RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 3/12/2007 7:49:03 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Sunday 2007-03-11:
Weight: 193.4 lbs
My first off day of the new cycle. Feel the burn!
Food: 2944 calories, 188 g protein, 28% of calories from fat
Monday, 2007-03-12:
Weight: 193.8 lbs
Chest and triceps today.
Felt horrible this morning, and it kept getting worse all day. That cold from a couple weeks ago didn't ever completely go away, and has been lingering at a sorta background level. Today I seem to have a secondary sinus infection. It's unbearable. I managed to force in the calories, and I did my workout, but it wasn't a good sight. I definitely felt weaker after the off week, which is probably mostly from the illness and not the time off, but it's still frustrating. I hope I show some progress, as I was starting to get frustrated toward the end of the last cycle, and the off week seems to have done as much harm as good. Fortunately, the new split was mercifully short.
Food: 3505 calories, 222 g protein, 19% of calories from fat
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 3/15/2007 7:01:09 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Tuesday 2007-03-13:
Weight: 194.6 lbs
I feel horrible. I want to die. Can't sleep at all with this sore throat, dripping, coughing nonsense.
Food: 3484 calories, 194 g protein, 29% of calories from fat
Wednesday, 2007-03-14:
Weight: 195.4 lbs
Today was the new back and biceps routine. I'm not strong enough to do pull-ups, so I'm just doing negatives for now. It makes sense -- if you add up what I can lift with curls and rows, it doesn't add up anywhere close to my bodyweight. Still, negatives really do a number on me, I've never felt my lats and biceps pushed so hard.
Still feel really sick, and still not sleeping well. If I hadn't just had a week off, this is one of those times where I'd skip a workout for the sake of getting well. Weaker all around than before the break, but it's probably just cause I'm sick.
Made an error when entering my workout shake into fitday and didn't notice it till the next day, so I ended up eating too much. Oops.
Food: 3888 calories, 217 g protein, 22% of calories from fat
Thursday, 2007-03-15:
Weight: 195.6 lbs
Finally seem to be getting better. I still feel pretty bad, and I have this awful nagging cough, but at least I'm past the worst of it. Feeling better has made me a bit more optimistic, and I think I'm actually seeing a little bit of difference in the mirror finally.
Really, really sore from yesterday. Those negative pull-ups are going to have a big impact. I've never felt this sore in my biceps and lats before. I know soreness doesn't necessarily equate to growth, but I can tell they're getting a better workout.
I tried raises and lateral raises instead of upright rows for my shoulder workout. I think I'll switch back - the upright rows are a compound exercise and I think I get more out of them. Also, I made an error placing shoulder day right after biceps/back day since some of the shoulder exercises hit the biceps some. Starting next week, I'm going to swap biceps/back with triceps/chest so there is a couple days between them. Or perhaps I'll do shoulders on Monday and back/biceps on Thursday. I guess I have a few days to think about it. Also, I shouldn't have split up forearms and biceps. That doesn't make any sense at all. So I'll swap wrist curls with shrugs. They go well enough with shoulders, and they aren't tied that much to my other back work.
Food: 3598 calories, 204 g protein, 21% of calories from fat
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 3/17/2007 9:27:27 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Friday, 2007-03-16:
Weight: 196.8 lbs
Fitday wasn't working for much of the day for me, so I just gave myself a day off from keeping track of everything. It was sorta present to myself for not cheating for a long time, plus a way of celebrating finally being well again. I'm not 100%, but I feel human again. In any event, I didn't cheat, and I have a pretty good feel for where I'm at in terms of calories, so I'm sure it was probably pretty close to where I need to be.
Food: Probably fine.
Saturday, 2007-03-17:
Weight: 196.8 lbs
I'm still not all the way recovered in terms of energy, but my cough is almost gone. I'm glad I made a day just for legs because it really lets me focus on them properly without worrying about having to save energy for doing shoulders afterwards. The workout went well, but the lunges I added to the end had to be dropped today. I was blasted from my squats and dead-lifts, so my legs just didn't have the stability to do lunges. I might move them to the front of the workout, or perhaps do some other exercise that doesn't require quite as much balance.
