[maverick_76]

Man, hey guys I am actually writing this at my house! Not at work! But I was going to inform you that I think I will resume my posts on Saturday because I forgot to log my self in yesterday. The problem arose because I was up until 5am trying to figure up my macros and stuff on my new meal plan. I have a great reference manual, the men's health hard body book. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about bodybuilding or is a beginner. I learned almost all the things I know about bodybuilding from that book. But here is gonna be a breakdown of my new diet starting on Saturday.

Calories: 3102
Carbs: 369.8 g
Protein: 278.6 g
Fat: 58 g

I have made up a shopping list of everything that I need. I did a rough estimate of my diet previously and it was a little lacking in areas: about 2900 calories daily w/ 170 g protein and 80 g fat with the fast food eating. I needed to revise it to add in more protein and lower the fat while keeping the carbs the same. Hopefully I will still get the same results but feel stronger at the same time. I am still looking at a 2lb per week loss in weight and now my overall goal weight is about 235lbs. If you guys have any suggestions I would be happy to hear them. Well guys gotta go, I gotta renew my airport badge tomorrow morning so gotta hit the hay. Cheers!

[islander]

! 80 grams of fat a day!? good to hear thats going down a bit. ya and up on the protein. my diet is crazy i have a hard time keeping it even. great weights!

[maverick_76]

Ok sorry about the lull in posts, haven't been to work since Sunday! Ok well I actually had to start my new eating plan on Sunday, which is going good so far. I have been feeling more energy and fuller on this new diet. In fact, I felt like I wanted to hurl after some meals on the first day, I guess my body was adjusting to the new amounts of food. Now I seem fine, not too stuffed but not still feeling hungry. Well now we can get to the good stuff and so without further adieu, here is the past few days, starting with Sunday!

Sunday 4/20/08

(These are the same things I will be eating day-in-day-out, so I will be detailed today but afterwards will use a an abbreviated version)

10am-scrambled egg sandwiches
2 whole eggs
6 egg whites
4 slices whole wheat bread
2 cherry tomatoes
1 cup of OJ

1pm-protein shake
1 cup skim milk
1 scoop protein powder (30g protein)

4pm-chicken sandwiches
4 slices whole wheat bread
6 oz. (about 20 slices) 98% fat free chicken breast
2 tbsp. miracle whip
2 slices fat free American cheese
1 large banana
4 leaves romaine lettuce

7pm-protein bar
1 metrx protein plus bar (32g protein)

11pm-chicken breast dinner
6oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup veggies (varies)
1 cup brown rice
1 tbsp. butter with flax oil & omega 3
1 cup strawberries

1am-protein shake
1 cup skim milk
1 scoop protein powder (30g protein)

Monday 4/21/08

Legs
squat
275 x 10
295 x 8
315 x 6
leg curls
170 x 10
leg extensions
190 x 10
standing calf press
185 x 10
ankle flexions
35 x 10

2 hrs. bball (I was drained to say the least)

Meals
10am-egg sandwiches
1pm-protein bar
5:30pm-protein shake
7pm-chicken sandwiches
10pm-chicken dinner
2am-protein shake

Tuesday 4/22/08

Chest
bench
175 x 10
185 x 8
195 x 6
db incline press
60's x 6
db flys
40's x 8

1 hr. bball

Meals
11am-egg sandwiches
2pm-protein shake
4:30pm-chicken sandwiches
7pm-protein bar & vitamin water
11:30pm-chicken dinner
3am-protein shake

Man I had another good workout today, back baby! And I feel a lot more energy now that I'm not eating as much quick digesting carbs. It feels satisfying also downing a whole grain, protein fortified meal. By next week my strength should return to normal and I can maybe even up my weights, possibly. Cheers guys!

[maverick_76]

Hello again! Back to updating the board! Well this week has been very good, I have kept pretty strict on the new diet, with an occasional vitamin water or chocolate milk here or there. So far I'm feeling pretty good and can't wait for the weigh-in tomorrow, hopefully good results! Here is a breakdown of Wednesday & Thursday's workouts and meals.

