[n88tr]

Workout last night went well...

Back

iso-lateral hammer strength
2x12 2 plates

1-arm iso-lateral hammer strength
x8 2 plates Left Arm, x8 2 plates Right Arm
x8 2 plates Left Arm, x8 2 plates Right Arm
x6 3 plates Left Arm, x6 3 plates Right Arm
x6 3 plates Left Arm, x6 3 plates Right Arm
x4 4 plates Left Arm, x4 4 plates Right Arm, NEW Personal Best
x7 3 plates + 25 lbs Left Arm, x7 3 plates + 25 lbs Right Arm

iso-lateral hammer strength front lat pulldown
2x8 2 plates
2x8 2 plates + 70 lbs

lat pulldowns, shock sets, 10 second rest between sets
x8 130 lbs Wide grip, x8 130 Medium grip, x8 130 Close reversed grip
x8 130 lbs Wide grip, x8 115 Medium grip, x8 115 Close reversed grip

rope face pulls
x8 37.5 lbs
x8 75.2 lbs
x1 99.5 lbs, stack
3x4 85.2 lbs

bent-over dumbbell laterals
2x10 15's

Post,
Whey + Creatine

===

Been doing some new supps. Before workout in the pre-workout meal I have 4 g Glutamine. And before bed with my almonds and 2 MSM pills I have 4 g L-Arginine.

Traps are sore from the face pulls but my Back has been doing better lately.

Tonight, Lower Chest + Triceps

[n88tr]

decline barbell bench press
2x10 80 lbs
x8 135 lbs
2x5 155 lbs, NEW Personal Best
3x8 135 lbs

decline dumbbell bench press ss decline dumbbell flyes
x8 35's, x8 35's
x8 35's, x4 35's

decline dumbbell bench press
2x8 35's
2x10 40's

seated rope overhead extensions
x3 37.5 lbs
3x8 52.5 lbs

Post,
Creatine + Whey + Super8 Vegetable Juice

My Super8 is something I found in the grocery store the other day while getting more steak meat. I take in 4 servings at crack at 36 g sugar, 32 g carbs and 150 calories per serving. I forgot my blender cup so I had to mix up Juice, Creatine and Whey all in one. I was afraid I was going to throw up but it wasn't that bad. Lol super trepidation when you think something bad is going to happen immediately after the action but it doesn't.

My traps are still super tight and sore from the face pulls. Plus my left forearm, something is wrong with it. When I try to grip stuff like open my blender cup or something simple I get shooting pain like a terrible cramp in it. Take today off, maybe tomorrow too but then I gotta hit Legs.

I move back into residence halls on Sunday! Time to start packing...

[dapack]

really like the chest workout. read an article the other day about the importance of the decline bench and how for some it is far superior than the incline because it incorparates less of the tris and shoulders when compared to the incline. i am experimenting now to see myself, never did much declines before.

[n88tr]

no legs...

Upper Chest

incline barbell bench press
2x12 80 lbs
x2 155 lbs, NEW Personal Best
4x7 135 lbs

incline dumbbell bench press ss decline iso-lateral hammer strength
x8 50's, x7 140 lbs
x8 50's, x7 140 lbs
x8 50's, x5 140 lbs

cable flyes ss pec deck flyes
x4 80 lbs, x7 205 lbs
x5 60 lbs, x6 235 lbs
x5 50 lbs, x5 220 lbs
x8 40 lbs, x8 190 lbs

cable crossover level ss cable crossover high
x8 45 lbs, x8 45 lbs
x8 45 lbs, x8 45 lbs
x8 45 lbs, x8 45 lbs
x8 50 lbs, x8 50 lbs

Post,
Whey + Creatine
4 servings Super8

2 hours later, bed
Almonds
2 MSM, 5 g L-Arginine

===

Today, Legs + Back

meal1
peanut butter sandwich
2 large glasses 2% skim milk
1 Multivitamin, 1 Vit D supp pill, 1 Calcium supp pill, 1 flaxseed oil pill

meal2
whey isolate + milk
oatmeal

meal3
whey isolate + milk
oatmeal

meal4
3 glasses 2% skim milk
apple
2 large carrots
banana

meal5
whey isolate + creatine
2 bananas
5 g Glutamine

workout

meal6, Post
whey isolate + creatine
4 servings C-Boost [very similar to Super8]
high-carb no fat JennyCraig muffin [hey don't bash it! lol] 45 carb

meal7, bed
Almonds
2 MSM, 5 g L-Arginine

... Lol all planned out. It's been too long since I've done this.

