My Easy Day was Yesterday!

I’ve been using this website for training & nutrition advice and I thought it would be a good time to start my training log.

Background:

I’m a 42 yr. old “has been” who befriended a trainer about a year and a half ago and was educated on how to properly train & EAT! I have since lost 50 lbs. then subsequently gained 15 lbs. of mostly muscle. I look and feel good but this lifestyle has left me with an appetite for more.

In my 20’s I was in the Marine Corps (Reconnaissance) and had more of a long distance running, swimming background. My 3 mile PR is 14:57 (o.k. you caught me bragging.) So I’m making the transformation from skinny distance runner to overweight “has been” to bodybuilder.

Stats:
5’ 10"
207 lbs.

Bicep = 15 1/8", waist 36 7/8", Chest 41 1/4, Thigh 23 1/2"

Goals:

During 2010 I’d like to gain another 15 lbs. of muscle while still maintain my current estimated body fat % (somewhere between 15% & 20%)

Nutrition: (listed first since it’s the most important part)

Carb Cycling

40% protein, 50% carbs, 10% fat

2 days a week = 4000 Cals 2 days a week 3500 Cals remaining 3 days are 2750 Cals

I’ll pick a day during the week to carb load & cheat. (I like to enjoy life too)

Training:

It’s a basic 5 day split that doesn’t adhere to any day of the week. I’ll gladly skip a small muscle group day for the sake of recovery. I listen to my body when it tells me to “cool it” on any particular muscle group and just supplement cardio in it’s place until I’m ready for the next day. I don’t do the same excercizes everytime. I’ll consistantly do the compound movements while mixing some of the others. The below is more of a recent workout. My schedule looks like this:

Day 1 Chest Day

Flat DB press 65’s x 10, 75’s x 8, 85’s x 6, 100’s x 7, 95’s x 8
Incline DB Press 65’s x 10, 75’s x 8, 80’s x 8, 75’s x 9
Dips (body weight) 10 x 4 sets
Incline DB Fly 30’s x 10, 40’s x 10, 45’s x 8, 40’s x 8

20 min. cardio at 145 BPM (eliptical)

Day 2: Back Day

Dead lifts (no wraps) 130lbs. x 10, 220 x 8, 200 x 10, 200 x 10
Wide Grip Cable Pull ups 185lbs. x 10, 195 x 6, 185 x 8, 185 x 7
single arm DB Row’s 65lbs. x 10, 75 x 10, 75 x 10, 75 x 10
Reverse Peck Deck (I don’t keep track of the weight x 4 sets)
single arm
Superman cable pull downs 90 x 10, 100 x 8, 100 x 8, 100 x 8

45 min. Cardio at 135 BPM

Day 3: Leg Day (Oh yeah!)

Squats (see dead lifts weights & reps)
DB Lunges 25’s x 10, 35’s x 10, 35’s x 8, 35’s x 7
Leg Press (45 deg.) 360 x 10, 450 x 8, 450 x 8, 360 x 8
Calf Raises (machine, I don’t keep track of weight x 4 sets)
leg curls &
leg extensions 4 sets of each to failure (8 to 12 rep range)

Cardio (No “f” ing way)

Day 4: Shoulder Day

Seated DB military press 65’s x 10, 75’s x 8, 75’s x 8, 65’s x 10
Lateral DB “beer can” raises 17.5’s x 10, 20’s x 10, 25’s x 8, 22.5’s x 8
Front DB “V” raises 22.5’s x 10, 25’s x 10, 30’s x 8, 25’s x 8
Smith Machine seated mil press 130lbs. x 10, 140 x 8, 140 x 8, 130 x 10

Cardio 45 min. @ 135 BPM

Day 5: Bi’s & Tri’s

EZ Bar Preacher Curls 65lbs x 10, 75 x 10, 75 x 8, 65 x 10
Skull Crushers 35’s x 10, 40’s x 10, 40’s x 8, 35’s x 10
Single arm DB
Preacher Curls 30’s x 10, 35’s x 8, 37.5’s x 6, 30’s x 8
Cable pull downs 85lbs x 10, 90 x 10, 110 x 8, 90 x 10
Standing DB Curls 25’s x 10, 25’s x 8, 25’s x 7, 20’s x 10
French Press 65lbs. x 10, 75 x 8, 75 x 8, 65 x 10

Cardio 60 mins. @ 135 BPM

Days 6: Misc & Cardio

eliptical 20 mins @ 145 BPM
Abs - 10 reps x 8 sets

Stair Climber intervals - 5 x 1 min. “sprints” w/ 2 min. rests in between

eliptical 20 mins @ 145 BPM

Day 7: Sometimes Rest, sometimes 45 min. cardio @ 135 BPM

Note: All exercizes are done with the utmost attention to form. I don’t adjust the weight in order to impress others in the gym while my form goes to sh1t.

