I just wish I could get my damn chest to grow, not to mention my skinny ass legs that just seem to be growing & shrinking every 2 weeks.
March 11th
Now for some reason, my chest didn't respond as well. But I pushed through anyway by using lighter weights (& did them slower than usual).
2 x 20 inc DB press (warmup)
7 x 4-10 Bench press - 225@4, 205@10, 205@7, 185@8, 7, 6, 6
5 x 6-10 inc. bench - 185, 135, -->
4 x 8 close grip bench - 115lbs
3 x 8 peck deck - 205lbs
5 x 8 weighted dips
5 x 10 tricep pressdowns
6 x 8 EZ curls - 80, 90, 100, 100, 110, 110
4 x 8 seated consentrated DB curls - 30, 30, 35, 40
Abs - 5 sets cable crunches (these were a killer)
Oh, by the way, i'm now 211lbs...
Wow
Congrats on 211lbs. Damn man you're shooting up there!!
I have chest tomorrow (Saturday). We'll see how chest goes having done shoulders monday and triceps on wednesday.
Thanks bro!
Yea, we really need to do something about our chest growth. We seem to be getting stronger, but i'm just not seeing my progress. From next week i'm gonna try dropping my weights & doing sets of 10 just to see how i'll feel. But yea, i'm aiming for 230lbs by year-end. What about you?
Yes we are all together on
Yes we are all together on the chest sucks train! I tried Sagi's techniques off the floor and it is unbelieveable the difference. It really does stop involvement of my delts and tris and hits the chest big time. I went light and slow I can really feel it. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts.
We'll see what happens next week
I'm gonna try to go back to the workout I had before my shoulder started messing with me:
inc. DB press
bench press
close grip press
peckdeck
dips
If the pain comes back, i'll just do what I did this week but with lighter weights. I need to feel this bad boy hurt like the rest of my body!!!
Damn.
That's a good question haha. I haven't thought about the end of the year.
I'd have to say:
If i continue the route im taking, losing fat and gaining muscle, 220lbs.
If I lose my fat relatively quicker than I'm expecting, I might go into a slightly higher caloric-intake regimen and aim for 230lbs (since i know it will be some fat)
The scales are now saying around 203lbs (at the gym, thats with clothes on, my normal t-shirt and shorts attire). I forgot to weigh myself this morning, I will do it tomorrow morning if I remember. Feb 14th I was 193lbs so we'll see what I weigh tomorrow.
It would be great to be
It would be great to be 230lbs & 6% bodyfat, wouldn't it...
I've already started working on getting my stomach flat again. I hated looking at myself in the mirror recently. Have you even noticed that i'm not eating as much junk?? lolol
March 10th
So I couldn't make it to train my legs on Sunday, so I went on Monday evening & blasted the shit out of them for 2 hours!
2 x 20 leg curls (warmup)
2 x 25 leg extentions (warmup)
6 x 8-10 squats (deep) -135, 225, 315, 315, 265, 225 (lbs)
6 x 9-10 leg press (deep) - 540, 720, 720, 630, 540, 450 (lbs)
4 x 8-10 hack squats (deep) - 90, 180, 270, 320 (for some reason my legs responded well to this one)
4 x 9-10 leg curls (I decided to try another machine that seems to isolate my hammies a hell of alot more. It worked!) 90lbs
3 x 7-10 leg extentions - 270, 305, 305
Calves....... blasted the shit out of them too!
So pissed!!
Another Sunday came & went & I couldn't get to the gym to do my legs. So i'll be going tonight instead,
Mar. 6th
It seems that yesterday was the universal day of SUCK!
I ate like a dinosaur on steroids all day long preparing for my back workout. But when I got there, I had no energy. For every exercise I struggled with weights i'd usually throw around. But anyway...
5 x 3-10 Deadlft - 285, then 315 on my last set for 3
5 x 6 bent BB rows - 225lbs
4 x 6-8 lat pulldowns - 180lbs
5 x 6-7 lower lat pulls - 270lbs
5 x 8 upright rows - 60lbs for the first 3 sets, 80lbs for the last 2 (BB)
4 x 6-8 DB press - 70, 80, 80, 85lbs
4 sets rear delts (machine) up to 145lbs
5 x 15 cable crunches
All this took me 2.5 hours. Last week I did twice this & it took me a little less than 2! Well, what can I say... there are good days & there are bad days. I just ended up being very careful with my movements.