Food: 3567 calories, 212 g protein, 20% of calories from fat
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 3/25/2007 5:21:20 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Week 10 Summary:
Start of Week Stats (Sunday, 2007-03-11):
5'11", 193.0 lbs, ~18.4% body fat.
Sick all week, completely miserable. I retain water when I get sick, which is most of this weight gain. Getting started again after the week off was a real bear, and being ill didn't make it any better. Nevertheless, I'm seeing some real gains in my upper body. Not only have I put about an inch onto my biceps since I started, but the left has grown a lot faster than the right, so it's only a 1/4 inch smaller instead of the 3/4 it was when I started.
The first week of the new cycle revealed a few snags in my plan. Starting next week, I'm going to the following schedule:
Sunday - off
Monday - shoulders plus shrugs and abs
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - chest, triceps
Thursday - back, biceps
Friday - off
Saturday - legs, lower back
End of Week Stats (Saturday, 2007-03-17):
5'11", 196.8 lbs, ~18.3% body fat.
Skin folds:
I averaged three measurements to get most these values. The fractional values are probably below the accuracy of my measuring, but I'm recording them anyway.
biceps: ..... 8.33mm
chest: ..... 16.00mm
abdomen: ... 29.17mm
thigh: ..... 16.00mm
Body fat: 18.26% (Jackson, A.S., Pollock, M.L., 1978, 3 site formula)
Measurements:
L calf: ...... 14 3/4" ⇑
R calf: ...... 14 7/8" ↔
L thigh: ..... 23 3/4" ↔
R thigh: ..... 23 5/8" ↔
waist: ....... 38" ... ↔
chest: ....... 40" ... ↑
neck: ........ 16 1/4" ↔
L forearm: ... 11 1/8" ↔
R forearm: ... 11 1/4" ↑
L biceps: .... 12 3/4" ⇑
R biceps: .... 13" ... ↑
< Message edited by jheft -- 3/25/2007 5:38:13 PM >
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 3/25/2007 5:35:26 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Sunday, 2007-03-18:
Weight: 195.2 lbs
Food: 3548 calories, 192 g protein, 19% of calories from fat
Monday, 2007-03-19:
Weight: 197.6 lbs
Still have that nagging cough, but I've got a lot of my energy back. Today is now shoulder and abs day, plus shrugs. I felt a lot stronger than last week.
Food: 3554 calories, 220 g protein, 21% of calories from fat
Tuesday, 2007-03-20:
Weight: 198.0 lbs
Food: 3638 calories, 210 g protein, 28% of calories from fat
Wednesday, 2007-03-21:
Weight: 198.4 lbs
Today is chest and triceps. Feeling a bit better. The cough is gone for most of the day though it comes back on me at night or if I breath heavily for any reason. Pretty tough to be coughing during a workout.
Food: 3632 calories, 231 g protein, 21% of calories from fat
Thursday, 2007-03-22:
Weight: 196.4 lbs
Back, biceps and forearms. Feeling a lot stronger than last week. Cough still nagging me at night.
Food: 3664 calories, 226 g protein, 19% of calories from fat
Friday, 2007-03-23:
Weight: 196.8 lbs
Food: 3622 calories, 216 g protein, 29% of calories from fat
Saturday, 2007-03-24:
Weight: 197.2 lbs
Cough almost gone. I'm really glad I gave legs their own day. Going shopping for new weights soon so I can do this stuff at proper intensity.
Food: 3581 calories, 216 g protein, 26% of calories from fat
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 3/25/2007 5:51:00 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Week 11 Summary:
Start of Week Stats (Sunday, 2007-03-18):
5'11", 196.8 lbs, ~18.3% body fat.
