Phlegms' Beginner Log

Training Training Logs
1

Stats:
-Age: 20
-Height: 5 feet 11 inches
-Weight(ATM): 148 Lbs
-BF %: Around 7% (Unfortunately this is entirely around my midsection…)
-LBM: 137 lbs

Background:
Started working out about 3 or 4 months ago when I decided to give the p90x videos a try, I know they wont hold much stead here amongst the more hard core crowd, but they suited me well for the time and gave me a good introduction to following a consistent exercise routine for a number of Months. I saw some fairly good results on it too. I combined it with some HIIT cardio and after 3 months of so I had leaned down from a very pudgy and very weak 162 lbs to a fairly lean (except for the last 3-4 pounds of fat around my midsection) 144lbs. In terms of strength gains I think it gave me a relatively good base of strength in terms of pull ups, push-ups and general muscle tone. But now my goals have gone from trying to get as lean as possible and as such getting a six-pack to wanting to get more “functional” strength. Because of this, I needed a change and wanted to start lifting actual weights for the first time in my life. My goals now stand at staying relatively lean, maintaining a good level of cardio fitness and trying to be strong like ox! A friend has helped put together a lifting routine, and for the last 2 weeks or so I’ve been following it and most importantly, enjoying it. This log is where I will detail my workout logs so I can hopefully look back in a few months and feel warm and fuzzy inside over the progress I’ve made. Another disclaimer; This new lifestyle is one I will attempt to fit around the lifestyle of a somewhat busy and impoverished student, so please bear that in mind!

Anyway, as I’ve said I’ve been following a programme for 2 weeks now so I will update the log thus far and continue on from there. If anyone reads this, please don’t hesitate to critique and offer advice. It would be very graciously accepted and appreciated!

2

Sunday 23rd January:

Warm up:
1km at 12% incline at 7Kmph pace

A) Bench Press (DB)
S1; 8 reps at 12.5kg
S2: 8 reps at 15kg
S3: 8 reps at 15kg
S4: 8 reps at 18kg
S5: 6 reps at 20kg

B) Incline Bench press (DB)
S1: 6 reps at 18kg
S2: 6 reps at 18kg
S3: 5 reps at 17.5kg
S4: 5 reps at 17.5kg

C) Bent over DB Rows
S1: 9 reps at 20kg
S2: 9 reps at 20kg
S3: 8 reps at 22.5kg
S4: 8 reps at 20kg

D) Power Cleans (DB)
S1: 8 reps at 12.5kg
S2: 8 reps at 10kg
S3: 8 reps at 10kg

E) Pull Ups
S1) 14 (Shoulder width grip)
S2) 7 (Wide grip)
S3) 6 (Wide grip)

F) Weighted Crunches
S1) 20 reps with 6kg DB
S2) 20 reps with 9kg DB
S3) 15 reps with 9kg DB
S4) 15 reps with 9kg DB

Cool Down:
1km at 5% incline at 13Kmph pace

Monday 24th January:

Warm Up:
1.5km run/5% incline/ 13kmph (Took about 6-7 mins)

A) Deadlift:
S1: 8 reps at 54kg
S2: 8 reps at 74kg
S3: 4 reps at 94kg
S4: 5 reps at 94kg
S5: 5 reps at 94kg

B) DB Lunge:
S1: 12 reps at 15kg DB in each hand
S2:
12 reps at 15kg DB in each hand
S3:
10 reps
(setbreak of 2 secs)
and 4 reps at 15kg DB in each hand
S4:
10 reps (setbreak of 2 secs) and 4 reps at 15kg DB in each hand

C) Romanian Dead Lift:
S1: 8 reps at 54kg
S2: 4 reps (setbreak of 2 secs) and 5 reps at 74kg
S3: 8 reps at 74kg
S4: 6 reps at 74kg

D) Plate Pinch:
S1: 10kg for 20 secs
S2: 20kg for 20 secs
S3: 20kg for 20 secs
S4: 20kg for 25 secs