God i hate days like these
Some times I'll actually go home if I'm feeling really shitty or the weight is just too difficult. To me that means something is wrong and usually along the lines of not enough rest and recuperation.
What I do is, once i decide i want to go home, I tell myself.. Okay, spend 15 minutes trying to get hyped, if after those 15 minutes I still cant get hyped up, then I will allow myself. It usually works and i get out of the "crappy mood" mode, but sometimes situations like those I mentioned above occur, and I just go home and sleep until the same time as when I would have normally arrived home.
I hear ya
Thing is that hyping myself up worked. But I had to do it for every friggin set for the whole night. It even got to the point where I reached for the 120lb bar for curls instead of the 110. How the hell could I have made that mistake?? lol. But I fought my way through the feeling every single time & just decided that something is better than nothing at all. Then when I saw that 2.5 hours had passed, I just gave up & went home to eat.
Oh well, shit happens.
Thanks bro.
Mar. 4th
Since today wasn't such a good day for eating, I didn't have the energy to train properly... supposedly chest & arms day
warmup - 2 x 25 incline DB press -35lbs
6 x 6-10 Inclined bench press - 185lbs
4 x 8-10 peck deck - 205lbs
4 x 8 close grip bench - 135lbs
4 x 7 machine decline bench - 250lbs
5 x 8 EZ curl - 3 sets with 100lbs; 2 sets with 110lbs
ABS - 5 x 15 cable crunches (85lbs) & 5 x 10-12 lying leg raises on a declining bench
As you can see, I didn't have enough energy to complete my arm workout, but I had to do abs.
**And just so y ou guys know, for the next 2.5 weeks, i'll be consentrating on my abs alot more since i'm trying to get my stomach down by my birthday. So expect some changes...
hey bro
gotta updated phot in my pics check it out!
lol in about 30 mins its 1044 est
Bobby
- if you let your fears keep you from flying, you will never reach your high-
Looked for that pic bro. But
Looked for that pic bro. But all of them are saying posted last year... I'll check again later today
yea
check it later i deleted it and im making 1 big one!!!
Bobby
- if you let your fears keep you from flying, you will never reach your high-
Mar. 2nd
I didn't train today. I had to come into work to finish taking stock...
Feb. 28th
My prayers were answered!!
Yesterday was back. My buddy, Marlon, happened to be there when I walked in & had only finished 2 warmup sets. So we were off...
After warming up:
6 x 7-8 bentover BB rows
5 x 8 reverse pulldowns
5 x 6 single arm machine rows
5 x 6 I don't even know the name, but it's almost like bent rows but with one end of a 45lb bar in the corner of the wall & the other with weights... some kind of rowing action
4 x 8 lat pulldowns
3 x 8 bent over DB rows
After this, I had to take a 10 min break...
then:
5 x 10 rear delts
6 x 6-8 seated barbell press
5 x 10 barbell shrugs
3 x 8 side lateral raises
3 x 8-10 upright rows
Ok, I know that I overdid it. But I HAD to get in my back workout with this dude! He's training for this big show in April & he's doing it alone & he doesn't seem to be all that motivated. So everytime he slacked off by resting too long, or hesitated, I was in his grill! Besides, it's not that often that my back gets this kind of treatment. That workout was for you guys - Steve & Bobby.
Hahah
Nice bro, good stuff. T-bar rows are a great exercise. Changing it up is what this game is all about, how long did this workout take?
Those are T-bar rows,
Those are T-bar rows, improvised I know but a great exercise. Damn Rav you went all out!!
I'm still feeling it right
I'm still feeling it right now too!
Feb. 26th
I couldn't believe how much my strength went up. Only now do I know for sure that the break was well needed!
Chest day:
warmups - incline DB press - 2 x 25-30
6 x 5-7 bench press
5 x 6-8 incline bench press
4 x 8 pec-deck
6 x 5-7 weighted dips
4 x 10 tricep presses (cable)
2 x 8 reverse tricep press
6 x 8 EZ curls
4 x 7 hammer curls
4 x 12 hanging leg raises (superset with hammer curls)
My weights went up for every single exercise today. The best part is that when I weighed myself, I actually didn't lose any weight. In fact, I gained a whole pound. lol The way i'm going, i'll definetaly reach my goal of 210 by at least the end of March instead of June. Damn! i'm ahead by 3 months. So if I average 1-2 lbs per week, I should be at least 16 lbs heavier by the end of July. But lets be realistic... i'll be good with 10!
