workout log - travis

[travis0712]

Just a quick note about me - I was 210 at 5'9" - grossly overweight a few years ago. Through diet, resistance training, and light cardio I dropped the weight in 3 months, down to 175 and 20% bf. I was fine with this new me for a long time.

six months ago I wanted to start going for a six pack. so I tighted my diet up, started more cardio and enjoy riding my bike in the fat burning zone. its fun

I got down to 14% bf... and plataued big time. I even resorted to cutting cals down to 1500 per day... of course that killed my workout routine and I just couldn't put up the same weight - so I just lowered the poundage and increased the reps. I switched to a more of a whole body ciruit workout for two weeks on this 1500 cal diet. I didn't lose any measurements on my key points, chest, arms, thighs, hips, but did drop an inch from my belly button cirumfrence.

I am now back to a varying diet - non leg/chest days I eat 2100 - 2300 cals per day and on those two workout days I eat 2500 to 2600 cals.

I am starting this log for other newbs and myself. Hey if someone is watching you - you tend to do better right? That is the point of this long and a method for me to track. so, if you don't like something - do please post your thoughts.

specia thanks goes out to OCCFan023 for helping construct my workouts and to tell me to EAT MORE! 1500 cals per day just sucks butt....

 

[travis0712]

time of workouts - I lift two hours after breakfast to give my body time to recoup from the sleeping fast, and get some energy built up. I feel the best this way. Besides, I take NO explode by BSN and to get the full effect - you need to workout about 30-45 min after you down it, and take it an hour after you eat. I love the stuff. I still only use one scoop unless I am doing chest/legs - then I take a double dose. I also down some arginine as well for extra pumps.

after workout I down BSN cellmass, then 10 min later I down whey protien with skim milk. pretty basic.

I get most of my nutrition from real foods, only using whey shakes after workout for quick refuel... and casin before I go to bed. I like ON's protien - cheap and the best IMHO.

 

[travis0712]

MONDAY'S WORKOUT LOG

just trying to get lean and add some mass.

warm up with jumping jacks until my heart rate is 65% max.

NOTE:
4 working sets of 10 reps, wide grip pull downs are done with body weight from a fixed bar - I do as many as I can for 4 sets, add them up for tracking purposes. my goal each week is to simply do more reps. on the lifts, my goal is to either do more reps or more weight - focus on more to ensure my intensity is up. all done with just 60 second rests.

a) wide grip pull downs - 4 sets - 21 reps (I know weak!)

b) narrow grip pull ups - 4 sets - 17 reps
(superset with 4 ab excersises - freestyle I just mix it up)

c) bent over barbell rows - 4 sets - completed with 95 lbs
(superset with standing one leg calf raises)

d) barbell curls - 4 sets - completed 65 lbs

e) incline alt bicep curls - 4 sets 60lbs (30 lbs dumbbells).

When a 4 sets of 10 reps are completed, I add weight for the next workout. intensity is high, so I don't just stop at 10, I try for as many as I can on the last set.

I was pretty spent.

 

[OCCFan023]

Good luck bro, glad I could help ya out a bit. Should break past that plateau in no time!

 

[travis0712]

Just a note - monday's are weigh in / bf measurement days.

I weighed 162 today at 13% bf (I actually round up the bf). My calipers show 9mm. I am gunning for 7mm

 

[travis0712]

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT LOG

I didn't post yesterday simply due to time restraints. work, kids, ball game, workout, sleep was more important that posting

a) flat barbell bench - 4 sets x 8 reps - 155 lbs

b) wide grip incline press - 3 x 10 - 115 lbs

c) close grip bench - 3 x 10 115 lbs

d) superset ->
incline flies - 3 x 10 60 lbs
weighted dips - 3 x 10 30 lbs

Felt a very good pump afterwords. I am sore from monday's back workout, and today I feel sore in my chest too.

Next week, I will increase weight on flat bench by 5 lbs and increase sets on the 3 set workouts to 4 sets without increasing weight.

Today, I took a 6 mile bike ride at 65% HR to stay in the fat burning zone before breakfast.

I am very glad I like oats! I do eat a ton of them.

I lost 1 lb of fat last week and gained .34 lb of muscle. I hope to keep this up for next tuesday's weigh in.

 

[travis0712]

Today is leg day - by far my weakest subject because in high school and USAF - it was all about "how much do you bench?" and "my biceps are bla bla bla..."

I have taken a new found love in squats - by far my funnest workout - even though it is the toughest. So, I eat accordingly.

I give myself 2500 cals on leg day - my heaviest cal day of the week - simply because I feel the best and don't want any excuses for not completing one more rep.

Today I woke up to a whey shake with water, then began cooking my double serving of oats with butter/water. one egg and 2 egg whites, double glass of milk - total of 640 cals.

hour later, took a double serving of no-explode - I love the stuff. 30 minutes later - I hit the gym.