Cool Down:
1.5km run/5% incline/ 11kmph (7 minutes-ish)

Tuesday 25th January Late Evening Session:

Warm Up:
1.8km at 2% incline at 13kmph pace, then upped my pace to 15kmph for 1.2km

A. Push Ups
S1: 28 (Decline and Wide grip)
S2: 19 (Decline and wide grip)
S3: 14 (Decline and Wide grip)
S4: 12 (Normal Grip)

B. Db press:
S1: 10 reps at 12.5kg
S2: 10 reps at 12.5kg
S3: 10 reps at 12.5kg

C. Db Curls:
S1: 8 reps at 9 kg
S2: 8 reps at 12kg
S3: 8 reps at 12kg
S4: 6 reps at 9kg

D. Pull ups (Wide Grip):
S1: 14
S2: 9
S3:

E. Standing, (DB) 1 Arm Tricep Extensions:
S1: 10 reps at 8 kg
S2: 8 reps at 10 kg
S3: 8 reps at 10kg

F. Planks:
S1: 60 seconds
S2: 60 seconds
S3: 1 minute 25 seconds
(Also did a bonus 3 sets of oblique crunches)

Wednesday 26th January:

A. Hack Squats:
S1. 10 reps at 54kg
S2. 10 reps at 54kg
S3. 10 reps at 64kg
S4. 10 reps at 64kg
S5. 10 reps at 59kg

B. Calve Stands:
S1. 8 reps at 15kg
S2. 8 reps at 15kg
S3. 8 reps at 15kg
S4. 8 reps at 15kg
S5. 8 reps at 20kg
S6. 8 reps at 20kg
S7. 8 reps at 20kg
S8. 8 reps at 20kg

C. Reverse DB lunge:
S1. 10 reps at 30kg
S2. 10 reps at 30kg
S3. 10 reps at 30kg
S4. 10 reps at 30kg
S5. 10 reps at 30kg
S6. 10 reps at 30kg

D. DB Squats:
S1. 10 reps at 40kg
S2. 10 reps at 40kg
S3. 10 reps at 40kg

E. Plate Pinch:
S1. 10kg for 30 secs
S2. 20kg for 25 secs
S3. 20kg for 25 secs
S4. 20kg for 25 secs

3

Sunday 30th January:

A. DB Benchpress:
S1. 10 reps at 30kg
S2. 8 reps at 36kg
S3. 6 reps at 36kg
S4. 4 reps at 40kg
S5. 3 reps at 45kg

B. Incline DB Benchpress
S1. 8 reps at 36kg
S2. 8 reps at 36kg
S3. 8 reps at 36kg

C. Dips
S1. 10 reps
S2. 10 reps
S3. 8 reps

D. DB Rows (Single Arm)
S1. 8 reps at 18kg
S2. 8 reps at 22.5kg
S3. 8 reps at 22.5kg
S4. 8 reps at 22.5kg

E. Power Cleans (DB)
S1. 10 reps at 8kg (x2)
S2. 10 reps at 12kg (x2)
S3. 10 reps at 12kg (x2)
S4. 10 reps at 10kg (x2)

F. Pull ups (Widegrip)
S1. 12
S2. 10
S3. 8

Monday 31st January:

A. Deadlift:
S1.
8 reps at 84kg
S2. 5 reps at 94kg
S3. 5 reps at 94kg
S4. 3 reps at 104kg
S5. 3 reps at 104kg

B. Lunges (DB):
S1. 12 reps at 36kg
S2. 12 reps at 36kg
S3. 12 reps at 36kg
S4. 12 reps at 36kg

C. Romanian Deadlift:
S1. 8 reps at 74kg
S2. 8 reps at 74kg
S3. 8 reps at 74kg

D. DB Squat:
S1. 8 reps at 36kg
S2. 8 reps at 36kg
S3. 8 reps at 36kg
S4. 8 reps at 36kg

E. Plate Pinch:
S1. 10kg plate for 30 secs
S2. 20kg plate for 20 secs
S3. 20kg plate for 20 secs
S4. 20kg plate for 20 secs