BRIAN, any input?????
Rest and recovery is to me
Rest and recovery is to me the most important thing. I am sure your lay-off did help you a lot. If you ever get a chance to read any of the books by Dorian Yates he preaches the less is more principle. I made huge gains when I cut back on sets, added weight and took an extra day off here and there. Good luck with your plan my friend.
Thanks bro!
Yea, It took me a while to accept it, but Jamo was the one who insisted I change the way I was training. I've finally gotten over my fear of not being fit & strong anymore. It was more of a mental thing than anything else. But what's REALLY scary is the amount of food i'm putting down now. Also, I know i'll soon have to increase my caloric intake since i've kinda hit a growth sticking point. But i'm not so sure my wife wants me to get any bigger right now... lol
Thanks for your support.
No problem my friend we are
No problem my friend we are all striving for our goals TOGETHER!! I know you are always quick to help out everyone and you guys motivate the hell out of me.
Ouch!
I wouldn't lie... i'm hurting!
Went back to the gym today & did legs. Here's how it went:
warmup - 2 x 25-30 leg ext, superset with 2 x 18-20 leg curls (light)
4 x 15-20 squats
5 x 11-12 leg press
2 x 12 vertical leg press
4 x 8-10 heavy leg curls
4 x 8-10 heavy leg ext
4 x 12-15 aductor
2 x 20 standing calf raises (warmups)
8 x 15 weighted calf raises
Couldn't deal with abs... lol
haha
Sounds painful! You do the pre-exhaustion technique? One day when BObby and I decide to not do heavy for squat, we'll definitely need to do pre-exhaustion with leg extensions and curls.
Hope you plan on eating a lot today!! mwuahaha!!
Feb. 14th
Back & boulders day! Shoulders that is...
I went all out today 'cause I was feeling pumped as hell. For about 1.5 hours, I sat on a bus/subway on my way to the gym thinking about what I was gonna do & I just got so pshyched about it... angry. So here's what I did:
Warmups - 4 sets to failure - broad chins
4 x 12 bentover barbell rows
4 x 10-12 close grip bentover rows
4 x 10-12 reverse pulldowns
4 x 10-12 pulldowns
3 x 10 seated rows
Then I went straight to shoulders...
4 x 12-15 seated barbell press
4 x 12-15 seated DB raise
4 x 10-12 rear delts
4 x 10-12 upright rows (superset with rear delts)
4 x 12-15 back hyper extentions
This took about 2 hrs, & it totally drained my ass. It's a good thing too, 'cause it's back to heavy weights in a week. I'm gonna take a week off to rest up, get a massage, stretch alot, maybe visit the steam room, so I can losen up my muscles a bit in preperation for the bombardment of the poundage i'm about to place on them for the next month or so (plus i'm trying to prevent injuries). In the mean time, keep reading up on my diet to see if I make any changes...
By the way, the scale told me a secret lastnight. It told me that i'm now 208lbs.
Hey Mister 208lb.
Its been three days since you're last workout!! :-p Whats the new news? :p
I think I need your magic scale to whisper me some secrets. 2 hr workouts for the win!!!
Lol
I decided to take this week off to pamper myself with massages & a weekend of hot/cold therapy. I don't know for sure as to how much I lost, but I know that I lost some weight & some size. This is what happens when I stop training for just a little while... I lose my appetite & I drop pounds like nothing! If I was to guess, I probably lost about 4-5 pounds (muscle/fat/water). I don't know what's gonna happen for the rest of this week, but I go back to training come Sunday morning - legs. Hopefully I haven't lost too much of my strength. You'll know the outcome though. I'm back.
Feb. 12th
It was Chest day. I must admit that this was the hardest i've ever worked my pecs. I actually felt like I did some serious damage!
Warmup... 1 x 16 bench press
5 x 12-15 bench press
4 x 12 incline bench
4 x 12 decline bench
4 x 12 pec deck
4 x 15 dips
4 x 12 tricep press-downs (rope)
4 x 12 EZ curls
4 x 10 DB curls
4 x 12 hanging leg raises
I did these with no more than 1.5 minutes between each set & was able to maintain my 60-70% max weight on every exercise. So I know that my chest IS FINALLY GETTING STRONGER!!! Sorry for the excitement there... but the best part is that I already feel like i'm used to my body weight at 207, so i'm just going to finish off this week with lighter weights then i'm back to heavy as hell on Sunday. I've already lost some size & I don't like it one bit! Yes, my body reacts quickly like that, which is probably why i've also lost my appitite. Tomorrow is back...