I welcome constructive criticism and new ideas.

Thanks!

Welcome NTL! The rocking chair crowd always needs another player! Looks like you have a plan. Look forward to following along.

1/10

Felt good yesterday, although cheated one meal and had Mexican food.

Did the below workout

Dead lifts (no wraps) 130lbs. x 10, 220 x 8, 200 x 10, 200 x 10
Pull ups Body weight x 10, Body weight x 9, (Cable) 185 x 8, 185 x 7
single arm DB Row’s 65lbs. x 10, 75 x 10, 75 x 10, 75 x 10
Reverse Peck Deck (I don’t keep track of the weight x 4 sets)
Close Grip Cable Pull-ins Didn’t keep track of weight - 4 sets of 8 to 10

No Cardio this day, had to pick my daughter up from the play area of the gym (24 hour fitness) would have had to fight my way through all of the “resolutionists” in order to get any cardio in. Funny, didn’t see any of them around the power rack.

Welcome aboard. I noticed on a lot of your sets you drop the poundage on the last set. Is this so you can keep your form?

[quote]hel320 wrote:
Welcome aboard. I noticed on a lot of your sets you drop the poundage on the last set. Is this so you can keep your form? [/quote]

Form is part of the reason, it’s mostly because the # of reps dictates the weight. For example if my 2nd to last set falls to 6 or 7 reps, I decrease the weight a little in order to get back to around 10 reps.

A take pride in a full range of motion. If the weight feels light I will also do slow reps in order to feel that burn. The heavier the weight feels to me, the more explosive the rep.

Sorry for the long-winded answer.

10/11

Rest (much needed) Ate like a T-rex today.

I’ve been screwing up the dates 01/11 should be 01/10

today is 01/11

Today:

Leg Day

Hack Squats 180 x 10 (did this while waiting for some kid to finish doing curls in the squat rack)
Squats 130lbs x 10reps, 200 x 8, 200 x 6, 180 x 8
Smith Calf Raises (standing on plates) 130 x 10, 200 x 10, 200 x 10, 200 x 10 (slow reps)
Leg Press (45 deg.) 360 x 10, 450 x 8, 540 x 4, 360 x 10
leg curls &
leg extensions 4 sets of each to failure (8 to 12 rep range)

20 min. elipitcal @ 145 bpm

Wasn’t really feeling it today. Perhaps, I haven’t had enough recovery since my last leg day which was intense.

1/12

Shoulder Day

Ate according to plan

Had to wake up early and drive up to the Sherman Oaks 24 hour fitness (Near LA) to work out. Done by 7am worked from a Starbucks and had a 10am in North Hills. Apparently the good people of Sherman Oaks don’t know how to put away DB’s.

Sitting military DB press 30’s x 10, 50’s x 10, 55’s x 10, 65’s x 8
Cable Lateral arm raises - 2 plates x 10 x 4 sets each arm
Abs on the body weight x 10, 25lbs on my chest x 10, 10lbs held above my head x 10 x 2
hyperextension platform
Front V arm raises - 20’s x 10, 30’s x 8, 30’s x 10, (drop set) 20’s x 6
Smith sitting military press - 120lbs. x 15, 140lbs. x 10, 160 x 8, 140 x 8

20 mins. cardio @ 145 bpm

1/13

MEAT GAZER! Some dude frickin stared at my junk in the shower and I’m not happy. Never been to the 24 hour fitness in Marina Del Rey, CA before. It will probably be the last since they like looking at dicks there.

Anyways had a busy schedule today w/ 4 different appointments all over LA. No time for Cardio just bi’s & tri’s

Single Arm DB Preacher Curls 25lbs. x 15, 30 x 10, 35 x 9, 40 x 8, 45 x 4
French Press 65lbs. x 12, 75 x 10, 80 x 10, 80 x 8
Cable Curls 65lbs. x 10, 75 x 10, 85 x 8, 75 x 9
Cable Pull downs Didn’t keep track of weight just felt the burn 4 sets of 8 - 10
Sitting Hammer Curls 25’s x 10, 30’s x 8, 30’s x 8
Skull Crushers 30’s x 10, 35’s x 7, 40’s x 5, 35’s x 6

I get that in the women’s shower sometimes.

Just before the sirens start…

Just took 1/14 & 1/15 as recovery days. Not even cardio. I usually do cardio, work has become busy all of the sudden.

Need my tri’s to recover, I want a good chest day tomorrow.

