Alright, so after months of lurking and a year of reading T-Nation, I’ve decided to join the forums. Here’s a brief run-down
I’ve been lifting on-and-off for about 2.5-3 years now. I’m a sophomore at a very rigorous academic institution so school has been in way a lot of times when it comes to training.
At the end of my junior year of high school I was an absolute twig; around 6’3" and 185lbs. I just finished baseball season and was the back-up 1B on a state-championship team and really wanted to be all-conference next season as the start, so I started a routine of lifting. It was dumb, but I made a shit ton of newbie gains. I was doing stupid things like tricep kick-backs, leg presses etc, w/o squatting and no real compound movements. Never the less I shot up to 225 with going from about 11/12% BF to 14/15% (our school had a tanita BF measurement machine). But my frosh year of college I ran into a ridiculous second semester and didn’t work out for three months. I gained A LOT back over the summer, but then pulled my back deadlifting in july. Still, I made great gains on chest and triceps while nursing my back. Then last fall I got pneumonia and shit hit the fan. I was on the couch for two weeks without eating (couldn’t hold anything down). By the time I was healthy again I had dropped around 15lbs. So much so that when my sister saw me she screamed “YOU NEED TO EAT!” And kept trying to buy my a hamburger every 40 minutes. To recover I started up a powerlifting program from my friend in the PL club here at school. Worked great for me, got my numbers way up in just two months. Got back up to a 235x5 on chest (touching chest) a 285x5 on squat (pretty good considering i’ve torn both my meniscus) and a 405x1 on the DL. Now the past month i haven’t been able to work out and my diet is shit due to other circumstances. I want to fill my frame out at last.
I’ve decided that I need to move to high-volume training method so I’m starting the GVT as simply outlined by Poliquin. I’ll stick to it for atleast 6 months.
Here it goes!
4/6 Start of Volume Training
Upper
Barbell Bench
185x10
185x10
185x10
185x6
185x4
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x4
weak as all hell. first time benching in a month after a shit diet
Incline Dumbbell Bench
70x8
70x8
70x8
70x8
Dips
BWx10x4
after a few weeks will be doing these weighted
Tricep Cable Ext.
160x12
170x8
180x6
4/7/09 Lower
Squat
135.x10
225x8
225x8
225x7
225x7
225x7
225x8
dumbbell bicep curl
30x10x3
Didn’t have much time today, only 40mins. I was dead after doing that much volume on squats for the first time in a loooooong time.
4/11/09
Upper
Dumbbell Bench
90x8
90x8
90x8
90x8
90x7
100x5
Incline Dumbbell Bench
75x8
75x8
75x8
75x8
Dips
BWx12
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Ext.
90x8
90x8
90x8
90x8
4/13/09 Lower
Squat
225x8
235x8
235x8
235x7
235x6
225x6
225x8
Absolutely exhausted
Dumbbell Bicep Curl
40x7
40x7
40x7
40x5
E-Z Bar Bicep Curl
50x10
50x10
60x10
70x10(standing w/ slight cheat)
I’ve decided to do a lot more bicep work because I’ve neglected it in the past and think that my biceps are starting to lag.
I need to build up my lifting endurance so that I can get in lunges after squats
4/15/09 Upper
Dumbbell Bench
95x8
95x8
95x8
95x7 fail
95x6 fail
95x7
95x6
95x6
Incline DB bench
75x7
70x7
70x7
Hard a really strong dull pain in my left elbow for the incline DB, something I haven’t felt since being a pitcher and throwing 130 pitches in a game. Really affected me the rest of the work out
Dumbbell Raise Side
25x8
25x8
25x10
DB raise front
25x10
25x8
25x10
Dips
BWx12
BW+45x10
BW+45x10
BW+45x8
Cable Tricep Ext.
140x12
160x10
160x10
160x8
4/17/09
Deadlift off of 2x35 plates stacked on top of each other. So its between a 4"-5" platform
Snatch grip used
225x10
225x10
225x10
225x10
225x10
First time deadlifting in about a month. Posted a thread about this in the bodybuilding forum, but I nearly blacked out after my last set and I quit my workout there
4/20/09
Squat
235x8
235x8
235x8
235x8
235x8
235x8
Machine Leg Extentions
60x12
70x12
100x12
125x12
EZ Seated Curl
70x5
70x5
70x5
70x5
70x5
Zottman Curls
30x10
30x10
30x10
Hammer Curls
40x8
40x8
40x8
I’ve decided that due to my lacking biceps that I will go hard on them on monday and they will get a “light” workout (aka, indirect) when I dead, chin, and pull on friday.
4/22/09
DB Bench Press
100x8
100x8
100x8
100x8
100x8
100x8
110x5
110x3
Incline DB
75x8
75x8
I had that intense dull pain in my elbow again
Dips
BW+45x10
BW+45x10
BW+45x10
Setting long-term goals right here. I want to hit 315 on bench, 405 on squat and break 500 on deadlift