Finally mostly over this cold. I've still got some left over congestion in my lungs which I'm coughing up here and there, but I really think I'll be well again someday. The new schedule is much better. I only gained a tad this week even though I was over 3600 calories most days because I was dropping some excess water, and apparently some fat too. I hope my weight doesn't start plateauing again, cause I don't want to have to add even more calories so soon.
End of Week Stats (Saturday, 2007-03-24):
5'11", 197.2 lbs, ~18.0% body fat.
Skin folds:
I averaged three measurements to get most these values. The fractional values are probably below the accuracy of my measuring, but I'm recording them anyway.
biceps: ..... 8.33mm
chest: ..... 15.50mm
abdomen: ... 29.33mm
thigh: ..... 15.50mm
Body fat: 18.03% (Jackson, A.S., Pollock, M.L., 1978, 3 site formula)
Measurements:
L calf: ...... 14 3/4" ↔
R calf: ...... 14 7/8" ↔
L thigh: ..... 23 3/4" ↔
R thigh: ..... 23 3/4" ↑
waist: ....... 37 7/8" ↓
chest: ....... 40" ... ↔
neck: ........ 16 3/8" ↑
L forearm: ... 11 1/8" ↔
R forearm: ... 11 1/4" ↔
L biceps: .... 12 7/8" ↑
R biceps: .... 13 1/8" ↑
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 4/1/2007 5:55:53 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Sunday, 2007-03-25:
Weight: 199.0 lbs
Been pretty hungry and inadvertently went a little high on the calories today.
Food: 3737 calories, 182 g protein, 23% of calories from fat
Monday, 2007-03-26:
Weight: 200.8 lbs
I've been loading creatine since last Wednesday (20 g monohydrate per day during 1 week load, will switch to 5-6 g per day maintenance after the first week). Today was really the first day where I've noticed a difference, and it seemed to come on pretty suddenly. I seem to have gained water weight, and my workout today (shoulders, abs) went really well. I increased weight everywhere and didn't feel as fatigued. I was able to keep my rests short and move on to the next set without feeling like I was running out of gas. I also started adding weight to my crunches.
Food: 3662 calories, 216 g protein, 19% of calories from fat
Tuesday, 2007-03-27:
Weight: 199.8 lbs
My schedule has been kinda crazy, so I didn't even keep track of my food today. I did eat about the same amount of the same kind of stuff as usual in the same number of meals, so I'm pretty sure my totals were fine. My timing on my meals was a little off though, with some long meetings and such getting in the way.
Food: Probably good.
Wednesday, 2007-03-28:
Weight: 201.2 lbs
I tracked my food through the first part of the day, but got busy later on and let it slide. The creatine has definitely started to make a noticeable difference. I've clearly added some water weight and I had another good workout (chest, triceps) today. I felt really powerful on bench press, and finally was able to get past some sticking points in my triceps exercises.
Food: Probably good.
Thursday, 2007-03-29:
Weight: 201.0 lbs
Again slacking in the food tracking department, and my diet was imperfect, but not horrible. My schedule is still screwing me up, but I think it's also that I've already passed my target weight and feel a little less drive in the diet department.
I finally picked up a 300 pounds set of Olympic weights plus a couple dumbbell handles and some extra 10 pound plates to go with those. The barbell is a bit odd, the bar weighs 40 pounds instead of the usual 45. Also, the dumbbell handles appear to be a couple pounds different in weight (one is a little under 10 pounds, the other is just over 12) even though they look identical... They'll do, and they didn't set me back much.
My back/biceps workout got pushed back to really late in the evening, and it suffered. It was a good workout, and I felt strong, but it wasn't the huge improvement that I saw earlier this week. Not strong enough on any of these exercises to take advantage of my new equipment, but I'm sure I'll be glad to have it on Saturday.
Food: OK.