Wednesday 4/23/08

Back
Machine rows
130 x 10
140 x 8
150 x 6
High rows
110 x 10
Lat pulldowns
130 x 8
Back extensions
230 x 10

No cardio, not enough time

Meals
10:30am-egg sandwiches
1:30pm-protein shake
4:30pm-chicken sandwiches
7:30pm-metrx bar
11pm-chicken dinner
2am-protein shake

Thursday 4/24/08

Shoulders
Machine shoulder press
110 x 10
120 x 8
130 x 6
Side raises
20's x 10
DB shrugs
75's x 12 (these just feel better than using a barbell, I think because they rest at your sides instead of in front of you; the only problem is that this is the largest set of DB's that my gym carries, OH NO!)

1 hr. of bball

Meals
11am-egg sandwiches
1:30pm-protein shake
4:30pm-chicken sandwiches
8pm-metrx bar w/ vitamin water
10pm-chicken dinner w/ vitamin water
midnight-16oz. chocolate milk (my dad bought them, I couldn't resist it)

Well again I am feeling my strength coming back to me, I took an exercise out of my shoulders because I felt I was using my front deltoids for the machine presses and the front raises. I don't think that hammering my muscle with a compound movement and a isolation movement is going to do anything different than what I can get with just the compound movement. So I thought that taking one out would actually foster more growth because I am training it from strength, not volume. But I could be wrong, and we will see as I go along I might add it back into my workout in a couple of weeks. Well that is all for now, Cheers!

[maverick_76]

Great news today! After a mad workout with the arms and some bball, I am proud to say that my weight is now 264! Woo hoo, the first ten pounds, done the proper way! I am so proud of myself, now just 30 more to go! Oh and I ran outta groceries yesterday, so no posts until Sunday! Gonna change the diet up a bit, having ham instead of chicken sandwiches but with grey poupon and no cheese. Plus adding V-8 for a drink, mmmmmmm......Cheers!

[maverick_76]

Man! This past week has been hectic! Lots of updates at work, plus it seems like every damn day I have had something that needed my attention. One of my parent's cars' battery died, so through Wednesday I had to shuttle my dad to and from work. Plus working myself. Then that same car had a blowout on the drive home from replacing the battery on Thursday. Had to go and get new tires, two of 'em on Friday! Sorry about the non-posting but I have been run ragged. I will be able to start tomorrow, cause of the nonstop driving and what not my diet suffered some. So I when I weigh myself next Saturday I expect it to still be around 265! Dammit! Well just gotta get back on track, and get good food in my body. Plus I cannot wait for the rebates to come...I want to pay down one of my credit cards and that will feel really good! I will probably post on Monday again...it not then Wednesday by the latest.

[maverick_76]

Ok, back to business guys. Started clean on Sunday and sticking to it this time. I tweaked my diet a little bit, adding some and dropping some things. I will spell out my diet for Sunday and it will stay pretty much the same the whole week. Any changes will be noted otherwise.

Sunday 5/4/08

Meals
11am-egg sandwiches
2 whole eggs
6 egg whites
4 slices of wheat bread
1/2 of a green bell pepper
1 cup of OJ

2pm-protein shake
1 scoop protein powder (30g protein)
1 cup of milk (skim)

5pm-sandwiches
6oz. various lunch meats (all 95% fat free or better)
4 slices wheat bread
4 teaspoons some style of mustard
24oz. V-8 juice

8pm-protein shake (same as above)

10pm-chicken dinner
6oz. broiled chicken breast with a marinade (BBQ usually)
1 cup whole wheat noodles (brown rice usually)
1 cup veggies (various)
1 cup strawberries
2 teaspoons smart balance butter with flax oil

2am-protein shake (same as ones above)

Monday 5/5/08

Legs (all exercises unless otherwise noted are performed with three sets)

leg extension
190 x 10
leg curl
150 x 10
squat
275 x 10
295 x 8
315 x 6
calf press
185 x 10
ankle flexion
45's x 10

30 min. treadmill 3mph (using the fat burn mode on the treadmill)