Wednesday 02 February 2011:

A. Push Ups:
S1. 33
S2. 21
S3. 16
S4. 12

B. Pull Ups:
S1. 12
S2. 11
S3. 6

C. DB Press:
S1. 10 reps at 10kg x2
S2. 10 reps at 12kg x2
S3. 10 reps at 12kg x2
S4. 8 reps at 12kg x2

D. DB Shrugs:
S1. 10 reps at 15 kg x2
S2. 8 reps at 20 kg x2
S3. 8 reps at 20kg x2
S4. 8 reps at 25kg x2

E. Ez-bar Curls:
S1. 8 reps at 34kg
S2. 8 reps at 34kg
S3. 8 reps at 34kg
S4. 8 reps at 29kg

F. Skull Crushers (Ez Curl bar):
S1. 8 reps at 19kg
S2. 8 reps at 24kg
S3. 8 reps at 24kg

Thursday 3rd February:

A. Hack Squats:
S1. 10 reps at 64kg
S2. 10 reps at 64kg
S3. 10 reps at 64kg
S4. 10 reps at 64kg
S5. 10 reps at 64kg

B. Calve Stands (4 sets per leg, SS):
S1. 8 reps at 22.5kg (x2)
S2. 8 reps at 22.5kg (x2)
S3. 8 reps at 25kg (x2)
S4. 8 reps at 22.5kg (x2)

C. Bulgarian Split Squat:
S1. 12 reps at 20kg (x2)
S2. 10 reps at 25kg (x2)
S3. 10 reps at 25kg (x2)

D. DB Squats:
S1. 10 reps at 45kg
S2. 8 reps at 50kg
S3. 8 reps at 50kg

E. Plate Pinch:
S1. 20 secs at 20kg
S2. 22 secs at 20kg
S3. 25 secs at 20kg
S4. 30 secs at 10kg

4

So those were my first two weeks of lifting ever and all in all I was quite happy with how things turned out, from my measurements I have gained about 2lbs of lean muscle and possibly 1lbs of fat. I’m somewhat happy with that, might have to up my calories. Which brings me onto my next point:

Nutrition:
When I was leaning down I was working on about 2,200 kcals a day. Since starting lifting I have been increasing this over a few week to 2,900 which is where I am at right now. I am going to try another week of this (but changing from eating 6 small meals a day to 3 large meals and 2 snacks) and depending on my gains I will up to 3,000 and so on. I’m trying to eat fairly clean and as whole as possible. I only supplement with whey protein (2 scoops perday, a one a day mutli-vitamin and 2 one a day Fish oil capsules. I think this suits me quite well, but any suggestions are more than welcome.

My 2 week in adjusted programme:
This is the routine I think I am going to stick to for the next couple of months and then assess where I am at. Any alterations are very much welcome!

BB Complex Warm-up: (Performed before every lifting session)
BB clean, 8 reps
Military press(Over head press), 8 reps
Back Squat, 8 reps
Front squat, 8 reps
Dead lift, 8 reps
@10-15kg

Sunday:
A. DB Bench-press; 10/8/6/4/3
B. Incline DB Bench-press: 8/8/8
C. Dips: 10/10/10
D. DB Single Arm Rows: 8/8/8/8
E. DB Power Cleans: 10/10/10
F. Pull Ups: 3 sets of Max reps
(16 minute ab circuit)

Monday:
A. Dead-lift: 8/5/5/3/3
B. DB lunges: 12/12/12/12
C. Romanian Dead lift: 8/8/8
D. Goblet Squats: 8/8/8/8
E. Plate Pinch: 20 Seconds x4 sets

Tuesday:
30 minutes High Intensity Interval Cardio followed by 16 minute ab circuit

Wednesday:
A. Push ups: 4 sets at max reps
B. Pull ups: 3 sets at max reps
C. DB press: 10/10/10
D. DB Shrugs: 8/8/8
E. Ez bar curls: 8/8/8/8
F. Ez bar Skull Crushers: 8/8/8

Thursday:
A. Hack Squat: 10/8/6/4/3
B. DB Step Ups: 10/10/10/10
C.Snatch grip dead lift: 8/8/8/8
D. Bulgarian Split Squat: 10/10/10 (3 sets per leg)
E. Plate Pinch: 20 seconds x4 sets
(20 minute incline walk; Moderate pace, full incline)
(16 minute ab circuit)

Friday:
30 minutes High Intensity Interval Cardio

Saturday:
Rest Day!