Friday, 2007-03-30:
Weight: 201.6 lbs
I've decided that this is going to the last week of this bulk. I had originally planned to just work to 200 pounds before cutting, then decided to bulk for two full 8 week cycles (plus rest weeks), then thought I might only bulk for half this cycle, which would have been another week, but decided today that I'm ready to cut. I reached my target weight a couple weeks early and I'm totally sick of stuffing myself. I want to see what's underneath this flab now.
I let the food situation go out the window today. I had a few beers and like half a pound of cheez-its. It was great. I'm going to be eating like a monk in a couple days, so I decided to let it slide. I also finished a big, annoying project at work, so it was worth celebrating.
Food: Crapola!
Saturday, 2007-03-31:
Weight: 202.4 lbs
Let workout went really well. I decided lunges were a waste of time when I could be spending more energy on squats and dead-lifts. I don't have a rack, so I was able to only use my new barbell on dead-lifts. I'm still using dumbbells for squats. Anyhow, I'm going to be able to step up to weights that are actually challenging now, though I'm going to do it gradually so I don't kill myself.
Food: 3353 calories, 212 g protein, 21% of calories from fat
< Message edited by jheft -- 4/1/2007 5:56:55 PM >
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 4/1/2007 6:22:18 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Week 12 Summary:
Start of Week Stats (Sunday, 2007-03-25):
5'11", 197.2 lbs, ~18.0% body fat.
That's it for the bulk. I'm ready to start shedding the flab full-time. With any luck, I'll continue to gain a little muscle while I'm doing it, as I managed to lose a little fat while bulking. Up until this week at least. It's hard to be certain, because the creatine added some water, but I think I gained maybe half a pound of fat. I still had enough lean gains for my fat percentage to drop a hair, but it's a good time for a change now that my gains aren't quite so clean (though maybe they would have been better if I had been more serious about my diet this week).
The creatine is definitely kicking in. I can especially feel it between sets, where I feel ready to go to the next set quite quickly instead of wanting to wait a little longer. Also, immediately after finishing the workout I can feel my energy levels return much faster, even before I've started into my post-workout shake. I also seem to be sweating a bit more during my workout, though I can't be sure. It may be just because I'm going at a bit more intensity.
My plan for this cut is to start trimming calories gradually, day by day, until I get down to around 2700-2800 or so. I'll also be adding some cardio post-workout. A little bit at first, then ramping it up. I figure together, that should get me enough of a deficit to lose a pound a week, which is my initial target. I plan to keep my percentage of calories from fat down in the low 20s and keep consuming 180-200 grams of protein per day (which will make it a larger share of my total calories). If I don't lose a pound a week, I'll cut the calories a bit further and add a bit more cardio.
I expect this to be a bit easier than bulking, because I've learned what foods do a good job of suppressing my appetite (oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice). I also find it a bit easier to let myself be a little hungry than it is to stuff myself.
By my calculations, if I drop about 20 pounds of fat and manage to keep most of my lean mass, I should get into single digit territory in terms of fat percentage. If I can get to a lean 180 pounds, I expect to look pretty good.
Looking over my measurements for the past few weeks, it seems like my upper arms have been making consistent strong improvement. I can really see a difference now when I look in the mirror. It's odd because strength-wise, it doesn't seem like they've made huge strides or anything. In contrast, my chest and lats have gotten stronger, but I've seen only the most minor increases size-wise there. My legs have been slow to progress because I haven't had the equipment to tax them much (and they were much, much more muscular to begin with), but that should change now.
End of Week Stats (Saturday, 2007-03-31):
5'11", 202.4 lbs, ~18.0% body fat.