Meals

11am-egg sandwiches
2pm-protein shake
5pm-sandwiches
8pm-protein shake
10pm-chicken dinner
1am-protein shake

Tuesday 5/6/08

Chest

bench press
135 x 10
175 x 8
185 x 6
incline press (bowflex)
200 x 10
flys (bowflex)
160 x 10

1 hr. bball

Meals

8:30am-egg sandwiches
11:30am-protein shake
2pm-sandwiches
5pm-metrx protein plus bar (32g protein)
9pm-chicken dinner
1am-protein shake

Well I feel great and thinner, so lets keep this show on the road! I will be working out tonight so can't wait for that, and I'm going to try and walk this bridge as well tonight. It is 2 miles in each direction so 4 miles of walking basically. I used to be able to jog one way and walk back but now if I jogged it would only be 3/4 the way and the rest walking, so gonna be consistent. Anyways I get my high intensity in with the bball so I don't want to overdo my cardio. Well guys I gotta go and read up on some other forums, I'll talk at you later! Cheers!

[maverick_76]

Ok, here is the rundown of Wednesday and Thursday. So far so good, now tomorrow morning will tell if my tweaks are paying off, I am feeling better when working out, not so tired, but am I still losing weight? If you are asking yourself why do I not simply weigh myself every morning well I do not because my weight can vary 5lbs one day to the next. For me I found a week by week breakdown seems to not have so many jumps on the scale, so I feel that the week to week weigh in is more reliable. Now, onto the workouts and meals!

Wednesday 5/7/08
Back

Bent over rows (dumbbell)
75's x 10
80's x 8
85's x 6
Lat pulldowns (bowflex)
160 x 10
lat crossovers (bowflex)
100 x 10
back extensions (bowflex)
260 x 10
crunches (bowflex)
100 x 10
110 x 8
120 x 6
obliques (bowflex)
50's x 10
side bends
45's x 10

walked back and forth 4 miles on a 2 mile bridge, about 3mph

Meals

11am-egg sandwiches
2pm-protein bar
6:30pm-sandwiches w/15oz. OJ
11pm-protein shake
1am-chicken dinner
5am-protein shake (I did not stay up that late, I fell asleep around 2am on the couch, woke up and drank a shake and headed to my room to sleep again)

Thursday 5/8/08
Shoulders

shoulder press
110 x 10
120 x 8
130 x 6
side raises
20's x 10
shrugs
75's x 10

1 hr. of bball (I am going to stop playing ball for at least a month, I think I strained my shoulder from the skyhooks and other layups, it is not painful but more of a nuisance. I don't want it becoming aggravated into something worse so I will still do cardio but only walking/ jogging/ running, no sports :(

Meals

noon-1 Arby's roast beef sandwich (regular sized)
2pm-Subway footlong wheat chicken teriyaki with no cheese or dressing, only veggies
4:30pm-protein shake
7pm-protein bar w/ vitamin water 20oz.
9pm-chicken dinner
1am-protein shake

Also I am contemplating joining another gym. Your thoughts? The one I frequent now is our city community center, it has only a smith rack and a modest selection of dumbbells (up to 75lbs.) It does have really nice machines, albeit about 20. And about 5 treadmills, 3 elliptical machines and a couple of bikes. What I like the most about it is it has two full size basketball courts and because it is run by the city it only costs me $60 a year. But one of my buddies at my work used to workout there but went to the new health club a couple blocks down. He says it is awesome, pool, bball court, huge weight room with free weights and lots of machines. And of course lots of treadmills, but it gets crowded around 5-7pm he said. And its alot more expensive, about $30 a month, or around a dollar a day. The biggest reason I am thinking about doing it is that this place is open on the weekdays till midnight while the community center is only open till 9pm. I usually work until 9:30 and don't get home till 10:30, so this would be nice so as I would not have to run around in the morning before work to workout and prepare my meals for the day. I'm still thinking about it so if you guys would give me your thoughts on whether you would do it if in my position or not I would be obliged. Cheers!

