old program, turning into twisted's program

well ive been meaning to set up a journal for awhile, figured i'd start it now since i had some time...basically ive been bulking up since may 15, started at 138, now i'm up to 149/150 or so...i'm 5'9, so im still pretty small...but ive come a good way so far
 
my plans are to finish out my program ive been working with up until august 12, then take the following week to max out and finish preparing for the following program, which is gunna be twisted's...i'll also be moving back to college, so diet will be easier to work with, seeing as ill be buying everything myself...and ill have full access to a few really good gyms...so thatll rock haha
 
the splits im using now are a little odd but have worked well: shoulders/squats, back/biceps/hams, and chest/tris
 
anyway, today i worked my back and bis...pretty solid, my strength gains happen virtually every week, ive been pretty surprised by that, all except the bench...
 
bentover barbell rows: 130 4X8
sldl: 170 4X8
shrugs: 170 4X8
hammer curls: 35's 4X8
wide grip chins: 4X8
 
i originally started lifting:
bentover barbell rows: 85 4X8
sldl: 145 4X6 (started this further into routine)
shrugs: 145 4X6 (started later too)
hammers: 60 4X8 (started with just curls but my right wrist gets real irritated with the straight grip, so i had to mix that up)
 
 
 

todays planned workout:
 
chest/tris
 
bb bench: 130 4X5
incline db: 55's 4X6
db tricep extension: 55's 4X6
incline db flyes: 55's 4x5
db pullovers: 55's 4X8
 
worked this morning sickle mowing for a few hours, hopefully that wont take a toll on my workout...off to lift...

weird workout today, felt sluggish on bench and incline, then tris and pullovers were really good...then i threw in a high rep set on bench and really focused on using chest, and my triceps gave way on me but my chest was still strong...so it makes me think that the reason my bench is so low is cause of my tris not my chest...which makes sense considering i can do almost as much on flyes as on bench...any suggestions with that??
 
ended up doing:
bb bench: 125 3X6, 130 1X4  (this was under what i wanted, but an improvement from last week which was 120 4X6)
incline: 55's 2X4, 50's 2X6 (same thing, increase but short of goal...did 50's 4X6 last week)
triceps: same as goal, felt good
flyes: 55's 4X4 (increase from 50's 4X6)
pullovers: same as goal, focused hard on using serratus

well this morning i weighted myself and was actually down 1 lb from about 149/150 to 148 or so...i only have been weighing once a week, so its possible to just be water weight fluctuation or something...ill weigh again tomorrow and see whats up with that...thats the first time ive managed to lose weight so far, its usually up a lb or so.
 
anyway, no workout today, going to lollapallooza in chicago...thisll be the first totally off day ive taken since may, usually if i dont workout i work.
 
next week is the last week ill be lifting this routine, then im gunna max out and then switch over to twisted's...
 
this is my planned work outs for the week:
monday: legs/core
tuesday: chest/tris
friday: back/biceps/hams
sunday: shoulders
 
then following week:
tuesday: max legs/core
thursday: max back/biceps/hams
saturday: max chest/tris
sunday: max shoulders
 
looking forward to that leg workout tomorrow, a whole day to wait...

Cool stuff edrice, for 150lbs 130lbs benchpressing for 5 reps isnt weak at all personally, i was weaker than that, in fact im weaker than you now if you take my weight and bench max into account.
 
BB bench can make your triceps fail if you do any of these.
 
1.Do benchpress after 10+ sets of other tricep/chest oriented exercises.
2.Your grip is too narrow to fully use chest, therefore the triceps are being used, and are first to fatigue.
3.sometimes erratic fast movements can actually hinder muscle strength, some people think going slow uses too much energy, and they fail, which is true, but the truth goes for both too fast and too slow, moderate speed reps allow strength to be peaked, fast/slow movements are good for shocking muscles personally which is one aspect of the program i wrote up.

It's impossible to meddle with something that doesn't have a plan

thanks for the response, im starting to think that maybe my bb bench grip is too narrow because my dbs are nearly the same as bb and i can feel mychest soo much more...
 
id love to get my bench up to 200 1rm, as of now i havent maxed out since like april or so, which was 145...im probably around 150ish, 160 tops.
 
im looking forward to your program, ive used the calorie calcs on here and stuff and it looks like ill be needing about 3000 calories to gain mass under your plan...given that im 5'9 150 does that seem reasonable?
 
right now i eat quite a bit more because i work on a farm and use lots there too, so 3000 will be fewer calories, but ill be a student and not a farmer haha

well, youre endo you say right?
 