[n88tr]

Today's diet is an experiment with foods. I am logging calories and macros and will post up when it's over. I'm seeing little changes I have to make on today's diet so the one I just posted isn't 100% accurate.

[Julio]

n88tr you really evolved good job. keep up the hard work.

[n88tr]

Thanks bro.

Leg workouts pretty much suck at Gold's Gym at the moment. I have it in my head to get in some real squats on Monday, the day before classes start. A proper leg workout. That'll be my celebration for my senior year, squats.

lol no beer or weed, I'm not into the party scene in the slightest bit.

[n88tr]

That day's calories, macros and workout

Today, Legs + Back

meal1
peanut butter sandwich
2 large glasses 2% skim milk
1 Multivitamin, 1 Vit D supp pill, 1 Calcium supp pill, 1 flaxseed oil pill

meal2
whey isolate + milk
1.5 packets oatmeal + wheat germ

meal3
whey isolate + milk
large carrot
large banana
1.5 packets oatmeal + wheat germ

meal4
whey isolate + creatine
2 bananas
5 g Glutamine

1 hour after meal4,
3 packets Cellucor NO2 Blast

workout

hack squat
2x15 100 lbs

freemotion machine quad bicycle movement w/ foot in stirrup
x8 20 lbs Left leg, no rest, x2 20 lbs Right leg
x8 40 lbs Left leg, no rest, x2 40 lbs Right leg
x8 80 lbs Left leg, no rest, x2 80 lbs Right leg

freemotion machine hamstring bicycle movement w/ foot in stirrup
x8 20 lbs Left leg, no rest, x2 20 lbs Right leg
x8 40 lbs Left leg, no rest, x2 40 lbs Right leg
x8 60 lbs Left leg, no rest, x2 60 lbs Right leg

smith machine deadlift
2x4 70 lbs, felt like wrong form, stopped

smith machine barbell row
2x6 70 lbs

freeweights barbell row
4x8 80 lbs
... extra time between sets, feel like throw up after each set

1-arm iso-lateral hammer strength
x8 90 lbs Left arm, no rest, x8 90 lbs Right arm
x8 90 lbs Left arm, no rest, x8 90 lbs Right arm

lat pulldowns, cable row grip [attachment brought from home, they don't have one], drop sets
x2 180 lbs
x3 175 lbs
x2 170 lbs
x2 160 lbs
x4 155 lbs
x2 150 lbs
x2 145 lbs
x2 140 lbs
x3 135 lbs
x3 130 lbs
x3 125 lbs
x1 120 lbs
x4 100 lbs
x3 95 lbs
x2 90 lbs
x6 80 lbs

... seriously felt like sh.it after this workout. Cellucor makes me so angry product sucks. I sweated like no other, dripping hardcore and felt sick to my stomach, tried to use that as fuel to work harder, that was a challenge.

meal5, Post
whey isolate + creatine
large piece garlic bread
1 cup no-fat ice cream

meal6, bed
Almonds
2 MSM, 5 g L-Arginine

totals:
calories 4,372.5
protein 217
carb 373
fat 69

It's a lot lower than I honestly expected for both protein, carbs and calories overall. Fat felt on target. I felt so stuffed all day, sort of hard to think of eating like this plus then some again... more complex carbs and meat, shouldn't be too hard to do. I'm going to watch foods and calories/macros again today, see how this turns out on an off day. I need at least 500 carbs and 384 g protein. Damn was I off! Ain't gonna grow with this weak ass diet...

Meals 2, 3 and 4 were on the light side but after meal 3 I had the biggest crap of my life, it was nuts. Hard to eat after you just took an enormous dump, sorry don't know how else to say it.

[dapack]

yeah, deadlift on a smith a no go, just cannot even come close to simulating that on a straight plan of movement. works out look great, i know it sucks eating and eating, i tell people when bulking if you don't eat garbage it is hard to eat all that food and keep it clean. keep up the great work

[n88tr]

College move-back-in went well. Schedule is actually quite light but when it's heavy, Tues + Thurs, it's really heavy! My off days will probably be spent working on Tues + Thurss' [sic?] assignments. Against my adviser's recommendations I am taking 2 studio classes. Simply put, a studio class for my major of Multimedia design is the hardcore stuff you need for the major and it's fast paced and everything counts for a lot. Miss one assignment and I'm not kidding, you might as well drop the class. Usually only take one but I'm taking two. I did this before the semester before last. I literally had time for 2 hours to relax after classes, walking around, eating, homework and the gym. Time to get busy!