5

Good job, I want you to keep it up and I’ll be checking in on you here from now on.

Read, read, read. This site is a gold mind of information so learn as much as you can.

6

Sunday 6th February:

  • 30 seconds rest between sets, except on pull ups where it was 1 minute 30 seconds between sets. Around a minute and a half between each new exercise.

A. DB Benchpress:
S1. 10 reps at 36kg
S2. 8 reps at 36kg
S3. 6 reps at 40kg
S4. 4 reps at 45kg
S5. 3 reps at 50kg

B. Incline DB Benchpress:
S1. 8 reps at 40kg
S2. 8 reps at 40kg
S3. 6 reps at 40kg

C. Dips (Bodyweight):
S1. 10
S2. 9
S3. 10

D. DB Bent over Single Arm Rows (2 sets per arm):
S1. 8 reps at 22.5kg
S2. 8 reps at 22.5kg
S3. 8 reps at 22.5kg
S4. 8 reps at 25kg (Really struggled on this one but got to 8 reps barely)

E. DB Power Cleans:
S1. 10 reps at 10kg (20 kg in total, 10kg per arm)
S2. 10 reps at 12kg
S3. 10 reps at 12kg
Still finding this exercise and absolute btch to do, my form always goes to crap the last few reps. Definitely need to increase shoulder strength!

F. Pull ups (Bodyweight):
S1. 14
S2. 9
S3. 7

Cool Down:
10 min incline walk at 15% @ 6.5 km/ph

Ab Circuit:
Will do later on tonight.

7

Monday 7th February:

BB Complex:
20kg performed 2 times
BB Cleans (8 reps)
Military Press (8 reps)
Back Squat (8 reps)
Front Squat (8 reps)
Dead lift (8 reps)

A. Deadlift:
S1. 8 reps at 84kg
S2. 5 reps at 104kg
S3. 5 reps at 104kg
S4. 3 reps at 109kg
S5. 3 reps at 109kg

B. DB Lunges (4 sets performed on each leg):
S1. 12 reps at 36kg
S2. 12 reps at 36kg
S3. 10 reps at 36kg
S4. 12 reps at 36kg

C. Romanian Deadlift:
S1. 8 reps at 74kg
S2. 8 reps at 74kg
S3. 8 reps at 74kg (Switched to eccentric grip on this one)

D. Goblet Squats:
S1. 10 reps at 30kg
S2. 8 reps at 30kg
S3. 8 reps at 30kg

E. Plate Pinch:
S1. 60 seconds at 10kg
S2. 25 seconds at 20kg
S3. 30 seconds at 20 kg
S4. 29 seconds at 20kg

Cool Down:
20 minute incline walk. 15% incline at 6.5kmph for 20 minutes

Notes:
Not overly happy with the workout today in general. The deadlift was a disaster. Tried to up the weight on the bar by 5kg for my 3RM, which I could handle, but my form was not great at all.
I said I was going to stop adding weight to the bar this week and get my form nailed before upping weight, but I didn’t and I can tell my lower back is going to kill tomorrow because of it. Really need
to concentrate on keeping my back straight, getting lower, driving from my heels and stop my lower back arching out as I pull up. Going to drop the weight on the bar for this next week.
On the RDL, my grip still felt quite week. It is improving though (a positive to this session I guess) but I still had to switch up my grip on the last set. The DB lunges also turned into a disaster. Felt completely broken during the 2nd and 3rd sets of these and had to up the rest between sets. Same went for the deadlift when I upped my set rest time to about 1min 30secs instead of my usual 40 seconds. Also, it was my first time trying out goblet squats today. They are freaking hard, really started to struggle with these towards the end of the sets. Got a great burn from them though, definitely
a full time addition to my routine.

