Veggeep's Bulking & Shredding & Just Plain Lovin' the Game Journal

Okay kids, here we go...  As you all know by now, I'm on a quest for overall physique improvement -more definition, a better tan, and above all, bigger muscles.  First, a brief re-cap for those who are joining our program already in progress:

I'm a life-long skinny punk who finally got serious about working out on August 1st, 2005.  Prior to that date, I had dabbled on and off (mostly off) in strength training, but never made my commitment to the sport stick, and never pushed my gross bodyweight above 140 Lbs.  My first six months of dedicated training yielded remarkable results (for me, at least), and I gained 25 net pounds of new lean mass, while losing a pound of bodyfat.  For the past four months, however, I have been treading water, and my gains have come to a screeching halt.  In fact, I've actually given back five pounds since my alltime record high last February, because I seem to have slipped back into my old habit of slacking off and doing the same workouts with the same weights over and over again.  You can read all about it in my recent confession.  Personally, I'm ready to put it behind me and move on.

That's why I'm starting this journal.  Now, rather than just keep track of my workouts on my hardcopy clipboard (where I seldom go back more than two days to read), I'll post every single one of them here, so you can judge for yourself if I'm increasing the intensity of my workouts, or whether I'm just "phoning them in".  Ideally, every single entry that follows should in some way improve on the previous one.  If not, then I'm not bringing the growth stimulus that will bring me closer to my goals.

I'm not going to alter my long-term or short-term goals just because of the past four months setback.  Instead, I'll see where I stand at the end of July 2006 and make Phase 3 decisions based on that.  I may very well come up short on Phase 2, but it's not the end of the world.  We'll just regroup, rethink it, and come back ready to kick Phase 3's behind.

Shall we begin?

Yes, that's me in my avatar, and NO, I don't look like that today. That was taken back in Jan '07, and I lost most of that progress when I slacked off last year. I'm on my way back, tho, and I'm using that photo for inspiration.

Date: 06/24/2006
Objective: Damage Control
Split Designation: Legs & Abdominals

Exercise             Sets (Weight/Reps*)
Squats               210/10    210/10    210/10    210/10    210/10
Hamstring Curl        75/10     75/10     75/10     75/10     75/10
Standing Calf Raise  210/25    210/25    210/25    210/25
Leg Extension        100/15    100/15    100/15    100/15
Swiss ball Crunch      -/30      -/30      -/30
*Decimal values represent partial reps (ex 8.4 = eight full reps + four partial reps)

Notes:

This workout comes at the end of two weeks off.  Falling completely off the workout wagon wasn't enough for me -I also blew off two whole weeks of Nitrix and Creatine supplementation.  Naturally, my strength and endurance during this workout was shot to hell, but that's to be expected.  I knew the first day back in the saddle was going to leave me wrecked for a few days, so I deliberately left everything where I was two weeks ago.  Full squats with 210 turned out to be much easier than I remember them two weeks ago, so I have absolutely no excuse for lingering at this weight for reps any longer.  Same with hamstring curls and leg extensions.  Abs were about as irate as I expect them to be after several weeks of neglect.  It may take me until the end of July to get back up to 60 reps per set again.

Overall, not much of a pump (odd, considering the low weight), but plenty of delayed onset soreness.

Yes, that's me in my avatar, and NO, I don't look like that today. That was taken back in Jan '07, and I lost most of that progress when I slacked off last year. I'm on my way back, tho, and I'm using that photo for inspiration.

Date: 06/25/2006
Objective: Damage Control
Split Designation: Back, Chest & Arms (incidental)

Exercise             Sets (Weight/Reps*)
Chinup                 -/9       -/8       -/5.1     -/4.2
DB Pullover           45/10     45/10     45/10     45/10
Low Cable Row         90/10     90/10     90/10     90/10
Bent DB Row           40/12     40/12     40/12     40/12
Dec Bench Press      120/8     120/8     120/8     120/8
Incline DB Press      30/10     30/10     30/10     30/10
*Decimal values represent partial reps (ex 8.4 = eight full reps + four partial reps)

Notes:

Like yesterday's leg workout, this was also the first upper body workout after a two-week layoff.  The chinups were brutal -I HATE chinups.  But they hit my lats better than anything else I know, so we're gonna suck it up and do 'em!  Those dismal numbers are reps to failure, by the way...

Definitely ready to increase my DB Pullover weight, tho my DB's max out at 50 Lbs.  Gonna have to bust out the olympic handle again    Low cable rows were WAAAAAY too easy -time to up those too.  Things pretty much fall apart on bench press tho.  I SUCK at bench pressing -which, like chinups, is why we're gonna keep at it until we throw up something more impressive than a couple of manhole covers

Yes, that's me in my avatar, and NO, I don't look like that today. That was taken back in Jan '07, and I lost most of that progress when I slacked off last year. I'm on my way back, tho, and I'm using that photo for inspiration.