Ah well no classes till Sept 2nd, but I got my fridge up and running and went to local grocery store for some bulk foods. I'm going to wait 1/2 an hour then go workout, I just ate pre-workout meal. After this, workout, post meal and then before-bed meal. I have foods, calories and macros done. I'm feeling really strong now, everything under control... until classes start, lol.

Guide:
Calories, Carbs, Protein, Fat

Example:
Pills: 20, 0, 0, 0 = 20 cal, 0 carb, 0 protein, 0 fat

meal1
steak 300, 5, 50, 20
cereal 560, 66, 10, 16
pills 20, 0, 0, 0

meal2
tuna packet 170, 0, 36, 1
cereal 560, 66, 10, 16
banana 121, 31, 1.5, .4

meal3
tuna packet 170, 0, 36, 1
granola 200, 18, 3, 7

meal4
tuna packet 170, 0, 36, 1
granola 200, 18, 3, 7
orange juice 110, 26, 2, 0

meal5
steak 300, 5, 50, 20
granola 200, 18, 3, 7

meal6
sliced chicken sandwich 390, 30, 40, 4
orange juice 110, 26, 2, 0
granola 200, 18, 3, 7
5 grams Glutamine

meal7
whey + creatine + 5 g Glutamine 240, 6, 36, 2
Orange juice 110, 26, 2, 0
granola 200, 18, 3, 7
banana 121, 31, 1.5, .4

meal8
almonds 310, 5, 6, 16
MSM + Arginine 0, 0, 0, 0

Totals:
Calories 4762
Carb 408
Protein 329.5
Fat 124.8

===

Numbers look much better. Fats are a bit high but steak will be gone tomorrow morning and then the second-highest fat content thing is my cereal. I found it next to the Ezekiel cereal I used to buy, before I ruined my taste buds on it. This cereal is good stuff, fat comes from almonds, flaxseeds, oat bran and raisins. Simple stuff, but tastes oh so fine. The granola is a similar mixture of ingredients, it also tastes good, very similar to the cereal taste. It's high carb and that's what I need right now.

As for the exercise and training, I'm still weight lifting, keeping calories and nutrients higher, actually higher than the summer foods, but the change is I will be more active, walking around on campus and doing cardio a few times a week. Not crazy intensity right now though, medium intensity and go for two weeks or so and try to feel out what I want to do. I'm doing a lot more feeling these days, trying to listen hard to my body and what it wants or cannot fully handle.

Oh and an announcement. After talking to my father about my Back which still gives me pain now and again I've taken his advice not to directly work my Back at all for 6 months. I did the Physical Therapy route, twice, with no great success. Some helpful changes, yes but not fully healed. I have fooled his advice verbatim for what 4 months and it's still here. I'm fed up with the pain, I'm trying the conventional advice, don't use the muscle, let it rest long term. If things get worse, like crazy pain I'll go see another specialist, there's a place that just opened up near my favorite grocery store at home.

Nutrition, being rested, and staying on top of assignments are my only activities right now.

[n88tr]

Well yippie the gym was closed at 900 pm for no reason. I asked them for a reason and they said there wasn't one. And I saw people working out in there, some guy doing pullups and some one else doing cable rows. Chickensh.it operation.... I was 100% dialed in and ready to go....

But today they said they'd be open like usual till 1100 pm. Good times, I can go in late and get in a workout without anyone asking me questions or hogging equipment. So in my mind, yesterday was rest and today is the real deal.

Today, Chest + Triceps + Cardio

Tomorrow, Legs + Cardio

See what the other days look like...

[n88tr]

meal1
steak 300, 5, 50, 20
cereal 560, 66, 10, 16
banana 118, 18, 1, 0
orange juice 110, 26, 2, 0
pills 20, 0, 0, 0

meal2
fish 170, 0, 36, 1
granola 200, 18, 3, 7
banana 118, 18, 1, 0

meal3
sliced chicken sandwich 390, 5, 50, 3
1/2 serv orange juice 55, 13, 1, 0
granola 400, 66, 10, 14

meal4
sliced chicken sandwich 390, 5, 50, 3
1/2 serv orange juice 55, 13, 1, 0
granola 400, 66, 10, 14

meal5, pre-workout
steak 200, 1, 25, 8
sliced chicken sandwich 390, 5, 50, 3
granola 200, 18, 3, 7
5 g glutamine