8

Hard luck on the DL dude.

Take the weight back down to where your comfortable and grip out the reps with perfect technique before you try and add plates.

Like Dan John says “You gotta learn how to lift big iron if you wanna survive lifting big iron”

Other than that though it looks good. Grip is an issue with almost everyone but it will get better with time.

Next time your doing pull ups try wrapping a towel around the bar as hold onto that instead of just the bar, or when your doing your DL, hold the bar at the lock out and squeeze the fuck out of it.

9

Today was Cardio and Abs day. Got very lazy and didn’t do the cardio (apart from an hour of walking in the afternoon) and just finished up the 20 minute ab circuit. The ab circuit went very well, have definitely noticed a big improvement in the last month or so in my general core strength. I really should of done the cardio too, but I figured I can probably get away with dropping the cardio to just the one HIIT session a week and a long slow cardio session on my rest day since my main aim is mass gains at the mo.

In terms of diet things are going well. Am much preferring sticking to 3 large meals and 2 snacks rather than the 6 small meals I was doing before. Much easier to prepare for. Still not sure if I am consuming enough calories though. At the moment I’m on about 2,900-3,000 per day. Could possibly do with upping by about 200 calories a day in the next week or so. This will have to be done by drinking more milk and eating more porridge.

10

Wednesday 9th February:

Warm Up:
BB Complex (Performed twice):
BB clean, 8 reps
Military press(Over head press), 8 reps
Back Squat, 8 reps
Front squat, 8 reps
Dead lift, 8 reps
@ 34kg

A. Push Ups:
S1. 31 reps
S2. 18 reps
S3. 16 reps
S4. 14 reps

B. Pull Ups:
S1. 15
S2. 9
S3. 9

C. DB Press:
S1. 10 reps at 12kg x2
S2. 10 reps at 15kg x2
S3. 8 reps at 15kg x2

D. DB Shrugs:
S1. 8 reps at 25kg x2
S2. 8 reps at 25kg x2
S3. 8 reps at 30kg x2

E. Ez bar curls:
S1. 8 reps at 24kg
S2. 8 reps at 29kg
S3. 8 reps at 29kg
S4. 8 reps at 29kg

F. Skull Crushers:
S1. 8 reps at 24kg
S2. 8 reps at 29kg
S3. 8 reps at 29kg

G. Hammer Curls:
S1. 8 reps at 12kg x2
S2. 8 reps at 12kg x2
S3. 8 reps at 10kg x2

Cool Down:
15 minute incline walk at 7kmph pace (Average Heart-rate 165)

Notes:
Not overly impressed with the workout today. Not sure why, got put in a shitty mood right from the start after under-performing on both the Push-ups and the pull ups. These used to be my strongest exercises so I’m still getting frustrated at doing badly on them the last couple of workouts. Also, didn’t add too much weight to any of my exercises this week. Very disappointing, I need to keep pushing it if I want to get results. But I didn’t. Have to make pushing myself my main priority next week. No fucking around.

11

Thursday 10th February:

BB Complex (Performed twice):
BB clean, 8 reps
Military press(Over head press), 8 reps
Back Squat, 8 reps
Front squat, 8 reps
Dead lift, 8 reps
@ 34kg

A. Hack Squat:
S1. 10 reps at 70 kg
S2. 10 reps at 70 kg
S3. 10 reps at 70 kg
S4. 10 reps at 70 kg
S5. 9 reps at 70 kg

B. DB Step-Up:
S1. 16 reps (8 reps per leg) at 32kg
S2. 16 reps (8 reps per leg) at 32kg
S3. 16 reps (8 reps per leg) at 32kg
S4. 16 reps (8 reps per leg) at 36kg

