Here you go, man… A quick and dirty image, courtesy of Darwin and GIMP.
Great work, by the way! Your progress and situation is very similar to mine. It’s nice to see people of comparable size and strength on here - it makes me not feel so isolated, lol.
Darwin- you sir, completely kick ass. Thank you for the picture help. It is cool to see other people in the same boat. I read all these “Help, I can’t get my bench past 500lbs!” and sometimes get discouraged. Good luck with your own workouts, thanks again
TriednTrue- thanks for the info on deloading. I guess I shouldn’t feel so bad about taking a week of then. I kinda got lost in the “train hard for years” mindset Like I said, I plan to stick with the diet, and do some bodyweight movements. I also plan to keep the night time cardio in check as well.
[quote]BROOTAL wrote:
I read all these “Help, I can’t get my bench past 500lbs!” and sometimes get discouraged.[/quote]
There are very few of those people. If they truly bench that, then it has taken many years. You’ve only just begun … ← used for dramatic effect
Brootal, no problem. I did the same thing for Bartl, and he loved it, so I figured if people post their before/after pics, I’ll start making the comparison images for 'em.
Breakfast 630am: 1 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 3 strips turkey bacon, crystal light
Shake: 930am: Peanut Butter shake
Lunch: 1230: Tuna fish with salad dressing, salad
Shake: 330pm: Shake, fish cap, 1 apple
Dinner: 630pm: Homemade Chicken parm (2 chicken breasts not breaded, small amount of sauce, lowfat mozz cheese and fresh mushrooms.)
Pre bed snack: 830pm: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, Handfull of mixed nuts, tea
Totals for today using fit-day: 2309 cal, 259.5Pro, 76 carb, 106 fats
Did 45 minutes of low/medium intensity cardio on the bike, Enough to break sweat but wasnt killing myslef either.
5/6/08
Lifts:
Left the squat out today
Shoulder Press: 1: 45lbs 2: 65lbs 3: 85lbs 4-6: 100lbs
Pendlay Rows: 1: 45lbs 2: 95lbs 3: 115lbs 4-6: 130lbs
Decline Sit-up: 3x5 holding 20 lbs
Nutrition:
Breakfast 630am: 1 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 3 strips turkey bacon, water, fish oil cap
Shake: 930am: Peanut Butter shake, fish cap
Lunch: 1230: McDonalds Chicken salad
Shake: 330pm: Shake, fish cap,
Dinner: 630pm: Homemade turkey meatballs with sauce and cheese.
9pm After workout: Surge
Estimated Totals for today using fit-day: 2354 cal, 242pro, 104carb, 109fats
Report Post
5/10/08
Not posting or working out lately has felt WRONG!!
As some of you know I have been traveling non stop for the last 4 days and this will continue until the 19th. I have found some interesting things while trying to maintain good eating and excersise habits.
For the past 3 days I was working at a trade show in a major city. Instead of taking a cab with everyone else, I walked to and from the show everyday (about 1 mile) carrying a box full of handouts that we need. I figure the box weighed around 15 or so pounds and after holding it for a mile my arms were burning.
I have been doing various kinds of push-ups, pull-ups and tons split squats holding random heavy objects. (This is the challenge of hotels without gyms.)
Eating out has also presented a challenge that I feel I am doing well with. We often times go to expensive resturants that only serve fattening dishes that taste great but are loaded with carbs and butter and other junk. I have been creating my own meals at these places that consist of some lean meat (usually chicken or beef) and some veggetables and in a real tight pinch, a baked yam.
When possible I get baked salmon with steamed veggies.
It has been extremely difficult to track calories, so instead I have gone back to the 7 habits of JB for the week that I’m traveling. I eat portions similar to what I have been, stick with the habits, and skip all the beer and wine thats everywhere around me while sticking to diet coke and TONS of water.
Now because of the situation I knew I would be in, I planned this week as a “deload/off” week. I really didn’t want to do this while I was still making great gains, but I am interested to see where I will be when I come back.
If anyone has been in this kind of situation, and has some tips to eating properly and working out in hotel rooms, please offer them!!
Thanks for the help.
Brootal
5/11/08
Holy hell I feel like I am wasting away!!! I’m not quite sure if this is in my head or not, but I feel quite small.
This whole not working out thing is a psychologic nightmare. I want to lift heavy so bad.
Diet went like this yesterday.
Breakfast:
EAS myoplex Protein shake that I had to grab at a gas station. 300 cal 42 protein 19 carbs, 7 fats
Mcdonalds chicken salad for lunch.
For a snack I bought a package of pepperoni and a thing of all natural chedder cheese.
Dinner was Kilbosai, small serving of baked beans, lots of stemaed peas.
The only thing I could find at the hotel that wasn’t completely terrible was a loaf of rye bread and natural peanut butter.
I made two sandwiches and proceeded to do push-ups, situps and pullups. I added some split squats (one leg on a chair) till failure in at the end, with just bodyweight and my fully packed backpack and computer bag.