Personally for your size id say 3000 calories might be a tad too much, erm, im gonna try and explain what dan did to me, but hes much better at doing it.
 
Basically, if you start out a diet with 5000 calories, your body will climatise to it, and burn it off as best as it can, therefore you will then need to go to 5300 to start making gains again, the body gets used to it, 5600, etc etc
 
and eating 5000+ calories a day is hard, trust me-ive done it
 
Start off with 2500 calories with the split cycle from me, and keep checking measurements and weight every 2-3 days, if you notice weightloss, dont panic-it might be fat, cycle 1 is meant to lower fat and gain some muscle, check your bodyfat, this could be simply from looking, or doing the actual measurements
 
 
Bodyfat can be measured under MANY methods, some will make you 5%, some 15% (lol seriously lol) however this minor ish innacuracy does not matter, if a weight scale is out by 5lbs, itl show you as 145lbs, when youre really 150lbs, but if them scales show you being 150lbs, it means youre 155lbs
 
same goes with bodyfat, use the SAME method, that way you can track CHANGES, rather than a "true" total bodyfat.
 
Hope that makes sense
 
BTW i used caps because i cant be bothered to keep pressing the italics icon
Not shouting at you lol
 
However, if you notice weightloss and its definitely lean muscle (which should take a while anyway) add the calories in increments of 200-300
 
Never increase calories too fast or too much, 2-300 will get the bodies attention, a calorie can make 1cm^3 of water raise by 1 degree, therefore 300 extra calories means you could make a standard 500ml drink bottle raise by 6-7 degrees, quite a lot of energy eh?
 
 

It's impossible to meddle with something that doesn't have a plan

energy is really crazy to think about in those terms, like raising the temp of water, since thats the definition of a calorie...i remember a bunch of crazy examples from a geology class i took last semester with like how many candy bars it would take to fuel a hurrican and stuff, it was nuts...
 
yeah, you seem right about the 2-300 increase being enough, i was thinking along those same lines with 3000, that all does make sense...so im gunna be shooting for 2500 then with 250 g protein and carbs then about 56 fats split into 6 meals, with fat being split in 5 meals since postworkout will be mainly carbs and protein...im still working on some daily plans for the splits, seems like 40-40-20 is pretty doable, which is great...thanks again for all your help twisted
 
something interesting from last nite...i went to lollapalooza, which is a big concert with like hundreds of bands for 3 days in chicago, and i had some nice peanut butter and whey sandwhiches packed in my pockets which i was looking forward to for a few meals, which upon being searched ended up trashed haha, which sucked...but i still got in with some protein bars tho, so all was not lost haha...
 
later today's workout: legs/core
squats: 180 4X8 (since i have no rack, i do a weird version where i basically shrug the barbell the whole time, its like a hack squat in the front, but not a front squat since im stabilizing the bar the whole time, kils the traps too)
deads: 180 4X8
calf raises: 180 4X8
weighted crunches: 50s 2X15
oblique crucnehs: 50's 2X15 (both sides)
side bends: 50 2X15 (both sides)
 
once i get back to the gym at school ill have full access to much safer/better ways of doing squats and leg press, quad ext, leg curls, etc...everything i do now is just at my house with the few sets of weights that i own, but since 9 months out of the year im not here, it works well enough
 
 

really good workout today, hit everything as planned...all were increases from last workout, so my strength gains are still coming
 
deads were especially awesome, im starting to really build my back up in general...my lower mid back, and all up my spine is really thickening up, which is great...i think squats, deads, and calf raises end up using my back a ton since i shrug the weights up while doing them...real killers
 
ab work kinda bores me, never really got too into it but always include it anyway...haha gotta build the abs so theyre beautiful after cutting a little
 
tomorrow's chest and tri day...tonight is baseball and a homerun derby, if this rain doesnt ruin it
 
 

today worked out the chest and tris
 
switched bbs to dbs for chest:
 
db bench: 55's 2X8, 2X7
db incline: 50's 4X7
 
then switched tri ext and pullover from db to bb:
lying triceps ext: 65 3X8
pullovers: 65 3X8
 
then did close grip bench for 12 reps at 65, and then very wide grip at 12 reps at 65...starting tomix up grips and reps and stuff, for some variety...also switched dbs to bbs and vice versa, which is gunna be one of the keys to twisted's program ill be starting soon...
 
workout went really well, got good pump and felt like i hit the tris really hard whch was what i wanted...increased 55 to 65 for extension and really had to grind out the last reps, pullovers were harder too cause my tris were pretty fatigued by that time...
 