C. Snatch Grip Deadlift:
S1. 8 reps at 70kg
S2. 8 reps at 70kg
S3. 8 reps at 80kg
S4. 8 reps at 80kg

D. Bulgarian Split Squat:
S1. 16 reps (8 per leg) at 40 kg
S2. 16 reps (8 per leg) at 24kg
S3. 16 reps (8 per leg) at 30kg

E. Plate Pinch:
S1. 22 secs at 20kg
S2. 21 secs at 20kg
S3. 23 secs at 20kg
S4. 20 secs at 20kg

Cool Down:
10 minute incline walk at max incline at 7kmph pace

16 minute ab circuit

Notes:
Just about got the form on the hack squats and Snatch grip Deadlifts, very much liking these exercises.
Fucked up my bulgarian split squats! Picked too high a weight for the first set, then too low a weight for the second, will have to get my shit together for next week…

12

Not much to update with for the last two days, decided to dedicate them both as rest days. Didn’t do much other than a half hour stretching session last night. Have also bumped up my calories to 3,100. Hoping to see some weight gain this week as I didn’t see much last week.

13

[quote]phlegms wrote:
Not much to update with for the last two days, decided to dedicate them both as rest days. Didn’t do much other than a half hour stretching session last night. Have also bumped up my calories to 3,100. Hoping to see some weight gain this week as I didn’t see much last week. [/quote]

Nice call on the rest days, it’s always good to rest your body properly.

As for your Kcals, in or around 3000 seems fine for the minute. See how upping them makes you feel this week and decide from their. I your strenght is goin up with your weight then your defiantly on the right track but remember to keep it at a nice steady pace, less what happened to me I.e. Get really fat around the gut happen to you.

14

Sunday 13th February:

A. DB Bench Press:
S1. 10 reps at 36kg
S2. 8 reps at 40kg
S3. 6 reps at 45kg
S4. 4 reps at 50kg
S5. 3 reps at 50kg

B. Incline DB Bench Press:
S1. 8 reps at 40kg
S2. 8 reps at 45kg
S3. 8 reps at 45kg

C. Dips (Body Weight):
S1. 12
S2. 12
S3. 11

D. DB Single Arm Rows:
S1. 8 reps at 22.5kg (Performed on each arm)
S2. 8 reps at 25kg (Performed on each arm)
S3. 8 reps at 25kg (Performed on each arm)

E. DB power cleans:
S1. 10 reps at 12kg (x2)
S2. 10 reps at 10kg (x2)
S3. 10 reps at 10kg

F. DB Seated Shoulder press:
S1. 6 reps at 20kg (x2)
S2. 6 reps at 18kg (x2)
S3. 6 reps at 18kg (x2)

G. Pull Ups (Body Weight):
S1. 16
S2. 9
S3. 8

-16 minute ab Circuit
-10 Minute cool-down incline walk at 6.5 km/ph at full incline

Notes:
-Messed up the power cleans in general, after a few weeks of trying this exercise I still havent got the form perfect. I really dislike this exercise. Might switch it out for a few sets of Arnold presses instead.
- Going to have to switch out the DB bench presses in a few weeks. This is because basically the dumbbells available in the gym only go up to 30kg and I’m at 25kg on my 3 rep max at the moment. We do have a bench press bench, but I have no spotter. This leaves me with a few options, either go ahead and switch it out for some barbell floor presses (Not sure what the opinion is on this exercise in general or as a replacement for a regular/db bench press), or I can also just start bench pressing on the smith machine.

15

Monday 14th February:

BB Complex (Performed twice):
BB clean, 8 reps
Military press(Over head press), 8 reps
Back Squat, 8 reps
Front squat, 8 reps
Dead lift, 8 reps
@ 34kg