Right before bed I ate some beef jerky and cashews.
How much shuld one expect to lose in a week of poor diet and exercise?
5/14/08
I have had a very similar meal plan for the week since I am out traveling.
I have basically just been eating the same thing until I return home on the 19th.
Breakfast is usually eggs with some form of breakfast meat and water. I have been finding the a lot of hotels will actually serve some form of turkey bacon or sausage, they just wont tell you unless you ask.
For a quick snack in apinch I have been using “pure protein” protein bars. These seem to have the least amount of sugar and fat compared to the others. Otherwise Ill drink a myoplex shake. Still too high in carbs for what I am currently trying to do. It has 19carbs with 42 protein and 9 fats.
For lunch its has continued to be a salad with chicken from somewhere.
For another snack, I’ll find whatever I can in a small convienience store. I’ll pick up some pepperoni and cheese, or a small thing of cottage cheese and some mixed nuts or beef jerky.
For dinner it changes day to day because we have been going out practically everynight. I try my best to stick to lean meats and veggies. I drink as much water as possible.
My workouts have been odd to say the least. Only one hotel I was at had a gym worth anything so far. I can feel myself getting weak but i know this is only for a few more days.
I have been doing some “static bed flys” then a bunch of push ups to blast the chest. Basically I lie down and do a one arm “fly” by trying to lift the bed (obviously I cant.) Ill do this for about 30 seconds each arm then do 20 push-ups.
My legs are not getting worked nearly enough. I have been doing wall sits to try and kep some strength.
Its interesting what you can think of just in a hotel room.
I cant wait to get back and lift hard as hell!!!
Reminds me of this time I went to a club in LA and nearby was a liquor store. It happened to be stocked with fine korean alcohol but nary a sign of Protein! My friends had a few comments concerning my statement : they have protein in there?
When travelling I like to bring a jug of Metabolic Drive, 2x shaker cups, maybe a few Metabolic Drive bars if I have any. I’ll rely on editing menu items and looking mainly for grilled chicken, steak, and steamed vegetables, baked potatoes.
That being said if @ a convenience store ~ trail mix, or the naked juice (protein) version, tho odwalla also has a similar version.
Exercise wise, bodyweight and also lifting anything and everything works.
If you note prison workouts, street workouts, and other type of on the fly stuff ~ the gym is not necessarily the end all of fitness. There are plenty of other things you can do places to do them at and things you can do bodily harm with.
What you can also do is bring the more advanced bands - I forget the name off the top of my head, but they are a bit more handier and heftier then the type you get at your average fitness store. With legs you can do body weight squats and or overhead squats with say your entire luggage bag. Or since your at a terminal just search bodyweight workouts.
[quote]BROOTAL wrote:
TriednTrue- thanks for the info on deloading. I guess I shouldn’t feel so bad about taking a week of then. I kinda got lost in the “train hard for years” mindset Like I said, I plan to stick with the diet, and do some bodyweight movements. I also plan to keep the night time cardio in check as well.[/quote]
You’re welcome. If you need a more intensive bodyweight workout, do supersets of push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, crunches and bodyweight squats, all without a break between exercises. After doing a set of each, then take 60-120 seconds of rest. Repeat cycle as able. Yeah, I just learned first-hand that it’s a lot harder than I thought 
Hey Everyone!
I didn’t want you to think that I gave up!! I just got back home about an hour ago. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s workout although im sure it will be quite difficult. I learned alot this week about working out in crappy conditions. I also learned that I will be going to Belgium for 10 days on May 30th, so the “on the road” workouts will begin again. After this trip I wont be doing much more travel until September.
This whole “surprise, you will be traveling” thing kind of sucked. I was ill prepared and, feel like I lost some good forward progress. I ate things that were not in my plan and, missed meals more often than I wanted to.
I will post tomorrow after the workout and fill you guys in on how it went. The hotel in Belgium has a gym and at least this time I will be at one hotel the whole trip instead of 9 different places.
thanks to everyone who posted some pointers to lifting while on the road.
Overhead duffel bag squats are actually harder than I thought.
Thanks.
Keep it up, you seem to have convinced a few others to track your log and I’m sure there are other lurkers that pop in from time to time to see how your doing. Good times are a comin!
I hope I can move tomorrow! I was excited as all hell to be back in the gym today and went all out.
Lifts:
Squats: 1: 95lbs 2: 115lbs 3: 135lbs 4: 195lbs 5-6: 190lbs (got a little too excited and went for the 195, I knew I wouldnt make all 3 work sets so I dropped it down to 190 and finished strong)
Bench: 1: 95lbs 2: 115lbs 3: 135lbs: 4: 155lbs 5: 155lbs 6: 150lbs (60 push-ups)
Deadlifts: 1: 135lbs 2: 165lbs 3: 185lbs 4: 215lbs
Decline sit-ups: 6 sets of 5 holding 20 lbs
Did 3 sets of 10 for tricep push-ups and some wrist rollers.