like i thought before, my tris are probably holding back my bench so im gunna be looking to work them pretty hard to get them up to par and improve my bench...
but felt strong, strength is continuing to come each week...tomorrow and thursday are offdays, then friday ill be hitting my back/bis/hams with stiff legged deads

well today it rained so i got a day off work, decided to move up tomorrows workout to today...worked back and bis:
sldl: 180 4X8
bentover rows: 140 4X4
shrugs: 180 4X8
hammers: 35's 4X8
wide grip pullups 2X8
 
felt realy strong on sldl, increase from 170 last week and rows increase from 130, shrugs solid too...lower back had a good workout in general, feels awesome
 
usually i put pullups earlier in my routine, but decided to mix it up...wont do that again, my back was pretty shot by then and i couldnt hold up for as long as i intended to do...tried curls too and my wrist is much better, so ill be throwing dumbbell curls back in inwith a month probably instead of hammers
 

well today is the last week before i go back to school and start the new program, so i am maxing out on lifts and finishing off the routine ive been doing. my weight has slightly went down to 148 or so, from a high of about 150.5 or so...could be water from the heat, im not sure.
 
today maxed on bench: pressed a measely 155
then worked chest and tris
bp: 110 3X8 pretty slow
ddibp: 50's 8,8,7
lying te: 70 3X6
pullovers: 70 3X6
 
really want to get my bench up, its by far been the hardest lift for me to increase...i gained about 10 lbs this summer, and like 5-10 lbs on my bench max, more like 5 than 10...i havent maxed others yet, but from th eincreases that i have been lifting, most all others have gotten much stronger, its weird and it sucks..id love to get up to 200 with my bench, something about that number that sounds very nice to me haha

ORIGINAL: edrice2

well today is the last week before i go back to school and start the new program, so i am maxing out on lifts and finishing off the routine ive been doing. my weight has slightly went down to 148 or so, from a high of about 150.5 or so...could be water from the heat, im not sure.

today maxed on bench: pressed a measely 155
then worked chest and tris
bp: 110 3X8 pretty slow
ddibp: 50's 8,8,7
lying te: 70 3X6
pullovers: 70 3X6

really want to get my bench up, its by far been the hardest lift for me to increase...i gained about 10 lbs this summer, and like 5-10 lbs on my bench max, more like 5 than 10...i havent maxed others yet, but from th eincreases that i have been lifting, most all others have gotten much stronger, its weird and it sucks..id love to get up to 200 with my bench, something about that number that sounds very nice to me haha

 
Well I did  give you a tip on compound lifts especially bench press didn't I...  Look at my numbers climbing every week, "Naturally"

thanks for the post, i dont believe you have given me any tips for compounds...but i have noticed your journal and it's pretty nuts the increases youve been having, would you recommend using the higher rep ranges? ive been getting together a new routine based off of twisted's program, which i know you have been doing as well and it seems like youve had some pretty nice gains from it

ORIGINAL: edrice2

thanks for the post, i dont believe you have given me any tips for compounds...but i have noticed your journal and it's pretty nuts the increases youve been having, would you recommend using the higher rep ranges? ive been getting together a new routine based off of twisted's program, which i know you have been doing as well and it seems like youve had some pretty nice gains from it

 
My rep ranges are what is added into the twisted program. 
 
I use what ever I can do 15 times on my compound lifts and some isolated lifts.
 
 
Bench for instance:
 
This is how I progressed.
 
This is only for the first set of each week "Flat bench"  Only for one compound lift "Flat bench"
205 x 15 <-- this is all I could do 15 times
210 x 14
215 x 13
220 x 13
225 x 11
230 x 10
235 x ?? <-- Not sure yet cause I have not done it but I am shooting for 10 if I get it I continue on..  If I don't get it I may start over or continue until I fall below 8 reps.
240 x 9
245 x 8
250 x 7 <-- Failed below 8 reps Start back from 15 reps take off 30lbs 
220 x 15 <--- See how I now Have a new 15 rep marker?  My muscles are being compressed and comprimising for the new weight that they are pushing building strength.  Its almost like a spring that adapts to more and more weight that you put on it.. Like an elastic band that builds up more tension over time. 
 
 
 
I do the same with squats only I increase 10lbs per week.  Bench Increase 5 lbs per week.  15 reps is your marker take off weight always go back to 15 reps once you have failed at either 8 or 10 reps while increasing 5lbs per week.
 
I hope that made sense,  it will work you will thank me later   They always do!