Skin folds:
I averaged three measurements to get most these values. The fractional values are probably below the accuracy of my measuring, but I'm recording them anyway.
biceps: ..... 8.50mm
chest: ..... 15.17mm
abdomen: ... 29.00mm
thigh: ..... 16.00mm
Body fat: 17.98% (Jackson, A.S., Pollock, M.L., 1978, 3 site formula)
Measurements:
L calf: ...... 14 3/4" ↔
R calf: ...... 15" ... ↑
L thigh: ..... 23 7/8" ↑
R thigh: ..... 23 7/8" ↑
waist: ....... 38 1/8" ⇑
chest: ....... 40 1/8" ↑
neck: ........ 16 3/8" ↔
L forearm: ... 11 1/4" ↑
R forearm: ... 11 1/4" ↔
L biceps: .... 13" ... ↑
R biceps: .... 13 3/8" ⇑
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 4/14/2007 2:15:16 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Week 13 Summary:
Start of Week Stats (Sunday, 2007-04-01):
5'11", 202.4 lbs, ~18.0% body fat.
OK, I've been bad about keeping my journal up-to-date, but I've been good on my food and training. I gradually dropped my caloric intake by 100 calories each day this week, until I got to about 2500-2600 calories per day. I also started adding a little post-workout cardio, 10 minutes at first, adding a couple minutes each workout.
I was busy Saturday, so I had to move my leg workout to Sunday. All my workouts went pretty well, but for the most part I didn't see the strength increase I have been, probably because of my calorie deficit. One exception was my back and biceps day where I felt stronger on a couple exercises, especially bent over rows.
End of Week Stats (Saturday, 2007-04-07):
5'11", 199.8 lbs, ~17.7% body fat.
Skin folds:
I averaged three measurements to get most these values. The fractional values are probably below the accuracy of my measuring, but I'm recording them anyway.
biceps: ..... 8.17mm
chest: ..... 14.67mm
abdomen: ... 28.67mm
thigh: ..... 15.67mm
Body fat: 17.66% (Jackson, A.S., Pollock, M.L., 1978, 3 site formula)
Measurements:
L calf: ...... 14 7/8" ↑
R calf: ...... 15" ... ↔
L thigh: ..... 24" ... ↑
R thigh: ..... 23 7/8" ↔
waist: ....... 37 7/8" ⇓
chest: ....... 40 1/8" ↔
neck: ........ 16 3/8" ↔
L forearm: ... 11 1/4" ↔
R forearm: ... 11 3/8" ↑
L biceps: .... 13" ... ↔
R biceps: .... 13 1/4" ↓
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 6/5/2007 7:43:06 AM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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OK, I haven't been posting, but I've been keeping up with my routine and diet. I've dropped like 13 pounds from the peak of my bulk, and it's almost all fat.
My strength has even managed to improve slightly, which is nice, considering I expected to lose strength during the cut. My triceps have been the best surprise, considering they were frustrating me during my bulk.
Other than my waist, which has lost inches, most of my measurements have stayed roughly the same or decreased slightly (which is what I expected with the fat loss.) One exception is my arms, which have increased slightly, particularly my left, which has almost caught up with my right in size and strength. My clothes are starting to fit all wrong. I've lost 2-3 notches on my belt, and some of my pants are really baggy.
I'll take some pictures soon and expect to see a big difference. In the mirror I can really see the change in my torso. The front of my chest is much blobby and man-boobish, and I am starting to see some shape in my abs. If I flex them, I can really see muscles moving around under my skin and my ribs being pulled down, which is cool, though I wouldn't say I have any real definition yet. I feel like my belly's really improved and smoothed out. I've been a bit disappointed in the sides of my chest and armpit area. If I flex my chest, there's this sorta chunky cellulite looking stuff on the sides. My legs are looking better, if I flex my quads, there's all this shape that pops out now, and my calves are lovely (though they were always pretty good looking).
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 7/17/2007 8:26:11 AM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Still losing weight at a steady pace (it's actually accelerated a bit the past two or three weeks.) I'm losing a bit more muscle than I was at first, but that's to be expected, and it's actually a pretty small amount being lost compared to the fat loss.