Chest + Triceps + Cardio

dumbbell flyes, flat bench
2x12 30's

dumbbell bench press, flat bench
x8 50's
x6 60's
x6 70's, NEW Personal Best. Finally got these! :)

incline dumbbell bench press
x8 50's, high incline
x8 55's, less incline
x6 60's, flat bench

... mixed up Gatorade powder. Found some higher carb stuff, doing 60 g about 20 mintues before the workout is done.

cable crossovers
x1 80 lbs, x1 120 lbs, x1 140 lbs, too light, kept upping weight
x8 160 lbs, do I need to say it? Well NEW Personal Best totally smashed old weight to pieces

cable crossovers, drop sets
x8 140 lbs, x8 120 lbs, x8 100 lbs, x8 80 lbs

back against pad, rope pushdowns
x15 30 lbs
x1 70 lbs, x1 60, x3 50 lbs

back against pad, v bar pushdowns
x8 50 lbs
2x8 70 lbs, sets back to back

back against pad, 1-arm pushdowns
x8 30 lbs Left Arm, no rest, x8 30 lbs Right Arm

decline iso-lateral hammers strength ss seated tricep pushdowns machine
x8 90 lbs ss x8 150 lbs
x8 90 lbs ss x8 150 lbs
... 150 lbs shocked me, was incredibly hard, my triceps felt like rubber
... after these sets I knew any more time in the gym would just be spent to "be in the gym" and not capable of bringing 100% effort anymore so I stopped.

meal6, post
2 scoops whey isolate + 5 g glutamine 240, 6, 36, 2
cereal 280, 33, 5, 8
sunkist orange sensation 210, 50, 1, 0

stairclimber cardio, lv 6, 15 minutes
... sat against wall afterwards, catching my breath, sweated it up again, dripping like the old snowman in summer

meal7, bed
almonds 310, 5, 6, 16
2 MSM, 5 g glutamine, 5 g arginine

Totals

calories: 4271
carbs: 353
protein: 287
fat: 105

Eating is hard... finding enough food is harder. I don't know what to do about this besides drive to different grocery stores to get more food...

I need 360 g protein and 500 carbs with about 80 fat. Which would push my calories up to 5000-ish.

Today I'll up my carbs and protein with more veggies and fish. Double up my fish on some meals, more bananas and carrots.. more experiments with food.

[dapack]

way to go on the personal best again, you keep breaking something everytime you step in the gym, keep it up. yeah sucks so much in someways bulking, if you want to keep it clean. you could do the Mc Donald's bulk, JK

[n88tr]

Thanks for the kind words big man.

That would never enter into serious thought, McD's. Besides, it's all fat. Not enough carbs or protein... I go to subway and get a 1/2 footlong on wholewheat with double chicken slabs and double turkey meat with lettuce and tomato, that's it. Every single time I go there, which is pretty rare esp now that I'm back in college, dudes can't believe I just want basically meat and bread. So sue me, I'm a man of simple tastes. I'm not into sauces or sprinkles of crap on top of my food. The only condiment I use sometimes is tabasco sauce.

Today, Sept 2nd

Legs [save cardio for tomorrow]

meal1
steak 300, 5, 50, 20
cereal 560, 66, 10, 16
1/2 serv orange juice 55, 13, 1, 0
pills 20, 0, 0, 0

meal2
tuna packet 170, 0, 36, 1
tuna packet 170, 0, 36, 1
orange juice 110, 26, 2, 0
carrot 20, 8, 1, 0
banana 118, 18, 1, 0
slice of bread 72.5, 12, 2, .75

meal3
fish 170, 0, 36, 1
cereal 280, 33, 5, 8
3 bananas 354, 54, 3, 0

meal4, preworkout
1/2 chicken sandwich 195, 2.5, 25, 1.5
whey isolate + 5 g glutamine 240, 6, 36, 2
granola 310, 38, 6, 8

Legs

lying 1-leg leg curls
x10 50 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x10 50 lbs Right Leg
x7 50 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x7 50 lbs Right Leg

squat [new exercise for me]
x10 bar, getting form right
2x8 80 lbs
x7 100 lbs
2x5 170 lbs
2x10 120 lbs

leg press
x4 6 plates, x6 10 plates
2x6 12 plates, 3/4 ROM
3x8 10 plates, knees to chest