A. Dead-lift:
S1. 8 reps at 90kg
S2. 5 reps at 100kg
S3. 5 reps at 100kg
S4. 2 reps at 110kg
S5. 3 reps at 105kg

B. DB Lunges:
S1. 12 reps at 40kg
S2. 12 reps at 40kg
S3. 12 reps at 40kg
S4. 12 reps at 40kg

C. Romanian Deadlift:
S1. 8 reps at 70kg
S2. 8 reps at 70kg
S3. 8 reps at 70kg

D. Goblet Squat:
S1. 8 reps at 30kg
S2. 8 reps at 30kg
S3. 8 reps at 30kg

E. Plate Pinch:
S1. 30 seconds at 20kg
S2. 28 seconds at 20kg
S3. 32 seconds at 20kg
S4. 31 seconds at 20kg

Cool-down:
10 minute incline walk

Notes:
Bit of a mix up with the dead-lifts this week, but a good one. Basically, I have started using the Olympic barbell for all my dead-lifts/squats etc. instead of the regular straight barbell I was using previously. I had been told by a member of staff in the gym that it weighed “around 14kg” but it turns out it was a bit lower than that, probably 4/5 kg lighter than what I was told. This is fine though, as I know the Olympic barbell Im using weighs 20kg exactly so now I know exactly what I’m lifting. As such, I’m basically taking this workout as my starting point as I know exactly what weight I’m working with. As such my numbers appear slightly lower this week, but in actual fact I think they are around the same, if not slightly higher. On top of this I was really trying to nail the form which I felt I had done this week. The weight on the bar felt alot heavier so I’m assuming this was because I was doing the correct form and was having to work harder because of it. Anyway, good session today. Think I gained about a pound of fairly lean muscle last week and am up to about 150lbs. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless!

16

Wednesday 16th February:

BB Complex (Performed twice):
BB clean, 8 reps
Military press(Over head press), 8 reps
Back Squat, 8 reps
Front squat, 8 reps
Dead lift, 8 reps
@ 34kg

A. Push Ups:
S1. 30
S2. 20
S3. 16
S4. 14
S5. 13
S6. 17

B. Pull Ups (Bodyweight):
S1. 15
S2. 10
S3. 8

C. Db Press:
S1. 8 reps at 15kg x2
S2. 8 reps at 15kg x2
S3. 7 reps at 15kg x2

D. DB Shrugs:
S1. 8 reps at 30kg x2
S2. 8 reps at 30kg x2
S3. 8 reps at 30kg x2

E. Ez Curls:
S1. 8 reps at 25kg
S2. 8 reps at 27.5kg
S3. 6 reps at 27.5kg
S4. 8 reps at 25kg

F. Skull Crushers:
S1. 10 reps at 20kg
S2. 10 reps at 20kg
S3. 10 reps at 20kg

G. DB Hammer Curls:
S1. 10 reps at 8kg x2
S2. 10 reps at 8kg x2
S3. 10 reps at 8kg x2

*Skipped the cool-down cardio as I had to leave early to get to college!

Notes:
Decided to drop the weight slightly on the Ez curls and Skull crushers and really concentrate on nailing the form with a nice slow tempo. It paid off as it definitely felt more intense, my arms were nice and tired by the end.
On the pushups I switched from doing 3/4 sets of max reps and am instead trying to get to 100 total in as few sets as possible. I think it worked out quite well.

17

Thursday 17th February:

BB Complex (Performed twice):
BB clean, 8 reps
Military press(Over head press), 8 reps
Back Squat, 8 reps
Front squat, 8 reps
Dead lift, 8 reps
@ 34kg

A. Hack Squat:
S1. 10 reps at 75kg
S2. 8 reps at 75kg
S3. 6 reps at 80kg
S4. 4 reps at 90kg
S5. 3 reps at 95kg

B. DB Step up:
S1. 16 reps (8 per leg) at 18kg
S2. 16 reps at 18kg
S3. 16 reps at 18kg

C. Snatch Grip Deadlift:
S1. 8 reps at 80kg
S2. 8 reps at 80kg
S3. 8 reps at 80kg
S4. 8 reps at 80kg

D. Bulgarian Split Squat:
S1. 10 reps (Performed on each leg) at 36kg
S2. 10 reps (Performed on each leg) at 36kg
S3. 10 reps (Performed on each leg) at 36kg

E. Plate Pinch:
S1. 18 seconds at 20kg
S2. 26 seconds at 20kg
S3. 24 seconds at 20kg
S4. 22 seconds at 20kg

Cool Down:
Had to skip this again today as I was seriously short on time, only way I could fit a session in today. Got some cardio cycling about doing errands though and generally walking around so It’s all good.

