The Hour is Now

Training Training Logs
1


I was going to post this in the beginner’s forum but decided to place it here instead so I can use it as a continuing log.

I’ll start with a little background info I suppose:

Current Stats

Age: 22
Height: 5’ 10"
Weight: 160-165lbs - I haven’t had access to scales since January and I was about 160lbs then.
Bodyfat %: Unknown, you be the judge of that.

Measurements as of right now:

Waist: 32’’
Arms: 14’’

I’ll put other measurements up at a later date.
Being on the Anabolic Diet means that these measurements may vary an inch or two in either direction depending on when I carbed up.

(My last carb-load ended Monday around 4pm).

So I lurked for sometime and recently begun posting on the ‘My Experience On the Anabolic Diet Part II’ thread - I’m nearing the end of my sixth week on the AD.

Over the past month or so I have jumped from idea to idea about what to do with my diet and what kind of workout schedule to follow.

I have a lot of free time at the moment so I FINALLY decided to do a 5-day split a few days ago.

I’m new to lifting consistently but I’ve trained with running, HIIT, various hill sprint sessions and basic bodyweight regimens for approximately one year.

Anything before that was spend shedding the immense amount of fat I had.

Just to give you some idea of my progression, this is me aged 16:

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This image is:

Before -

February 2007 - approximately 210lbs (I was over 220lbs at my fattest).

After -

January 2009 - 154-158lbs

3


And now for some current shots. (Please excuse the lame guitar poses hehe).

I did get real lean a few weeks back but I just wasn’t taking enough calories and my workouts were all over the place, I wasn’t resting enough and ended up rebounding, taking too many carbs too soon with:

4 days low carb - 2 days carb load
4 days low carb - 2 days carb load
3 days low carb - 2 days carb load

So I really messed up in that respect and gained a bit of fat (plus I retain water like a bitch).

Now I’m back on track this week and more determined than ever with a seemingly solid workout routine.

I’ve also upped my calories to around 3000-3200 and I’m going to do 24-36 hour carb loads (depending on how I feel and at what time in the day I start, probably early afternoon; PWO).

4


Another.

5

This one was a quick shot, first take hehe.

6

I’m really not happy with this picture as I’ve smoothed out terribly over the past couple of weeks with my messed up carb intake and even more messed up workout frequency but this is to chart my progress and this is how I stand right now so what the hey.

I’ll start with this cheat picture, I had to lighten it in photoshop because it came out dark (scroll down for slightly less flattering shot).

So at this point I suppose it’s worth pointing out that I’ve spent the past few years getting to this point. I only really consider my training to begin NOW because, although I pushed myself pretty damn hard earlier this year with bodyweight training - it really doesn’t compare to lifting.

And for the record, I’ve been lifting only a few weeks since I didn’t have access to any weights before.

I currently have a very basic dumbell/barbell/bench garage set up plus pull up bar.

I was keeping a little record in January and this is what I was at when I stopped recording:

(Three sets to failure)

Pull ups - 19, 20, 18
Press ups - 50, 40, 36

As for my lifting records now, I will post them as they happen.
They’re pretty feeble right now, I can approximate that my bench press 1RM is at about 150-155lbs and I did 100-105lbs military press for 4 reps yesterday. (That was my last set).

I need to do more squat and deadlift work before I have any solid figures to give.

7


I’m not sure why but my chest looks absolutely terrible in this picture, looks like a wet chicken. I’ll have to find a better one.

8

Here’s how my average daily intake is looking:

This is copied from a spreadsheet I use so I’m hoping it comes out ok.

My breakfast is a bit shitty at the moment because I ran out of flax meal which I was using to make flax bread ( Healthy Food Recipes ) and PB.

For my evening meal I would usually have pork chops, steak, fish or perhaps more flax bread with PB so this plan here is by no means comprehensive, I’m going to put up my daily intake more often to keep better track.

        Protein	Fat	Carbs	Cal

#1
4 eggs 24 20 2.4 280
butter 100
2 bacon 12 22 1 230
spinach 1 30
coffee 2

				640

#2
340g tuna 60 0 0 240
2tbsp omega oil 18 160
10g flax 2 3.4 0 49
spinach 1 30
coffee 1

				479

#3
This meal varies, I got some reduced chickens
this past week so I’ve been basically just sitting
and eating the whole thing as my lunch.