... no stretches, I'm going to pay for that!! lol

meal5, postworkout
whey isolate + 5 g glutamine 240, 6, 36, 2
4 servs granola 620, 76, 12, 16
sunkist orange sensation 210, 50, 1, 0

meal6, bed
almonds 310, 5, 6, 16
5 g gluatmine + 2 MSM + 5 g arginine 0, 0, 0, 0

Totals

calories: 4406.5
carbs: 400.5
protein: 304
fat: 93.25

Carbs and protein up, that's good. I'm going to have to go home tomorrow after 1st day of classes and get more clothes. While I'm at it I'll borrow a pan to cook some chicken and/or steak at the dorm. They have a little kitchen in the basement. I have a feeling we are going to become good friends.
Squats felt good. I've never gotten myself worked up or pumped up as some say for a lift. I just imagine a few good reps and then go for it, that's how I tackle challenges. 170 wasn't that bad but I didn't want to press my luck with 4 plates so I just went as heavy as I could without sacrificing below-parallel and went with that. I don't know what people mean about "ass to grass" I don't think that's possible, I might have to look for some youtube videos on that. I was way below parallel so that's good enough for me.

Tomorrow just cardio. I have 2 classes back to back tomorrow morning; my studio classes. 800 am-245 pm. Good times. Gonna pack my cargo shorts with ziplock bags of food.. lol looks like I'm carrying hand grenades.

[oxen]

Originally Posted by n88tr

T I don't know what people mean about "ass to grass" I don't think that's possible, I might have to look for some youtube videos on that. I was way below parallel so that's good enough for me.

Hey man I was checking out your log and you really have some dedication man. Thanks for the advice on my log as well and I took your advice and upping my carbs. When they say ass to grass it can mean to touch your ass to your ankles but I would not do it if it takes from your form. I go to the bottom of a squat on my warm up sets just to get the full stretch and warm my body up. I would stay away from doing anything more than what you are until you really get more comfortable with squats and its tough taking advice on the way it feels because we all have a little different body structure. Most guys dont even get to parallel before they go back up so your ahead of a lot I have seen.

[dapack]

agree with oxen, i do go all the way down until my butt touches my calves, but i use super light weight for those. most squats are parallel or close to it since i cannot watch myself. a good idea is to put a bench in the squat rack and touch your butt to the bench, hence the name box squats. that way you know you are going down good enough and you do not have to worry about or think about it. hope that makes sense.

[n88tr]

Thanks for clarification oxen. Thanks too dapack, the bench is a good idea. I was looking for a box to sit on but they're all way short, i'd probably fall on my ass if I used those. Great idea with the bench, will try that out next time I do legs.

Well as the day wore on I felt strong and ready for another workout, plus it'll help me see if all those extra carbs are giving me that extra energy. If it does I'll workout 5x a week instead of the 2 days on, 2 days off thing I was doing near the end of the summer break.

Shoulders + Biceps + Cardio


meal1
2 scoops whey isolate 240, 6, 36, 2
cereal 560, 66, 10, 16
carrot 20, 8, 1, 0
pills 20, 0, 0, 0

meal2
tuna packet 170, 0, 36, 1
tuna packet 170, 0, 36, 1
cereal 560, 66, 10, 16

meal3
tuna packet 170, 0, 36, 1
1/2 scoop whey isolate 120, 3, 18, 1
granola 310, 38, 6, 8

meal4
big sirloin steak, estimating here 600, 10, 100, 40
granola 310, 38, 6, 8

meal5, preworkout
big sirloin steak, estimating here 600, 10, 100, 40
3 bananas 354, 54, 3, 0
granola 310, 38, 6, 8
5 g Glutamine

meal6, postworkout
3 scoops whey isolate + 5 g Glutamine 360, 9, 54, 3
orange sensation drink 210, 50, 1, 0
3 bananas 354, 54, 3, 0

meal7
almonds 310, 5, 6, 16
5 g Glutamine + 5 g Arginine + 2 MSM

Totals:

calories: 4838
carbs: 455
protein: 465
fat: 161

More food, more food... too much fat though, those steaks did it.

Will post workout when it's done. Gonna do a new shoulder exercise, and destroy my biceps.

[oxen]

Man I wish I could eat like that man I am jealous as hell. I dont see how you cram it all in bro! I think eating that much would be harder than anything else but you will be huge soon!

[n88tr]

Huge with fat if I don't hit the cardio more often...

well I dunno why but I took pics of my steak and chicken I made today when I ran home and then after tonight's workout I took 2 shirtless pics. Trying to flex, dunno if you guys can see that or not.

Yeah steak!