THURSDAY'S WORKOUT LOG

Squats - one warm up set of 20 reps, 145 lbs. I do them correctly, meaning my arse is to the floor! I use a flexible box to "sit" down on to make sure my thighs are horizontal to the floor.

a) squats 4 working sets of 10 = 180 lbs
I completed them all - so its 185 next week

b) dead lifts 4 working sets of 10 = 145 lbs
completion - next week 150 lbs

c) leg ext / leg curl - superset 4 sets of 10 reps = 70 lbs


That is it - fully exhausted - full of sweat and tears.

I probably could have done heavier weight today - but my first leg day back on the split routine and wanted to ensure correct form. the weight will come.

---> downed a single shot of whey mixed with a single shot of casin with water - that is my lunch.

off to work

For breakfast

 

[travis0712]

I am sore! Thats a good thing

FRIDAY'S WORKOUT LOG

Arm Day! (little shoulder work to boost my weak point).

Next week I will do 4 sets - first week back lifting heavy, didn't want to over do it. Still felt good though, last few reps of the last set were very intense.

All 3 sets of 10

a) close grip bench - 135

b) barbell curls - 65

c) superset one
flat bench tri ex - 50
ez bar curls - 50

d) superset two
tri dips - 10lbs weight in lap
alt hammer curls - 30lbs dbs

massive pump!!!

had to peak at the scale this morning to see where I was at looking into monday's weigh in. 160 lbs at 11.5% BF!!!! Freaking awesome. I have never been this lean.... just 2.6 lbs to go to reach my long term goal of 10% bf....

 

[travis0712]

its amazing when I think about my may 15th to june 13th results... losing 5 lbs of fat and KEEPING my muscle (as per weight scale and bf calipers) wasn't easy, but anyone can do it. There isn't any tricks/hype that can do this for you - you have to do it!

What worked for me and I bet will work for anyone... I figured out what I was doing wrong by keeping track of what I ate, and planning my meals for the day.

I found that I was eating less for the first half of the day and making up for it on my last 2 meals (6pm and 9pm meals).

I made the change to front loading my calories, biggest meal is breakfast and it just trickles down from there. Getting real full at breakfast keeps that feeling all day long. Just don't go too crazy though - should be around 500 - 650 calories - depending on your energy demands / goals / and body weight.

I should hit 10% in less than 2 weeks, I am pumped!!!! Slowly but surely progress is being made.

 

[travis0712]

MONDAY'S WORKOUT LOG

Back Day

2nd week into my new workout plan and I was focused to do better than last week's back work out. And I did, my online AM log is behind, and it is wednesday and I am still sore!

a) wide grip pull downs - body weight - stationary bar.
----- 4 sets each to failure - 25 reps - 4 more than last week

b) close grip pull ups - body weight - stationary bar.
----- 4 sets each to failure - 21 reps - 4 more than last week

c) bentover barbell (bb) rows
----- 4 sets 10 reps - only got 8 reps on the last set, so not goig up in weight next week - stuck at 95 lbs. Probably due to all out effort on the pulldowns/pull ups

d) bb curls - 4 sets of 10 at 70 lbs - failed to reach on 3/4 set so staying with same weight next week

e) ez bar curls - 4 sets of 10 at 50lbs
I do these super slow to finish out the bi's and to get a better pump. my biceps hardly ever get sore.

 

[travis0712]

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT LOG

My chest is very sore today, along with my back, my triceps aren't noticably sore though, I was affraid of over training them so I dropped tricep isolation from chest day since I do 12 sets of bench work, I think they get hit enough. I do work them hard on arm day though.

all 4 sets of 10 reps - if I complete 10 reps of the 4th set, I go up in weight next week.

a) flat bench barbell - 160 lbs - completed

b) incline press - 120 lbs - only reached 8 reps on 4th set

c) close grip bench - 120 lbs - completed

d) 2 sets of wide grip bench press - 20 reps, 15 reps - both to failure - just to get a good pump.

e) 2 sets of flies - 60 lbs all reps concentrated - nice and slow

 

[travis0712]

6 mile mountain bike ride this afternoon, last day of good weather until sunday. today is cardio day.

I also wanted to try speeding up my fat loss.

This is my new suppliment plan of attack.

(these all assist in one method or another of the break down/burning of fat)

in the morning upon waking - 30 min before breakfast
1gm carnitine
3gm arginine
2gm cLa with black pepper/cyan and cinimon extract
1 hydroxycut hardcore
scoop of protien powder
16 oz ice cold water

noon - 30 min before lunch

3 gm arginine
1 cla
1 hydroxycut hardcore
1 gm fish oil

60 min before bed (before I take my casin)
1 gm carnitine
3 gm arginine
5 ml flax oil
3 ZMA
2 benedryl to aid in deep sleep to max hgh

I have enough supply to last four full weeks... I will see how this helps on my final 4 weeks of cut - I hope this does the trick... I can't wait to forget about fat loss - and concentrate on LEAN muscle gain.

 

[travis0712]

Thursday's leg day - stopped half way through... nasty headache that carried over through today. No arm day either. I was p~ssed!

Light cardio and adjusted diet cals accordingly. I hope to be ready for monday's onslought of the back.