#4
340g tuna 60 0 0 240
2tbsp omega oil 18 160
10g flax 2 3.4 0 49
spinach 1 30
tbsp pb 4 6 2 100

				579

#5
4 eggs 24 20 2.4 280
butter 80
10g flax 2 3.4 0 49
spinach 1 30
broccoli 1 30

				469

Basically I’m going for something in the region of:

250g protein
<30g carbs
with the rest of my calories coming from fat.

Total calories: 3000-3200

I’ve been more in the region of 300+g protein recently with all the tuna and chicken and I’m doing my best to cut costs.
I’m still getting to grips with the best way to do the Anabolic Diet, cutting out fried food.

I’ve already had to cut out all dairy (minus butter) because I’m milk-allergic!

Today my first two meals are the same as the above plan with chicken legs and broccoli for lunch/PWO meal.

9

And here is how my weekly schedule is looking at the moment.

I’m still trying to piece something solid together but I know that as a beginner I can expect gains no matter what I do. I just want to make sure I get off to the best possible start.

I actually nabbed this after reading the ‘Professor X: A request’ thread:

1 Back/biceps

2 Upper chest/triceps + CIRCUIT TRAINING

3 OFF

4 Legs

5 Shoulders

6 Lower chest + HIIT

7 OFF

To try and keep fat down I’m also incorporating SS cardio sessions before breakfast on most mornings (not after leg day!) and 15-30 mins SS cardio immediately PWO.

So basically my current goal is a clean and lean bulk. (Although some of my carb-loads would suggest otherwise!)

I want to keep my speed and stamina in cardio activities as high as possible.

10

So this has probably been totally disjointed, gappy, unclear and contradictory but I would greatly appreciate any critique you might have to share regarding any aspect of this.
And I’ll fill in any missing information as it arises.

I am very pleased with the fat-loss and general fitness gains I have made over the past few years but the journey is only really beginning now so I’m looking forward to logging my gains and progress over time.

11

Oh and as for what my workouts actually consist of - I will post that at the end of each workout.

12

Nice bro! Now I know I need to bulk! Im a FFB and Im also 5’10" however I wasn’t that lean (check my default) until I hit 157-160. I’m 165-70 now (depending on depletion) but I need more muscle mass. I look stalky but as soon as I cut I string bean! (as you can see for my default) I’m currently bulking, as I said I should be, with 2800-3000 follwoing Waterbury’s Huge in a Hurry-Get Big phase. How do you treat your loads btw, just clean?

13

[quote]bkmacky9288 wrote:
Nice bro! Now I know I need to bulk! Im a FFB and Im also 5’10" however I wasn’t that lean (check my default) until I hit 157-160. I’m 165-70 now (depending on depletion) but I need more muscle mass. I look stalky but as soon as I cut I string bean! (as you can see for my default) I’m currently bulking, as I said I should be, with 2800-3000 follwoing Waterbury’s Huge in a Hurry-Get Big phase. How do you treat your loads btw, just clean? [/quote]

So you think 3000-3200 calories might be too high?
I’m easily putting that amount away at the moment, I’m not really succumbing to cravings, I’m just getting (I think) actual hunger, eating about every three hours (I’m usually very punctual with the meal timing).

My last carb-load I ended up downing a whole 775g box of raisin bran with 2L soy milk so not the cleanest of the clean.
I’m usually very clean with my loads, things like WW bread, oatmeal w/ raisins, apples, bananas, WW spaghetti. I usually include 1 or 2 junky items but nothing too substantial.
I’m going to make sure I get a sweet potato each time now too

I find that most of my ‘cheat’ foods are pretty clean anyway.

14

I suppose I should take a moment to explain the dramatic changes I’ve undergone.

As a child from the age of around 3 years till I was around 9 or 10 I had a kidney disorder and was prescribed regular doses of some kind of steroid, I’m not actually too clear on what type it was but it really affected me negatively.
My whole body puffed up badly and I was in pretty sorry shape.

I was always ‘the fat kid’ in primary school and went through a bit of bullying as a result, never really having any friendships until secondary school.

I leaned out a little after coming off the steroids but towards my mid-teens started putting a lot more weight back on, then I started smoking weed around the age of 16 which for me means uncontrollable munchies.