Notes:
Enjoyed this workout today. Once again I concentrated on nailing the form and it paid off, the hack squats felt very good. The snatch Grip DLs were also good, felt tough enough. Had to switch to a mixed grip for some of the later reps but this was perhaps because I was trying to have my grip slightly too wide. Will narrow it slightly next week and see how it works out
On the topic of making gains, I was slightly disappointed this morning when I stepped on the scales. I’ve been eating like a mo-fo lately and was seeing alright results in terms of lean muscle but for the last 2 weeks it has halted despite increasing my calories. Was pretty bummed out but read the latest article on tnation today about rest and sleep and shit makes sense. Haven’t been sleeping a whole lot for the last few weeks and this is definitely reflected in my gains. The combination of late nights trying to make college work deadlines and early morning gym sessions have been halting my gains somewhat. Need to get my 8 hours a night at all cost. Will also sneak in some midday naps to help.

18

Saturday 19th February:

B Complex (Performed twice):
BB clean, 8 reps
Military press(Over head press), 8 reps
Back Squat, 8 reps
Front squat, 8 reps
Dead lift, 8 reps
@ 34kg

A. Db Bench Press:
S1. 10 reps at 40kg
S2. 8 reps at 40kg
S3. 6 reps at 45kg
S4. 4 reps at 50kg
S5. 4 reps at 50kg

B. Incline DB Bench Press:
S1. 6 reps at 45kg
S2. 6 reps at 45kg
S3. 8 reps at 40kg
S4. 8 reps at 40kg

C. Dips (At bodyweight):
S1. 12 reps
S2. 12 reps
S3. 11 reps

D. Single Arm DB Rows:
S1. 8 reps at 25kg (Performed on both arms)
S2.
8 reps at 25kg (Performed on both arms)
S3.
8 reps at 25kg (Performed on both arms)
S4.
8 reps at 25kg (Performed on both arms)

E. Arnold Press:
S1. 10 reps at 14kg (x2)
S2. 8 reps at 14kg (x2)
S3. 8 reps at 14kg (x2)

F. Pull Ups:
S1. 15
S2. 8
S3. 6

Cooldown:
10 minute incline walk

16 minute ab circuit

Notes:
Quite enjoyed this workout today. On the Incline bench press I found it very difficult, I’m fairly sure this was because in previous week I had the incline on the bench set 1 or 2 pegs too high so the exercise was becoming more of a shoulder press and less of a DB bench. I lowered it a little today and really felt it hitting my chest. Hence why the weight I was pushing dropped a little from last week. Today I also swapped the seated DB power cleans for the Arnold press. I really liked this change, the power cleans just plain dicked me off and never felt “right”. The arnold press was nice and challenging without being annoying. One disappointment of the workout though in the pull ups. Not making much progress with these in the last few weeks. I always seem ok for the first set, but then capable of dick all for the last two. I’m putting it down to muscle fatigue at the end of the workout I think. I can still bust of 16/17 dead hang pull-ups when I’m feeling fresh so my strength isn’t decreasing and I have started to notice that my lats are really starting to develop in the last few weeks.

19

I’m the same with the pull ups. There just an ass kicker of a excercise.

Great stuff overall:)

20

Btw dude, check this out

Stalled out on the number of pull-ups you can get? Not surprising. Imagine what would happen to your bench press gains if you used the same weight for the same number of reps each workout. This is exactly what happens when people use bodyweight exercises. They are, in essence, using the same weight for the same number of reps each workout! The solution is simple, even without using a variety of exercises. Manipulate the loading. Just add weight to a belt. Manipulating this variable will ensure that you’ll alter the maximum number of reps possible at bodyweight, or whatever method you use to assess your progress.