None of my clothes fit at all anymore, except for one t-shirt I had that used to be way, way too small. Now it's just small enough to make me look really good. It makes me want to go shopping for t-shirts and The Baby Gap. My pants or so baggy, it's funny. If I undo my belt I can look like one of those guys in those weight loss commercials (I've lost 4-5 inches from my waist even though I'm only about 3 pounds lighter than when I started). I've had to awl a new hole in my belt, and may have to do another pretty soon. My pants bunch up in kinda an uncomfortable way when I cinch them up tight enough to fall down, so I may have to break down and get some new jeans soon even though I plan to lose another 2-4 inches. Some of my old shirts (which I always wore quite baggy to begin with) feel like tents.
I ended my third 8-week "cycle" took a week off and just started my fourth. I'm changing my split to a push-pull sort, with 3 different workouts, push, pull and legs+abs. I'll still keep to four workouts per week, so there will be 5-6 days between repeating the same set of exercises instead of 7, and the workouts will be on different days each week. Nevertheless, I think my muscles will get more completely rested each week because I won't have that weird shoulder day that utilized biceps and triceps outside of their normal days.
I think I've got another 6-10 pounds and 2-4 inches to lose of my waist to get where I want to be. I'm moderately heavy-boned, so I think my waist will bottom out at 30-31 inches, but it's hard to say. I'm starting to like what I'm seeing in the mirror, though the more progress I make the more easily I can see how far I have to go. I'm gonna keep cutting for at least this cycle, then see where I'm at to see if I can do some more bulking this year or if I need to get leaner still. I'm going to be seeing people around the holidays that I won't have seen for like a year, so I'd like to be in "peak form" around then.
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 10/27/2007 3:02:38 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
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Jheft's Year-End Plan:
My progress this year so far has been hit-or-miss. I've had pretty good strength increases in my legs and back, less good in my arms, and terrible in my chest. I've lots a lot of fat, and gained a little muscle. I want to lose another inch or so from my waist before Christmas, which in the past has taken me about a month. So that gives me about one more month of bulking, then a month of cutting, then some time off for the Christmas break.
Nutrition:
This has been pretty easy to keep up with. I'm gonna continue with 180 grams or so of protein per day and 20-30% of my calories from fat. Nothing too fancy. I've been bulking on about 3300 calories, but my weight gain has slowed down the past couple weeks. They were pretty hectic, but I'll probably have to up to about 3500-3600 soon. I'lll switch back to a cut around mid-November.
Routine:
The goal of this routine is to provide some change and extra attention to areas that have been lagging, and to stick with what's working for areas that are doing well.
The chest/triceps day is focus of my new routine, because both have lagged horribly. I will be following IBendBarbell's program for improvement in bench press and incline bench. This is the main thing I'll be tracking in this journal. I've got a new power rack (including dip bars) so I have lots of options for new exercises. My left side is substantially weaker and smaller, but I'm not going to obsess with correcting the imbalance right now since I'm so weak overall and just need to build up a base.
Unless specified otherwise, four sets indicates pyramided weight, with 12, 10, 8 and 6 reps. Three sets would be 12, 10 and 8 reps. The last set will sometimes be to failure, but I'll be trying to use a weight that can just get me to the specified number of reps. Exercises labeled IBB will follow the set pattern outlined in the first part of IBB's program. For exercises labeled "max", I will simply try to complete as many reps as possible (e.g. I can only do a few dips at this time) for the given number of sets until such time as I can actually do a significant number and can add weight. On days when I'm feeling particularly energetic, or I anticipate that I'll be increasing my weights the next week on a particular exercise, I sometimes throw in an extra set at the end that's just 1-3 reps (particularly for the major compound exercises.)
Sunday - Off
Monday - Shoulders, Abs and Misc.
Goals:
- General improvement, particularly on overhead press/shoulder press
- Improving trap strength to help with form on deadlift
- Adding some shoulder padding for squats (ouch!)