[maverick_76]

Well guys, I have done it. I transferred over to the new gym, and it is awesome! There are more machines and free weights than I could ever dream of. I had to go in yesterday just to catch a glimpse of everything and acquaint myself with all the equipment. One thing I really like is they also have hammer strength equipment and I have to admit that it feels a lot better than machines. I don't think anything is going to ever pass up free weight but this comes close! So yeah I did a tour when I signed up and its got a jacuzzi, lap pool, sauna, full service locker room & a basketball court. The only thing I wish was better was the bball court, it only has 9-foot or 9 1/2-foot goals, definitely not regulation 10-foot height. That's really the only complaint I have about the place. Plus I have just found out that a lot of people I know personally or just publicly go there as well. It is nice to see a familiar face in a new place, makes it feel more inviting. But I have to admit, the 60-ft long dumbbell rack looks very inviting as well. I am going to start training there on Monday, hopefully I will have time this week to post workouts and the like. Oh, and I almost forgot; my last weigh in was still at 265, just 265.3, not 265.7. So I only lost like a half pound but any progress is good. As long as I can stay on track it will be very good. Next weigh in on Saturday!

P.S.- Apologies for no posting this week, it was again life as normal and half the time I forgot to bring my planner and also I missed some workouts. But I am going to make a concerted effort to a lock-down week coming up. A full week of perfect eating and training, and I might reward myself with a dinner out, provided that I am down to at least 264 by the end of the week.

[Yousef89]

Man u beast yourself I'd say have rest days in between, just so your muscles can repair and also your energy levels, you'll find your lifting more if you do, surely?!

[maverick_76]

Thanks man, well one of the reasons I do this routine is it gives the maximum amount of time between workouts that I can still achieve gains with. So I do get quite a bit of rest from the same muscle groups. But I promise there will be more posts coming, probably tomorrow as I workout tomorrow! I also need to mention I found a good workout partner in my MMA friend John Meyers. He works out twice a day and me only once but we both are looking to bulk/cut/bodybuild style workout. Teamwork baby! I have to admit I like working out with john because we do similar amounts of weight and we both have a competitive nature to ourselves so this can only foster growth! I will be back on the morrow probably before I workout to give the lowdown on today's meals. And then Wednesday I'll bring the scoop on Monday and Tuesday combined. Y'all know how I roll, peace!

[maverick_76]

Hello all, as of today I will be updating this on a weekly basis. I have been working and training and eating so this leaves me little time to put my stats in. I will try and update every Saturday, and hopefully once a month upload some progress pics, the first of these at the end of this month. I will still include a breakdown of workouts and eating, but I probably won't include weights. The reason being is that with John and me training together, we tend to add and decrease weight during the exercises; and that is a lot to remember and record while trying to bust one's ass. Hopefully the pictures at the end of the month will tell the tale of my hard work. So my next entry will be on Saturday with everything I did this week. Also I will still be tracking my weight weekly as well. The road to 10% bf is long and hard, but I am ready to do it.

[maverick_76]

What's up guys! Alright, after neglecting my duties to update this log, I am trying to stick to my once a week schedule. Things are going very well. I have been eating like a lean machine for almost two weeks straight with no cheat meals and I feel really proud about it. I just got done polishing off some brisket and chicken with green beans and pinto beans with a piece of toast. Damn, now that was delicious! But my meals have been looking pretty much this way for the last week and a half:

Breakfast: 6 egg whites and 2 whole eggs, 1/2 cup oatmeal with skim milk and a glass of OJ

Snack: protein shake (30g) w/ skim milk and a tbsp peanut butter

Lunch: either salad and sandwich or two sandwiches with 20oz. gatorade

Snack: protein shake (23g) with water

Dinner: 6-8oz. chicken or other lean meat with brown rice and veggies topped off with strawberries!