Nutrition was a bit weak today since I got back late last night and had no food to bring to work. (weak excuse)
I ate too many carbs and had too few calories.
Nutrition resumes tomorrow and will be ON POINT until my trip to belgium.
Thanks to everyone for the support while I was on the road, you guys rock.
HOLY CRAP I forgot what it was like to take time off from doing squats. Everyone at work was asking “did you hurt your knee/ankle/back/ass??”
Needless to say I was a bit sore from yesterdays workout.
Nutrition:
Breakfast 630am: 1 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 3 strips turkey bacon, crystal light
Shake: 930am: Peanut Butter shake, fish cap
Lunch: 1230: Can of tuna fish mixed with light salad dressing, 1 apple.
Shake: 3:30: Peanut Butter shake, fish cap
Dinner: Pork Tenderloin, Mixed Steamed Veggies, Natural Peanut butter sandwhich on whole wheat bread (I was starving for some reason throughout the entire day and kind of broke down at dinner)
before bed: small salad, tea, scoop of whey
On a side note, the last couple of days I have been EXTREMELY hungry throughout the day. I have no idea why buts its driving me nuts.
Did 30 minutes of medium intensity steady state cardio today.
5/22/08
No time to post yesterday, but the workout went like this:
Squats: 1:95lbs 2:115lbs 3: 135lbs 4-6 190lbs
Pendlay Rows:(Changed the grip to be real narrow) 1: 65lbs 2: 95lbs 3: 115lbs 4-6: 135lbs
Military Press: 1: 45lbs 2: 55lbs 3: 65lbs 4-6 100lbs
I felt much weaker than I did before I left off. I really wish that I could have found some better way to work out while I was traveling.
I also did 30 minutes of Cardio yesterday after the workout as well as today.
My nutrition is exactly back to where it was before I left.
Thinking back to what Kinein said in one of the ealier posts; I want to add some arm work on the off days. I want to try an arm specialization program for my off days. I would appreciate some opinions on this. Is it still too early in my lifting career to start to special work? or is it a good idea since my arms are lacking. I also think this may be where some of my other lifts are starting to fall behind
Thank you!
4/24/08
Whats up T-Nation?!
Set a new PR that I am happy about yesterday, for my deadlift so I am pretty pumped about that.
Squat: 1: 95lbs 2: 115lbs 3: 135lbs 4-6: 190lbs (these are feeling really heavy since that week off. They felt better than they did on Monday though. It may also be that I have been doing cardio everynight instead of just off days.)
Bench press: 1: 95lbs 2: 115lbs 3: 135lbs 4-6: 155, 150, 150lbs (lost some major groung here during the week off, my goal for my coming trip to Belgium is to do WAY more push-ups than I did on the road previously)
Deadlifts: 1: 135lbs 2: 165lbs 3: 185lbs 4: 220lbs (HUGE PR for me)
Im happy to know that the extra grip work I have been doing is showing through here. I was having trouble holding this much weight earlier. I have added in wrist rollers and one of those spring squeeze things that you can buy anywhere. I took the spring thing to work, and throughout the day squeeze and hold for as long as possible. Wrist rollers are after eah workout.
Thanks everyone! Good luck with your own progress!
When your feeling like pulling at the chain throttling you back, it is time to break that chain ~ adding in some arm work wouldn’t hurt. Christian Thibaudeau recently wrote a few articles concerning that ~ Recommend you check it out.
I want to highlight a point, make sure you hone your focus ~ every rep is your moment to shine, make each one special. Full control on the negative and engagement of every centimeter of your being for the positive portion of the lift.
Another thing to addin ~ try adding in 2x warmup front raises and 2x side lateral raises at 15-20 reps before chest/shoulder workouts. Include 2-3x front raises warmup 15-20 reps for any bicep workouts. Implement this for 1-2 weeks and see how you feel. Your shoulders make thank me in the long run.
I enjoy watching your progress, Brootal. In fact, your log is swaying me towards trying Rippetoe’s program, once the fall semester of school starts.
In regards to your question about arm work, I’ve thought about this very thing. The solution I’ve come up with for myself, once I start doing the program is: add in 3-4 sets of triceps at the end of bench day and 3-4 sets of curls at the end of rowing day. I’d do dumbbells in order to offset any right-left muscular imbalances.
The specific exercises I’m currently doing (and enjoying) are hammer curls and decline dumbbell triceps extensions. The key is finding a couple of exercises which work for you. Barbell curls may be more your thing; perhaps skull crushers would work best for your triceps.
You may also benefit from some leg curls. However, add in too many things and you’re suddenly doing a different workout than the Rippetoe So, for as long as you stay with Rippetoe, I’d only add in a single biceps exercise, a single triceps exercise, and those shoulder warm-ups that Kinein suggested.
Heck, I may start using 'em, myself.
If you’re interested, you can check out my training log. It’s here and titled “TnT’s Path to Recovery”, or something to that effect.