So for several years I was a fat, lazy, lethargic stoner.
I pretty much never exercised and when I did it was usually a half-assed attempt at a jog where I’d give up because my joints couldn’t take my weight and I’d end up feeling nautious; coughing and hacking all over the place.

My girlfriend at the time and I would get high and literally lay out all manner of filthy treats on a table in front of us, cakes, chocolate, cookies, candies of all sorts and we’d just let rip.

I don’t have a topless photograph from this period (when I peaked at 220lbs or so) because I was so damn self-conscious I couldn’t even bear to have my girlfriend touch my stomach and sex would always be with the light off! heh

This is the abridged version (believe it or not) so basically my diet naturally changed somewhat and I started gradually losing weight without really making that much of an effort but I was still categorically ‘overweight’ (instead of being ‘obese’).

About a year ago I became more and more conscious of my health and started running regularly, embracing the pain of my heart breaking out of my chest, the aches, the soreness, the nausea and headaches.

I was weak as hell but stumbled upon some little 10lb dumbells, I ended up doing silly sets of like 50 reps of bicep curls and various tricep exercises.

My intentions were good but it still wasn’t enough, although it did give me an initial degree of stamina, strength and a foundation from which to work.

My fiancee whom I had been with for nearly 3 years left me in December and I really stuck my head into near-obsessive exercise.
I started doing heaps of bodyweight exercises everyday, worked out an ab routine and even discovered HIIT which really made a difference.

Looking back now I think the exercise acted as a refuge from the emotional side of her leaving me but well, I think it’s about the best possible form of escapism I can imagine.

So I’ve been absolutely dying for just a simple weights and bench set up and finally got my wish granted a few weeks ago.
I’ve over-zealously read dozens of T-Nation (and other) articles on nutrition and different workout programs and been totally indecisive but I think I’ve finally started to find some focus and direction.

This site has actually been a major help and is my first stop for any questions I need answered.

I sat and read about 70 pages of the original Anabolic Diet thread which convinced me to try it out and… well, this is where I am now.

15

[quote]bkmacky9288 wrote:
Nice bro! Now I know I need to bulk! Im a FFB and Im also 5’10" however I wasn’t that lean (check my default) until I hit 157-160. I’m 165-70 now (depending on depletion) but I need more muscle mass. I look stalky but as soon as I cut I string bean! (as you can see for my default) I’m currently bulking, as I said I should be, with 2800-3000 follwoing Waterbury’s Huge in a Hurry-Get Big phase. How do you treat your loads btw, just clean? [/quote]

Hah Call me slow but I just figured out what FFB means.

I’d certainly be curious to see a log+photos bkmacky if you ever wanted to take the time to do it because from the sounds of it we’re in a similar position.

16

Chest I -

With the DB flies and bench I’m a little unsure because the very limited variety of plates I have means that I have to make them unbalanced - I mean the same weight on each DB but maybe 5-10lb difference on each end of each DB, I’m hoping this will just enhance stabilizers and not cause any strain.
This does seem to affect my overall form and thus lower my numbers - probably not by much though.

(Not including warm up sets)

Flat Bench Press -

10x 100 lbs
8x 110 lbs
6x 120 lbs
5x 130 lbs
2x 145 lbs

DB Flies -

(Weight is per arm)

10x 30 lbs
8x 35 lbs
7x 40 lbs
6x 45lbs
5x 50lbs

DB Bench Press -

(Again, weight is per arm)

10x 40lbs
9x 45lbs
7x 50lbs
6x 55lbs

Pushups to failure - 25 (hehe)

PWO meal-

340g (2 cans) tuna
1 Tbsp omega oil
10g flax meal
Head of broccoli
2 Tbsp PB

Protein 70g
Fat 25g
Carbs 5g (approx.)
Calories = 600

Good workout.
Heavy mental focus on the pecs with attention to form and slow eccentric motions.

I do wonder when I’ll be benching beyond my BW…

17

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Took this pic this morning.
I’m feeling/looking pretty flat and depleted today so I’m glad it’s a rest day.