I have been too tired or not hungry enough to put down another protein shake before bed, so I'm kinda bummed and at the same time kinda glad. Weird isn't it? But also my training with john has gone very well. We have been pushing each other for, "One more set!" or "One more rep wuss!" So we have been blasted every day we workout. My training schedule has stayed pretty much the same, Monday-Friday, training largest to smallest muscle groups:

Monday-Legs
Tuesday-Chest
Wednesday-Back & Abs
Thursday-Shoulders
Friday-Arms "fun day"

We usually do a compound movement that involves the entire range of muscles, then hit each muscle with machines or iso movements, and if we have enough energy we do a compound movement at the end to burn out the muscle, usually 2-3 sets with 8-15 reps. And of course 30 minutes of cardio on the machine we feel like doing that day. Since we have started I have progressively gotten stronger and stronger, so this week I should see another strength gain. I got some legs tonight and I hope to pound the crap outta them, peace!!

[maverick_76]

Yo dudes, what up? I have been working out like crazy, but I am still struggling with the diet. I did turn a pretty big corner because I felt the first sign that I need to eat better. On Wednesday me and Jon were doing back and we went over to do deadlifts and I just sucked it up. I mean I usually do 365 for like 6 reps and 405 for 4 reps. But I could only do 2 reps at 365! It was not because the weight was too heavy, my body just felt like I couldn't deadlift a penny. My energy levels were so low because I had only 2 meals up to that point and they were both fast food! Yeah so there was my first indication that I need to change my ways. So I cleaned it up and Thursday I still was feeling the effects but on Friday I was feeling great. I did arms like a champion and went straight to the bike at level 10 for 30 minutes! Halfway through I raised to level 15! It was great, eating clean does do a body good! I guess it takes something like that to make you realize that you have to respect your body and feed it the right things for it to take what you punish it with. Other than that things have been going well, I can't wait to start seeing the results, prob. another two weeks of strict dieting will do it. Well I will see you guys later, I'll try to stop by later next week to give more updates. Peace!

[maverick_76]

Hello again! Another week in the books and I feel pretty good. I made a pretty big step in becoming as strong as I was in high school but with 25 lbs. less fat. I squatted 365 4 times at the end of my sets, so I'm pretty sure if I had done it at the beginning of the workout I probably could have done 405 4 times. I was pretty happy with myself, that's about as strong as I was in HS. Also I got my BF checked, not too pretty, but better than I expected. I was guessing 25%, with my love handles and beer belly and all, but it was actually 21%! I did the math and I weigh now 275, so that is 216 lbs. lean mass, so for me to be at 10&, my goal, I need to lose 35lbs and weigh in at 240 with the same lbm. I am very excited, on my current diet that should take about....24 weeks! So my goal to be at 10% by Christmas is well within reach! It is time to step it up and keep the battle going! Here we go baby!

[MikeNYY420]

Good to see you're eating better man,I started bringing food with me so that I wouldn't have to eat fast food. 216lbs LBM if you were at 10% body fat that would be very impressive, keep the fast food out and you should be able to do it. I know what you mean about getting progressively stronger and stronger I love it when that happens. Good luck!

[maverick_76]

Boy guys I tell you what, training is going great! I have been on clean diet for almost three weeks and those complex carbs are shooting my stamina through the roof. I can longer and stronger on my lifts, I feel more energetic and I can start to see some difference in my physique. I had my first cheat day the other day, and instead of pigging out on junk food, I did eat fast food, but it was grilled chicken sandwiches and salads, the cheat part was I had mayo on the sandwiches and ranch for the salads. And then for my late night snack, I got a double meat burger with no cheese and all the veggies. Instead of having that guilty feeling like I used to, I actually felt the same as when I ate clean. Mainly because I was eating clean with fast food, but we all know there is hidden fats and sodium in all fast food, so when I cheat, which I get hankerings about once every two weeks, it will be "healthy" fast food that I eat. I'm keeping to my weight loss goal, about 1.5 lbs a week so far. So I have almost lost 7 lbs, which would put me at around 269. (Earlier I did drop to 265, but before I started eating clean, I stopped working out for two weeks and gained it all back) My goal is 240, which should put my BF to about 10%, assuming I lose no muscle. I know that is not likely, so realistically I'm shooting for about 12-13%. Then I can add some weight gainers to gain back the muscle, then cut back to 240 and that should do the trick. Okay guys, I'm going to wrap it up now, talk at y'all later!