Seated dumbbell shoulder press (4)
Lateral raises (3)
Barbell rear delt rows (4)
Barbell shrugs (3)
Weighted crunches (3)
Hanging leg raises (3)
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - Back, Biceps
Goals:
- Continue excellent progress with lats
- Getting a belt for adding weight to pull-ups
- Trying some different rep ranges for curls to see if I can get some progress out of my biceps and forearms
Pull-ups, (4)
Negative Pull-ups (3)
Dumbbell bent-over rows (4)
Barbell curls (3)
Hammer curls (3)
Wrist Curls (3)
Thursday - Chest, Triceps
Goals:
- Improve my flat bench max to 180 pounds by Christmas, and have a similar improvement in incline
- Add some thickness to my pectorals, particular upper chest, which looks like crap right now
Bench press (IBB)
Incline bench press (IBB)
Dips (3 max)
Flys (2 sets rotated between incline, decline and flat)
Flys (2 sets rotated between flat, incline and decline)
Skull-crushers (3)
One-arm triceps extensions (3)
Friday - Off
Saturday - Legs
Goals:
- Get used to doing squats with a barbell (probably a couple weeks before I can get a good idea of my strength)
- Establish a squat strength for the 6-8 rep range in reasonable proportion to deadlift strength
- Not adding weight to deadlifts, but instead making my form perfect in the 270-310 range for 8-10 reps
- Get a belt (I'm lifting pretty heavy now and don't want to break myself in half)
- Add a little size to my calves
Squats (4)
Dead-lifts (4)
Push press (3)
Seated barbell calf raises (4)
< Message edited by jheft -- 11/21/2007 2:07:41 PM >
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 10/29/2007 11:04:12 AM
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IBendBarbells
Posts: 5851
Joined: 6/21/2006
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On your shoulder and Ab day throw in the bench press only 3 sets with a warm up set with just the bar. On this day use a wide grip on your chest day use a mid and narrow grip. Always strive to increase 5lbs per week! that is a must!
Remember I hit the press's 3 times per week. But 2 times should do it!
For your shoulder day incorp. into the work out seated dumbell shoulder press.. when you do it go one arm at a time..
On your leg day this is going to sound weird but incorp push press into your work out.. You know grab the bar standing up to your shoulders squat down a bit and push up and press the weight above your head.. This is going to strengthen your lower back and add stability to your lifts. It will also work on those deltoids a bit more. It's all about explosion. This is going to help you with your squats I am working on it now and I feel a ton better manipulating barbells.. mainly because I can push 200lbs over my head and lock out now. When you do this start light and remember its about power and balance.
_____________________________
--Ninja spy of the Emancipation Detoxification.--
"Man.. It feels good when alot of losers are around. "
Every man has his strong points.
In a party full of average fish the sharks really stand out.
With the way things are going Ill be 240 by March 2010
Short term goal - 215lbs 10% BF
New Scale weight - coming soon.
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 10/29/2007 11:35:17 AM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
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I've incorporated those changes in the post above.
With the wide grip bench on my shoulder day, should I just use the same rep/set pattern you suggested in your program -- warmup followed by 15, 6 and 6, increasing the 15 set by 5 pounds every week? I like the idea of hitting that twice a week, because my bench is so weak that my chest doesn't really seem to be worn out for very long. Squats and deadlifts on the other hand - I feel those for days.
The shoulder day gets kinda long if I just add the dumbbell shoulder presses. I dropped the overhead presses because they hit the same head - should I put those back and drop something else?
I like the idea of adding the push press to my leg day. That day tends to run short, but that's never bothered me because it's way more exhausting than my other days. I've done push presses a little bit the past few weeks to force out a few extra reps at the end of my overhead press sets.
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to IBendBarbells)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 10/29/2007 11:55:18 AM
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IBendBarbells
Posts: 5851
Joined: 6/21/2006
Status: offline
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Oh ****!! I forgot bro!! sorry I forgot your on the first routine.
No take out that chest day from the shoulder day!! that was my bad!
You want to do 15 from where you feel the most comfortable.. I prefer index fingers on the rings. I am pretty tall though almost 6'2 now.. well sort of... got about 1/2 - 1/4 inch to go..