18

Yesterday’s nutrition:

        Protein	Fat	Carbs	Cal

1
4 eggs 24 20 2.4 280
butter 100
2 bacon 12 22 1 230
spinach 1 30
coffee 2
tbsp pb 4 6 2 100
740
2
340g tuna 60 0 0 240
2tbsp omega oil 18 160
10g flax 2 3.4 0 49
spinach 1 30
coffee 2

				479

3
340g tuna 60 0 0 240
1tbsp omega oil 9 80
10g flax 2 3.4 0 49
spinach 1 30
2 Tbsp PB 8 12 4 200

				599

4
400g 104 52 928
chicken leg

5
2 Tbsp PB 8 12 4 200
1tbsp omega oil 9 80
spinach 1 30
tbsp pb 4 6 2 100

				410

Totals for the day:

288g Protein
173g Fat
24g Carbs

3200 total calories

19

Today was a rest day.

My food has been a bit messed up today because I had to go shopping for groceries, I didn’t get enough protein early on in the day.
I’m not sure what happened but I’ve had a vague headache for a large part of the day.

I felt burnt out tonight but also buzzing.
I decided to do the gut check from Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION and did the following:

1st cycle - 1:15
2nd cycle - 1:17

Then decided to stop because my chest gave in and was hurting too much (chest workout yesterday). Yeah I know, stupid move.
I then did around 12 mins or so SS cardio just to try and wear myself down a little before taking a bath and going to bed.

I’m here now because I couldn’t sleep; been having trouble sleeping since I upped my work volume and calories. I think it might just be because my energy levels are higher at the moment and I need to stop forcing myself to go to bed before I’m ready.

I also made another stupid move by going to bed with only 2500 cals inside me and I hadn’t eaten after doing the SS cardio so I started getting hungry in bed - this bedtime hunger seems to be afflicting me a lot recently.

Came down and took a can of tuna with a tbsp of oil and a tbsp of PB.
Feeling a bit more levelled out now.

I’m carbing up tomorrow and I always seem to have trouble winding down before I load.
It’s like my body so eagerly anticipates the load…

I’m loading from breakfast which puts me about 6-8 hours shy of 5 days low carb, I’m feeling very depleted and want to get the most out of my back/bicep workout tomorrow so I think it’s a good call.

Today’s rather messed up food:

        Protein	Fat	Carbs	Cal

1
2 eggs 12 10 1.2 140
butter 100
2 bacon 12 22 1 230
broccoli 1 30
tbsp pb 4 6 2 100
coffee 1
600
2
100g chicken leg 26 13 232
100g chicken leg 26 13 232
broccoli 1 30
coffee 1

				494

3
tbsp pb 4 6 2 100
tbsp pb 4 6 2 100
1tbsp omega oil 9 80
flax 49
1tbsp omega oil 9 80
10g almonds 2 5.3 1.4 66
10g almonds 2 5.3 1.4 66
tbsp pb 4 6 2 100

                                    641

4
340g tuna 60 0 0 240
1tbsp omega oil 9 80
10g flax 2 3.4 0 49
spinach 1 30
1tbsp omega oil 9 80

				479

5
180g ground beef 76 12 270

6
170g tuna 30 0 0 120
1tbsp omega oil 9 80
tbsp pb 4 6 2 100

				         300

Totals:

268g Protein
159g Fat
20g Carbs

2780 total calories

20

I’m going to tell you what you probably don’t want to hear.

Tank tops/wife beaters (white beaters? hah) look great on you because of your relatively lean and muscled arms. Your rib cage is large enough to fill out the top and your hips are small enough to give you a nice taper with a large back (male=large rib cage+small waist, opposite for woman).

Now you look at yourself without the tank top on. Small chest; flat, thin, but undefined abdominal area; a not so thick and not so wide upper back.

This is the reality of the situation.

As far as your diet goes… Way too much protein! Think about it this way. If you give your body a lot of carbohydrates, it will use glycogen as it’s main fuel source. Give it a lot of fat, and it will use fat as it’s main fuel source. What about protein? Same deal!

Basically, if you give your body a lot of something, it doesn’t need to spare it because it knows it gets a lot of it. Ideally protein should never be your highest macro (unless you’re on the velocity diet of course…)

Don’t underestimate rest. I’m on a program right now to get ready for officer boot camp for the marines. I do a pull-up workout 5 days a week. From Monday to Friday I get weaker. That coming Monday, I’m stronger than ever. My back is wider and a little thicker. It’s amazing. Point is, rest means rest. That’s when your body is building itself back up. You need it.