Date: 06/27/2006
Objective: Damage Control
Split Designation: Legs & Abdominals

Exercise             Sets (Weight/Reps*)
Squats               210/10    210/10    230/10    250/10    260/10
Hamstring Curl        75/10     75/10     85/10     85/10     85/10
Standing Calf Raise  210/25    210/25    210/25    210/25
Leg Extension        100/15    125/15    125/15    125/15
Swiss ball Crunch      -/30      -/30      -/30      -/30
*Decimal values represent partial reps (ex 8.4 = eight full reps + four partial reps)

Notes:

Okay... I made a promise.  Now it's time to live up to it   I upped the squats on set 3, 4 & 5, so I finished off with two manhole covers and a quarter on each side.  It's hard for me to come to terms with the fact that this is only 20 measly pounds per side less than six gigantic 45's... LOL!  way back when I was copping out on the hack squat sled, I thought it was amazing that I could load six 45's on THAT easy piece of crap.  Never imagined I'd be straight up SQUATTING it, he he he!  In any case, this was a pretty brutal five sets for me.  I wasn't really going deep on the 250's and 260's, so I might just repeat this pattern until I can nail all five sets with perfect form.

Set 1 & 2 of hamstring curls were still too easy (even with some residual soreness), so I upped them by 10 pounds and hammered out three more sets.  It was pretty intense, for me, but I still feel like a got to 10 on each of those sets without enough agony.  So I'll push this some more again next time.

I thought my SCRs were too easy with 210 Lbs, but I discovered today that's because I've been cheating BIGTIME on this movement.  Bouncing.  Not getting all of the depth.  I'm going to hold at 210 Lbs here, but force myself to go deeper and execute slower.  I think there's plenty of burn to be found here, but 25 bouncing reps is a waste of time.

I upped the leg extensions by 25 Lbs on the last three sets -still pretty easy.  But, I'm going to have to tighten up my bench before the next leg workout -it feels like it's about to fall apart (and I had to put a 45 on the other end to hold it down during this exercise, LOL)

Finally, I added another set of 30 crunches to last workout's three.  Then I limped over to Robek's to blow $7 on a MuscleMax smoothie to wash down my jumbo veggie burrito.

Yes, that's me in my avatar, and NO, I don't look like that today. That was taken back in Jan '07, and I lost most of that progress when I slacked off last year. I'm on my way back, tho, and I'm using that photo for inspiration.

good start. erm i was just wondering so are you doing those 2 workouts once a week? what are your reasons for doing legs twice a week?, and by the way what are your measurments? 

actually from reading your posts i can see that if your doing legs twice a week you must be doing them workouts 2 a week maybe im wrong lol

Bench presses are more effective if you imagine yourself pushing my hips away to avoid me jamming my twinkie down your throat.  Any exercise can be much more effective if you add an element of eluding acts of Nav sexual dominance.  You're welcome, buddy.

RIP 2004-2007

Not entirely wrong, LOL

When I'm burning back into a routine (like after a layoff), I try to stick with a two-way split for a month or two, then push it to three-way. Right now, this rudimentary two-way split is done twice a week, in a upper, lower, off, upper, lower, off, off fashion. That also has the added benefit of pushing the various workouts to different days every time. I don't like having to equate Mondays (which are enough of a pain in the a$$ without any extra help) with leg workouts. That kind of scheduling just gives me reasons to resent doing the harder workouts, LOL!

As for why, I hit legs twice a week because when I drop back to once a week, my knees and hips just go straight to rust. It seems to me like the harder I hit them, and the more frequently, the faster I recover, and the more flexible I stay. Sounds backwards, I know, but that's been my experience so far.

Yes, that's me in my avatar, and NO, I don't look like that today. That was taken back in Jan '07, and I lost most of that progress when I slacked off last year. I'm on my way back, tho, and I'm using that photo for inspiration.

ORIGINAL: Naviator

Bench presses are more effective if you imagine yourself pushing my hips away to avoid me jamming my twinkie down your throat. Any exercise can be much more effective if you add an element of eluding acts of Nav sexual dominance. You're welcome, buddy.

EUREKA!! What an awesome visualization technique! I'm gonna have to try that next time. Much Grass... you sick fff...

Yes, that's me in my avatar, and NO, I don't look like that today. That was taken back in Jan '07, and I lost most of that progress when I slacked off last year. I'm on my way back, tho, and I'm using that photo for inspiration.