Anyways yeah start with 15 reps.. the other stuff I told you to do keep that in there. Then do 6 and do 6.. when you warm up use the bar and only do 8 reps slow and controlled.
_____________________________
--Ninja spy of the Emancipation Detoxification.--
"Man.. It feels good when alot of losers are around. "
Every man has his strong points.
In a party full of average fish the sharks really stand out.
With the way things are going Ill be 240 by March 2010
Short term goal - 215lbs 10% BF
New Scale weight - coming soon.
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 10/29/2007 12:15:43 PM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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OK, that clears it up. Thanks!
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
"Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."
-- Kaiser Wilhelm II
(in reply to IBendBarbells)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 10/30/2007 2:34:33 AM
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twistedlink
Posts: 7766
Joined: 5/31/2005
Status: online
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lol IBB likes to kill people with bench HAHA! but it works, when i started his older program my chest was sore as HELL by the end of it, it worked though, despite all the signs of overtraining i got stronger.
I think overtraining only really applies to weight-gain, and even then, overtraining has to be done to a major extent
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quote:
original:Jane
I like boobs. Not like big messy boobs that pour out the bra when they are unleashed. Not small boobs either. Not fake ones either. A full C cup.
quote:
original:Jane
WOW! I am honored! I am finally, FINALLY in someone's sig. Twisted of all people.
Boobs=power.
(in reply to jheft)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 10/30/2007 8:13:17 AM
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IBendBarbells
Posts: 5851
Joined: 6/21/2006
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: twistedlink
lol IBB likes to kill people with bench HAHA! but it works, when i started his older program my chest was sore as HELL by the end of it, it worked though, despite all the signs of overtraining i got stronger.
I think overtraining only really applies to weight-gain, and even then, overtraining has to be done to a major extent
My theory is that overtraining does not apply toward compound lifts which is why olympic lifters do compound lifts 3x or more per week.. Seriously.. research it, it's very interesting.
_____________________________
--Ninja spy of the Emancipation Detoxification.--
"Man.. It feels good when alot of losers are around. "
Every man has his strong points.
In a party full of average fish the sharks really stand out.
With the way things are going Ill be 240 by March 2010
Short term goal - 215lbs 10% BF
New Scale weight - coming soon.
(in reply to twistedlink)
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RE: Jheft's Heftorium (for all your hefting needs) - 10/30/2007 8:38:56 AM
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jheft
Posts: 2993
Joined: 1/3/2007
Status: offline
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Heh, well if you need to "overtrain" for strength, and "overtrain" for mass, maybe it's not really overtraining - we just have a wrong idea about what constitutes overtraining. 
There was that study (actually, a meta-study) I found that suggested that hitting a muscle group 2-3 times per week instead of just once was actually optimal for strength.
My own personal theory is that smaller muscles need more frequent training than larger muscles because they can only lift relatively small loads, so they don't get much stress in a typical workout, and therefore recover quickly. Large muscles (glutes, quads, etc.) can manage HUGE loads, so they undergo much larger stresses during a workout, and therefore need more time to recover. So you can get away with doing squats and deadlifts once a week, but other muscle groups may need to be hit more often. Pecs and triceps are more intermediate size (not as small as biceps, not as big as quads or even lats).
This also jibes with studies that show that beginners should train more frequently than more advanced lifters. Their muscles are smaller, and their CNS is less adapted, so they can't train at the more extreme intensity that can be used by people who've been training for a while. And while soreness isn't a reliable indicator, I know that for me, big muscles are consistently sore and weak for several days after I lift, whereas smaller muscles are only sore and weak for a day or two.
_____________________________
Journal: Jheft's Heftorium, Progress Photos (new as of 2008-03-08), My Stack
Current stats: 5'11", 196.0 lbs - currently bulking (cutting soon)
2008 Results: +22.8 lbs, 2nd Place Discussbodybuilding.com Transformation Contest
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