Fat flexing





Tonight's workout,

Shoulders + Biceps + Cardio

barbell shoulder press
x12 bar
3x8 80 lbs
... in the rack where the bb rests on the metal hooks, I kept hitting those when I tried to lower the bar to my chest so I think I'll have to use the smith machine to do these with a bb.

dumbbell overhead military press
x8 35's
x8 45's

seated dumbbell side laterals
4x8 20's

dumbbell rotator cuff work
3x10 12.5's
x10 15's

45 degree bench alternating dumbbell curls ss barbell curls
x8 30's, x10 bar
x8 30's, x10 bar
x4 35's, x10 bar
x3 35's, x10 bar
x4 35's, x10 bar

machine preacher curls
x18 40 lbs, getting my pump on

1-arm machine preacher curls
x8 40 lbs Right arm, no rest, x6 40 lbs Left arm finished set x4 30 lbs
x8 30 lbs Right arm, no rest, x8 30 lbs Left arm

bb curls, with 20 seconds rest between sets
6x8 bar
x3 50 lbs, form failing, I stopped, dead tired anyways

... ate postworkout meal, waited 3 minutes

cardio
15 mins treadmill
5 mins fast jog, 5 mins walk, 3 mins incline 2 fast jog, 2 minutes walk no incline

===

Tomorrow, Rest

Day after, if my Chest isn't sore, I'll do Lower Chest and try to do deadlifts again. I at least want to get the form nailed down, like I did with squats.

[oxen]

Good looking eats chef n88r! Looks like you have mode some progress man good job. I can see your arms and shoulders are coming together. You must be hitting them shoulders cause your front deltoid pops way up when you pull your arms forward. Your biceps are looking thick too. Good job bro!

[dapack]

that chicken and steak looks so good, mine are so bland. looking good, def tell in the pics you lost a ton of weight in the past, now it is building time. you ever thought of running a routine from some else, if you do decide to do a routine i could give you my opinions since i tried a lot. personally would like to see you try a routine where you hit everybody part about x2 a week, if you haven't tried it before you should give it a try. i use to do the traditional once a week and when i switched to x2 a week i exploded and will never go back to x1 a week unless i am deloading. just an idea.

[oxen]

Originally Posted by dapack

that chicken and steak looks so good, mine are so bland. looking good, def tell in the pics you lost a ton of weight in the past, now it is building time. you ever thought of running a routine from some else, if you do decide to do a routine i could give you my opinions since i tried a lot. personally would like to see you try a routine where you hit everybody part about x2 a week, if you haven't tried it before you should give it a try. i use to do the traditional once a week and when i switched to x2 a week i exploded and will never go back to x1 a week unless i am deloading. just an idea.

I am not n88r but I would like to look at doing your 2 a week. i tried my own before and think I was starting to get to the point of overtraining. I need to change my training up anyways and from your posts in your log you seem to be making some great progress. Mine is under oxen anti hater routine. Sorry n88t didnt mean to hijack your trainer.

[n88tr]

Thanks for offer, dapack. I'll keep on this way for now. Been seeing good results with this schedule that offers lots of rest. The further I get into the bulk though the more I will try to get in workout days instead of rest days.

Thanks oxen, good ideas and no it's not a hijack. :)

[Moro]

You look great man i can tell from your previous pics you have really put on some muscle,

Your whole shoulder structure has changed they have a lot more width now and the biceps are really starting to stick out,

Chest strength is looking really good to, just keep up the good work man,

[n88tr]

Today I did Legs + Chest for something different. Day before was rest. Gym closed again last night, I wanted to do Legs then. I looked online and it says they should've been open... you want to make me mad? Gym is closed without a reason when it should be open, that makes me mad. Nothing else really makes me mad these days...

Oh well, workout was crazy nuts, squats and chest, had NO energy left, did a couple of drop sets just to kill my chest.

Legs + Chest

squats
x12 bar
x8 80 lbs
6x10 135 lbs
... after these I was fully sweated up already

cable crossover, high
x12 100 lbs
x8 160 lbs
x20 80 lbs, did these fast, pre-exhaust

incline dumbbell bench press
2x7 50's

dumbbell pullovers, drop sets
x8 50 lbs, x8 40 lbs, x8 30 lbs
x7 60 lbs, x7 50 lbs, x7 40 lbs

barbell bench press ss dumbbell flyes
x5 135 lbs ss x7 35's
x5 135 lbs ss x7 35's

dumbbell flyes, flat
2x8 35's, each set to failure

pec deck drop sets
x8 150 lbs
x8 140 lbs
x7 130 lbs
x7 120 lbs
x6 110 lbs
x9 100 lbs

===

Fu.ck. Those last drop sets killed my Chest dead. I didn't think I could do so many sets but I just lowered the pin each time and did as many as I could plus 2 pain reps and kept going and going.