[maverick_76]

Well, another week in the books and another starting tomorrow. I actually did some cardio today, Saturday, usually a day that I never do anything execise-wise. It feels good to eat clean and know that you are doing something good.

Has anyone had a meal at Ruby Tuesday? Man, that place is really really good! I ordered a classic burger with no cheese and all the veggies, and they have a never ending salad bar with a crazy amount of veggies and all the fixings for a awesome salad. I had about 3/4 of the burger and two heaping plates of salad.

I cannot wait for Monday and hit my legs! Also I apologize for not updating as much as I should, just life seems to get in the way, and when I do have time, laziness usually takes over. Well that is about everything, I will talk at you guys later!

PEACE!

[maverick_76]

I have three words that are probably the easiest way for me to get my complex carbs and fiber in for breakfast: Frosted Mini-Wheats! Damn those things are scrumptious! The oatmeal and wheat toast was getting bland so I thought shredded wheat would be pretty good, hell yeah it is! Also I woke up late today and had to get a snack at Starbucks in between breakfast and lunch. I got a chicken ciabatta sandwich. For a pre-made sandwich that definitely hit the spot, and it was 470 cal. with 46g protein and 56g carbs. Perfect. Also I have been nursing a sore back, ever since I tweaked it doing a failure rep with 405 on the deadlift about one month ago it hasn't been the same. I'm just staying away from squat and deadlifts until September, it is feeling stronger each day. I just don't want to blow it out or anything that would require lots of rest and possibly surgery, so this is the plan until I am at 100 percent. I have been doing hyper extensions and lower back exercises to help recovery time. So I am not neglecting it. So I learned a good lesson not to do reps till failure, drop the bar if you feel your back arching. Other than that I have started school back up and I am excited! I love being back because I can focus on my degree again, YAY! Oh and before I forget, I have switched from rice at night to pinto or black beans and grass fed beef with veggies, chicken and rice was getting stale as well. Again beans are super delicious, and have protein! Excellent multi-purpose food. Well that pretty much sums up my life for now, I will try and update again a little faster. Cheers!

[maverick_76]

Things have been going great! My workouts are coming along smoothly and my schoolwork is pretty easy, got straight A's in my two classes right now so I can't complain. Other than that I am just fighting the urge to eat junk food, trying to drink juice and water only and of course do my cardio after a lifting session. I'm going to post my weight and current diet and workout regimen tomorrow, so hopefully things will be good. I think I have gained some weight but I know some is at least muscle because I have gotten stronger. Problem is that I am trying to cut, not bulk. Oh well, just need to keep plugging.

[maverick_76]

Ok so I was officially shocked when I stepped on the scale about a week ago, 289 lbs! Oh my goodness I am back up to my playing weight again. Thankfully I am already down to 282 lbs with getting my diet under control. I guess the only good thing is my body has kept it's shape, roughly. I don't look anything like I did when I was almost 300 lbs in high school, and that is a good thing. So at least some of this extra 15 lbs is muscle, I'm guessing about 3-4 lbs of it. Overall my life is going very smoothly, I'm in a healthy position financially and back in school making A's and B's, so I cannot complain. Now if I can stay on track and knock off 40 lbs. I will be ecstatic! I'm guessing my body fat is around 20-23% right now so according to my calculations I need to be at least at 245 lbs. to achieve my goal of 10% bf. I will be shooting to have this accomplished by the new year, or by my next b-day in April at the latest. I wish myself good luck . Good day to you fine people.

[maverick_76]

Hello again! Man it has been forever since I have been on. I have been so busy with school and working two jobs that most of my free time is just relaxing and playing video games aside from lifting steel. Anyways I have been continually tweaking my diet and routine. I still use the basic concept that I adhere to: big to small as far as muscle groups that are trained. I still find that this allows growth while also not taxing small muscle groups too much. I cannot wait for tonight as I am hitting chest and when I get done I am going to cook some home-made chili with beans and veggies, ooohhh the fiber! I hope everyone who reads the log still is in good health and spirits. I bid all of you adieu!

[Iron_Mercenary]

I'm tuned in.

[maverick_76]

Thanks Merc.