Yea for your body type, less
Yea for your body type, less training would probably be better...but for what I'm going for I need more workout days to keep my metabolism churning the megabolic food I'm eating lol
Megabolic food you're eating?
Dude, have you seen my diet recently?? lol
Megabolic just sounded like
Megabolic just sounded like a cool word to use lol..Just looked at your diet ravinous, and it looks really good you got a great variety going there with the right foods for mass...I wish I could get some pasta in my diet, but it bloats me too bad and makes me look chubby lol.
Hahah
Ravinous eats like an animal!!!
And its working :D
I can...
... but recently something has changed & i'm not. I need to find that shit back before I backslide...
Ouhhhhh....
I'm hurting so bad... but I know i'm going to feel much better in another 4-5 days. My legs at least. By then, my whole body will be in pain though, so I guess not. But i'm expecting to feel much more used to my body weight. I'm not too sure yet how i'm going to work my chest tomorrow, but i'll probably be consentrating on more presses & stretching movement to keep the blood pumping fiercely through the area. I'm already physiched about it, hence the reason i'm even typing this right now.
Wow.
So i just realized...
You only train 3 days a week? I'm thinking perhaps the off-days are your key to success. Do you eat the same on off-days as you do on workout days?
"Obsession is a term the lazy use to describe the dedicated" - Anon.
"Shoot for the stars, you might just reach the sky" - Unknown
Hell yea...
You kidding me? You're just now noticing that??
I used to train the way you guys are - 4, sometimes 5 days a week. But I was working against myself all that time. After talking to Jamo & a few other people, who advised me to train less & spend more time resting & especially eating, I decided to try. Hence these results. It would be interesting to see what will happen to me when it's finally time to shread... but since Bobby was basically training to get the same results as I am (believe me, I can't get fat no matter what I try!) I told him he should train the way I am. I think he said that his body type was different so it probably wouldn't work for him the same way. But yea, I used to train the way you are now & got bigger while staying lean as hell. Thats how I know for sure it can be done... but you have to get in more whole foods to do it.
yea
when i was training only 3 days a week i was getting fatter, 4 days i was staying same not really building because arms were with other body parts and legs were also now i am 5 days i hit everything by it self and keep my heart rate mild i am seeing the best results!!!
Bobby
- if you let your fears keep you from flying, you will never reach your high-
Nice..
Well as long as it's working, that's great. Man, I tell you... education & experimentation is key to this!
By the way, when are we supposed to be posting these pics guys?
yea
id say march first we can post some pics up!?!?
Bobby
- if you let your fears keep you from flying, you will never reach your high-
Yeah.
All i know is what I'm doing now is working very well for me. The comments I get from ppl randomly in the gym telling me I look bigger make me feel like its really working too. I dunno but I usually dont just walk up to someone and say "Hey u look bigger."
Feb. 10th
Today was something else... to say the least. It was leg day, but I've decided to go light for 2 weeks so I can get used to my new body weight. I weighed myself abain & it seems i've gained another pound. So i'm 207lbs now!
Ok, so here's my workout:
warmups - 2 x 20 leg extentions
2 x 15 leg curls (super set with extentions)
4 x 15-20 full squats
4 x 15-20 leg press
3 x 15 vertical leg press
3 x 10-12 hack squats (superset with vertical leg press)
4 x 12 leg curls
3 x 10 stiff-legged deadlift
3 x 12 leg extentions (superset with stiff-legged deadlifts)
4 x 15-25 crunches
I did everything at about 60-70% of my maximum weight & rested only 1.5 minutes between sets for intensity. I usually take up to 5 minutes rest when doing my very heavy weights.
***I also forgot to mention that for all of my workouts before today since I started putting them here, I was increasing my weights as I progressed with each set. After this 2 week period of lighter weights, I intend to reverse it & start off with heavier weights, dropping if necessary. My reasoning is because I needed to build a base for myself since I had started training regularly again from mid December. Now that the foundation is laid, I'm really going to turn it up a notch... but after these 2 weeks. Just an explanation for what i'm doing & how i'm doing it.