Date: 06/28/2006
Objective: Damage Control
Split Designation: Back, Chest & Arms

Exercise             Sets (Weight/Reps*)
Chinup                 -/10      -/9       -/3.3     -/4.3
DB Pullover           45/10     50/10     50/10     50/10
Low Cable Row         90/10    100/10    110/10    110/10
Bent DB Row           40/12     40/12     40/12     40/12
Dec Bench Press      120/8     120/8     120/9     120/8
Incline DB Press      30/10     30/10     30/10     30/10
Alt DB Curl           30/10     30/10     30/10
*Decimal values represent partial reps (ex 8.4 = eight full reps + four partial reps)

Notes:

This upper body workout should bring to a close my "damage control" mode.  So named, because I tend to be very conservative and take things somewhat easy after a layoff, and coming back to the gym right where I left off would be like a kick in the nuts to my motivation.

I managed to squeek out two more reps on the first set of chinups, and an extra one on set two, but things kind of fell apart after that.  Just gonna keep hitting 'em until I can bang out for sets of twelve.  THEN I'm gonna start adding weight.

DB Pullovers are the ultimate semi-compound lift, in my book.  My God, what a rush.  One lift, combining all the best of the lats and terres group, a smidgon of lower pectorals, some triceps involvement, and a wicked ab stretch.  I LOVE DB pullovers   Of course, since my selectorized DB's max out at 50 Lbs, I'm going to have to take my chances with the olympic DB handle and those dodgy screw clamps...

I got the low cable row weight up more in this workout than any previously, so that's a plus.  Also grunted out one more rep on bench press set three than I did yesterday; but I started struggling with the final reps on set four -gonna keep pounding it until I get perfect form on all four sets.

Same thing with Bent DB Rows.  The weight was of a moderate diffuculty level, so I should have no problems increasing it, but today, I focused on absolutely perfect form, and it became a LOT harder than the last workout.

Last, I threw in three sets of alt DB curls, just so I could go back to the office with my guns pumped and freaky.  It worked

Yes, that's me in my avatar, and NO, I don't look like that today. That was taken back in Jan '07, and I lost most of that progress when I slacked off last year. I'm on my way back, tho, and I'm using that photo for inspiration.

Date: 06/29/2006
Objective: Impulse Control
Split Designation: Scheduled Rest Day

Exercise             Sets (Weight/Reps*)
Stare at freeweights   -/10      -/10      -/10
Chew Fingernails       1/10
Pace outside Home Gym  -/10      -/10
*Decimal values represent partial reps (ex 8.4 = eight full reps + four partial reps)

Notes:

Today was a scheduled "day off" that I really didn't feel like taking.  I know the biology of it all says growth happens at REST, not in the gym, but my home gym had redirected all power to the tractor beam and was really putting up a fight.

I opted for dinner out instead.

Yes, that's me in my avatar, and NO, I don't look like that today. That was taken back in Jan '07, and I lost most of that progress when I slacked off last year. I'm on my way back, tho, and I'm using that photo for inspiration.

ORIGINAL: Naviator

Bench presses are more effective if you imagine yourself pushing my hips away to avoid me jamming my twinkie down your throat.  Any exercise can be much more effective if you add an element of eluding acts of Nav sexual dominance.  You're welcome, buddy.

 
I just benched 650lbs, thankyou nav!

I've really enjoyed your journal thus far.  You've already survived the worst part - those first few workouts after a long lay off!!  And you just made it through (barely it sounds like) the second worst part - the day off!!  Isn't it amazing how tough it is to stay away from the weights once you get rolling?  I'm currently on day 5 of my week off - and I've been itching to get back at it.  It's like your weights start mocking you and talking trash after a couple days off.....

Masturbate.

RIP 2004-2007

I've really enjoyed your journal thus far. You've already survived the worst part - those first few workouts after a long lay off!! And you just made it through (barely it sounds like) the second worst part - the day off!! Isn't it amazing how tough it is to stay away from the weights once you get rolling? I'm currently on day 5 of my week off - and I've been itching to get back at it. It's like your weights start mocking you and talking trash after a couple days off.....

It's TORTURE!! Smug little s**ts! Sitting there giggling in that stupid little chipmunk giggle (like those mischievous little dancing chewing gum ads)... "hehehehehehehe!!! Come on, buddy! Crank out a few reps! You know you want to! Hhihihihihihihi!!!"

"You little bastards are in for a beat-down come Friday. COUNT on it!" HA HA HA

OOOOOooo!!! Yeah! And this is the last day of the month! That means it's time to take update photos

Stay tuned!

...and Nav, that only accounts for the first three hours

Yes, that's me in my avatar, and NO, I don't look like that today. That was taken back in Jan '07, and I lost most of that progress when I slacked off last year. I'm on my way back, tho, and I'm using that photo for inspiration.