Foods were good. Felt like 4000 cals. Protein good, carbs too, very little fat for me at least, like 60 g.

Tomorrow 2 classes back to back, 800 am-245 pm. Then 600-900 pm english class. Gonna be an adventure! Packing foods for tomorrow... probably just do cardio tomorrow.

[n88tr]

Gonna start up my lean down phase. Attack it with all I have, not slog along for 3 months or something stupid like what I've done before. I need to go farther than I have before, and I will.

I took another pic of myself in the mirror. I want to print it out and put it on my wall just to remind myself what I'm working against... and to get away from... my fatness that defines me in my mind, and literally always has since I was like, what, 14 years old. Everytime I catch myself looking at myself in the mirror I look away because I am so ugly. I don't see the abundance of fat through my clothes like I have x-ray vision but I know it's there and I feel stupid that I should feel happy for one second when all the rest of the day whenever I see myself in the mirror I automatically think, "fat." I really want to change that.

Lowering food as of yesterday, keeping protein higher than when I was bulking. I have a few things to do tomorrow but then I'm going to go home, make foods and check out the [hopefully] construction-completed Gold's Gym. Get on the cardio and see what it all looks like in there. Hopefully they will have rock music playing like the University Gym does. One can always hope...

Here is yesterday's workout,

Triceps + Calves

rope pushdowns
x12 50 lbs
x10 70 lbs
x8 70 lbs

ez bar pushdowns
x5 110 lbs
x5 150 lbs
x3 170 lbs, NEW Personal Best
x2 190 lbs, NEW Personal Best, not pushing with shoulders, form was pretty easy to keep
x4 160 lbs

close grip bench press
x6 85 lbs
2x4 105 lbs
7x6 85 lbs, sets every 5 deep breaths

ez bar overhead extensions
x6 bar
2x8 40 lbs

1-arm overhead dumbbell extensions
x8 20 lbs Right Arm, no rest, x8 25 lbs Left Arm

seated machine pushdowns
x4 150 lbs
x4 200 lbs
x3 220 lbs
2x4 250 lbs, NEW Personal Best

1-leg standing calf raises [motionless leg tucked behind heel of working leg] 250 lbs my weight + 50 lbs plates
x13 300 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x13 300 lbs Right Leg, NEW Personal Best
x13 300 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x13 300 lbs Right Leg
x10 300 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x10 300 lbs Right Leg
x10 300 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x10 300 lbs Right Leg

Post
Whey Isolate, 54 g protein
Sensation Orange
Pomegrante Juice

[Teran]

Your mindset will define a lot of things in your life.

Having a mindset that can motivate you, push you, empower you, is such a tremendous advantage. Period.

Accepting who you are and where you are is the start, and yes that means liking who you are, right now! Everyone has room for improvement, whether it's on the inside or outside. Pursuing that improvement is wonderful. Striving for your goals builds confidence. Getting your mind right is challenging. Knowing that perfection is a goal never attainable is humbling. The end of the journey is not why you go on the journey. Enjoy and be happy with the journey, it lasts a lot longer than it's completion. When you become comfortable with yourself, and are able to look without flinching, is when you can create lasting change in your life.

Keep pushing for your goals...keep trying to affect change...keep learning from everyone...keep an open mind and heart.

[dapack]

Originally Posted by n88tr

Gonna start up my lean down phase. Attack it with all I have, not slog along for 3 months or something stupid like what I've done before. I need to go farther than I have before, and I will.

I took another pic of myself in the mirror. I want to print it out and put it on my wall just to remind myself what I'm working against... and to get away from... my fatness that defines me in my mind, and literally always has since I was like, what, 14 years old. Everytime I catch myself looking at myself in the mirror I look away because I am so ugly. I don't see the abundance of fat through my clothes like I have x-ray vision but I know it's there and I feel stupid that I should feel happy for one second when all the rest of the day whenever I see myself in the mirror I automatically think, "fat." I really want to change that.

Lowering food as of yesterday, keeping protein higher than when I was bulking. I have a few things to do tomorrow but then I'm going to go home, make foods and check out the [hopefully] construction-completed Gold's Gym. Get on the cardio and see what it all looks like in there. Hopefully they will have rock music playing like the University Gym does. One can always hope...