1/16

Chest day

5 min. warm up
flat DB press 60’s x 8, 70’s x 6, 80’s x 6, 90’s x 5, 100’s x 9, 100’s x 7, 95’s x 8
incline DB press 65’s x 10, 75’s x 10, 80’s x 8, 80’s x 8
Single arm cable press
w/ a twist for the obliques 70lbs x 10, 80 x 10, 90 x 10, 90 x 10 (slow reps)
Incline DB flys 30’s x 10, 45’s x 10, 50’s x 10, 50’s x 10

5 min. warm down

I’m going to cool it on cardio right after lifting and see what happens.

[quote]NvrTooLate wrote:

I’m going to cool it on cardio right after lifting and see what happens.[/quote]

Cardio - we don need no stink’in cardio!

I actually had a yoga instructor about 20 years my junior tell me I was gunna die if I didn’t incorporate cardio in my program. (She said it straight faced) Told her, Hey, we’re all gunna die sometime, and I’ll be sure to bring flowers her funeral.

Nuthin wrong with a little cardio. I did a quick 3 mile trail walk with my dog tonight so could chase some deer and get her workout. I just enjoyed a nice cigar along the way.

[quote]Oldman Powers wrote:

[quote]NvrTooLate wrote:

I’m going to cool it on cardio right after lifting and see what happens.[/quote]

Cardio - we don need no stink’in cardio!

I actually had a yoga instructor about 20 years my junior tell me I was gunna die if I didn’t incorporate cardio in my program. (She said it straight faced) Told her, Hey, we’re all gunna die sometime, and I’ll be sure to bring flowers her funeral.

Nuthin wrong with a little cardio. I did a quick 3 mile trail walk with my dog tonight so could chase some deer and get her workout. I just enjoyed a nice cigar along the way.[/quote]

I may cardio on rest days and at a different time of day on others. I like the cigar portion of your cardio.

1/17/2010

I’M SUCH A NOOOOOOOB! Today I changed my grip while doing deadlifts (palm away, palm forward) and added 50 lbs. to my deadlift. I’ve known of this grip yet I didn’t put into practice until today. Again, no wraps.

Also, a quick on gym etiquette. Hey asian girl that smells like a french whore. Please don’t wear overwelming amounts of perfume to the gym. I have to breathe the air to.

Back Day:

2 min. warm up

Deadlifts: 130 lbs.x 10, 220 x 10, 270 x 6, 250 x 8, 250 x 7
wide grip cable pull downs: 165lbs x 10, 185 x 10, 195 x 8, 205 x 7
reverse db incline flys 20’s x 10, 27.5’s x 6, 22.5’s x 8
single arm DB Row’s 65lbs. x 10, 75 x 10, 80 x 8, 85 x 8
Single arm Cable Supermans 60 x 13, 80 x 13, 100 x 10, 90 x 8 (slow reps, felt the burn)
Sitting close grip cable pull ins Didn’t keep track of weight - 4 sets of 10 reps

4 min. warm down

Mmmm. French whores.

1/18/10

Leg Day

2 Min. Warm up

Calf Machine (didn’t keep track of weight)
squats 130lbs. x 10, 220 x 6, 200 x 8, 180 x 9
DB Lunges 20’s x 10, 22.5’s x 10, 30’s x 8, 30’s x 8
leg press 270lbs. x 10, 360 x 10, 450 x 7, 390 x 8
super set leg ext. w/ leg curls (didn’t keep track of weight, just felt the burn)

3 min. warm down

1/19/10

shoulders day

2 min. warm up

seated military DB press 35lbs x 10, 55 x 10, 65 x 8, 65 x 8
standing “beer can” side arm raises 20lbs x 10, 22.5 x 10, 25 x 7, 22.5 x 8
Cable Lateral arm raises - 2 plates x 10 x 4 sets each arm
Front V arm raises (cable) - didn’t keep track of weight
Machine sitting military press - 120lbs. x 15, 140lbs. x 10, 160 x 8, 140 x 8

30 min. cardio @ 150 BPM

1/20/10

Arm Day

Did more of a ramping up with my sets (learned about this here) and it paid off.

Preacher Bench EZ bar curls 50lbs x 10, 60 x 6, 70 x 5, 80 x 10, 85 x 6, 80 x 6
DB skull crushers 25’s x 10, 30’s x 10, 40’s x 10, 42.5’s x 8, 42.5’s x 8
cable curls Didn’t keep track of weight 4 sets
cable pull downs 100lbs x 10, 110 x 10, 120 x 10, 130 x 8
machine hammer curls Didn’t keep track of weight 4 sets
Overhead Cable pull downs Didn’t keep track of weight 4 sets

No cardio - busy schedule - drove all over LA & OC in the rain.

1/21/2010

Rest Day/ Light Cardio

20 min. eliptical @ 120 bpm avg.

hangling leg raises 4 x 10

10 min. stairs

10 min elipitcal @ 140 bpm

Had my body fat % measured today w/ calipers came out to 21% + or - 6% hmmmm.