Here is yesterday's workout,

Triceps + Calves

rope pushdowns
x12 50 lbs
x10 70 lbs
x8 70 lbs

ez bar pushdowns
x5 110 lbs
x5 150 lbs
x3 170 lbs, NEW Personal Best
x2 190 lbs, NEW Personal Best, not pushing with shoulders, form was pretty easy to keep
x4 160 lbs

close grip bench press
x6 85 lbs
2x4 105 lbs
7x6 85 lbs, sets every 5 deep breaths

ez bar overhead extensions
x6 bar
2x8 40 lbs

1-arm overhead dumbbell extensions
x8 20 lbs Right Arm, no rest, x8 25 lbs Left Arm

seated machine pushdowns
x4 150 lbs
x4 200 lbs
x3 220 lbs
2x4 250 lbs, NEW Personal Best

1-leg standing calf raises [motionless leg tucked behind heel of working leg] 250 lbs my weight + 50 lbs plates
x13 300 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x13 300 lbs Right Leg, NEW Personal Best
x13 300 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x13 300 lbs Right Leg
x10 300 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x10 300 lbs Right Leg
x10 300 lbs Left Leg, no rest, x10 300 lbs Right Leg

Post
Whey Isolate, 54 g protein
Sensation Orange
Pomegrante Juice

Awesome workout again!!! Have no doubt you will achieve the results you want!!!!

[n88tr]

Next day was Rest. After that I went home to make foods [steak, chicken, mashed potatoes] and do little workout at new Gold's Gym. Only problem is they're still under construction. They were supposed to open mid-August but that didn't happen so they're pushing the grand opening back to Sept 24th.

I tried most every Chest exercise machine but pullovers, really tried to shock my Chest. Workout was pretty poor. I'm thinking my lack of energy is about me being so big and out of shape in general. The main goal from here is to lose weight and get down to 200 lbs [244 lbs now]. When I get there I will have more energy to lift big and keep making PRs. This "5000 cal bulk" was a disaster imo. Perhaps I did it all wrong but I know what works, being 200 and strong, and that's what I'm going to do.

Here's that Chest workout,

cable flyes, warm up
x20 40 lbs

decline barbell bench press
x8 95 lbs
x3 150 lbs
x4 135 lbs

flat barbell bench press
x2 185 lbs, NEW Personal Best
x2 180 lbs
3x5 135 lbs

giant sets
incline bb bench press ss decline iso-lateral hmr str ss flat bb bench press
x4 115 lbs, x6 90 lbs, x4 135 lbs
x4 115 lbs, x6 90 lbs, x4 135 lbs

giant sets
dumbbell bench press flat ss pec deck flyes ss cable crossovers
x6 40's, x9 145 lbs, x8 40 lbs
x6 40's, x9 190 lbs, x8 60 lbs

dumbbell flyes, to failure
x8 30's
...dead tired

[dapack]

Originally Posted by n88tr

Next day was Rest. After that I went home to make foods [steak, chicken, mashed potatoes] and do little workout at new Gold's Gym. Only problem is they're still under construction. They were supposed to open mid-August but that didn't happen so they're pushing the grand opening back to Sept 24th.

I tried most every Chest exercise machine but pullovers, really tried to shock my Chest. Workout was pretty poor. I'm thinking my lack of energy is about me being so big and out of shape in general. The main goal from here is to lose weight and get down to 200 lbs [244 lbs now]. When I get there I will have more energy to lift big and keep making PRs. This "5000 cal bulk" was a disaster imo. Perhaps I did it all wrong but I know what works, being 200 and strong, and that's what I'm going to do.

Here's that Chest workout,

cable flyes, warm up
x20 40 lbs

decline barbell bench press
x8 95 lbs
x3 150 lbs
x4 135 lbs

flat barbell bench press
x2 185 lbs, NEW Personal Best Great Job!!!!! Keep Pushing!!!!
x2 180 lbs
3x5 135 lbs

giant sets
incline bb bench press ss decline iso-lateral hmr str ss flat bb bench press
x4 115 lbs, x6 90 lbs, x4 135 lbs
x4 115 lbs, x6 90 lbs, x4 135 lbs

giant sets
dumbbell bench press flat ss pec deck flyes ss cable crossovers
x6 40's, x9 145 lbs, x8 40 lbs
x6 40's, x9 190 lbs, x8 60 lbs

dumbbell flyes, to failure
x8 30's
...dead tired

Great job flat bench, know you been working on that!!!!