The Year of Gains

Off Topic Rate My Physique Photos
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So, it is the dawn of a new year and I have decided that this is the year to make the gains. It is the first year in two years that I have not had a major set back. Two years ago, my appendix burst and i was out with surgery for 3 months and lost 25lbs. Last year I tore my rotator cuff wrestling in an mma sparring session and was out in rehab for 2 months and lost 15 lbs.

This year, i successfully went a whole year without injury and improved all my lifts and bodyweight drastically…and i want more. I’m once again a single guy after a long term relationship, which now allots me tons more money for better food, as well as more time to dedicate myself to my goals. My ex-girlfriend never understood the whole concept of me eating every 3 hours and would always make a big deal every time I would go make some food…bitch…

currently i am 6 ft. 190 lbs. My goal is to be 205 by May. I know I can do it, as I ate and lifted my way from 175 to 190 this past September to now, January 9.

My Lifts are:

Chest- 95 lb. dumbbells for 3 reps (I still can’t do bar bench)
Squat- 265 lbs. for 3 reps
Deadlift- 305 lbs. for 3 reps
clean and press- 155 lbs. for 3 reps (weak, but started them for the first time 4 months ago)

The program I am following is German Volume Training for the next 8 weeks. i just started it for the very first time ever…and it is intense. I thought it would be a good program to do as a break from lifting very heavy the past few months. My joints were starting to feel the heavy lifting.

My diet is 6,000 calories minimum every day, except Sundays, where it fluctuates around there, but not with the best calories (trailmix and fastfood) because I’m off snowboarding in the mtns and it is very hard to eat due to losing myself in the moments.

Ratio is 30% fat, 35% carbs, and 35% protein

The following are photo’s from this past summer to ones just taken about 2 weeks ago. I’m curious to see what you guys think and i would like some feedback on whatever comes to mind. Symmetry is my goal

I perceive my weaknesses as follows:

  1. I have very large traps and shoulders due to boxing and wrestling.
  2. My biceps lack the peak, but when i was about 20 lbs lighter, they looked a lot better. I need to bring them up to balance with my shoulders
  3. Legs…god damn i train them hardcore, as well as calves, but alas, the growth is slow. Anybody have any unique strategies they used to build them up? Always excited to see how others got their calves up.
  4. Lats were more apparent 20 lbs. ago, but they are coming.

Please, helpful feedback is very welcome.

Thank you!!

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summer of '07 at 175 lbs.

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summer of 07 175 lbs.

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now at 190 january '08

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jan. 08

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back…

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back again

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legs, pathetic…but coming

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here’s another pic from the summer at 175. much smaller arms and you can really see my ribs.

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here’s a pic from 2 years ago about a month after I had my appendix out. You can’t see my body, but I looked emaciated as all hell. God bless jack daniels though…mmmm

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well, thats about all the pics I have. Please give me whatever helpful feedback you can. It will all be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Seth

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I would say you defiantly need some work on your lats, a lot of work on your lats. IF you would be so kind to post your current program so some of us could help you out there, thatd be great. My guess is you don’t have many back exercises, or probably pulling exercises in general. If you do, you might want to check your form on some of them.

Sorry to hear about your injuries, and good luck with your lifting.

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My program as of this new year is German Volume Training for 8 weeks, maybe 10.

It goes as follows:

Day 1
Bar Deads & Dumbbell Bench 10 x 10
leg curls & flyes 4 x 10
Abs to finish the workout

Day 2 off

Day 3
Squats & Pull-ups (machine assistance) 10 x 10
Leg extensions & Machine Rows 4 x 10
Abs to finish the workout

Day 4 off

Day 5
Standing Bar Military Press 10 x 10
Bar curls 5 x 10
Skull crushers 5 x 10
Abs to finish the workout

Day 6 off

Day 7-repeat cycle

I plan on using this program and staying within the structure of similar body parts hit, but rotating different compound lifts as I go through the weeks. For example this first week I did back squats and flat dumbbell bench, next workout i’ll do front squats and incline dumbbell bench and so on with the other days and body parts. Basically I’m never doing the same workout in a row. I’ll see how this program goes for the next 8 weeks and then I’m going back to heavy weight and low sets. This program is just a shock to get out of the heavy lifting I was doing the past few months. plus I never did it before and read great results from it if you do it correctly and eat correctly as well.

Seth

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the first pic… i rate that a 10…just because…lol

-vince

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you have one row, “machine row”. maybe you could switch that with barbell rows or something more likely to help work on your upper back. also you dont have anything hitting your traps. i think you need to find more room to work on your back, just my 2 cents

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good points, and i do/ will work more angles with regular workouts, but with GVT, you do not do different angles. you do all compounds for 10x10 but switch those compounds up for other exercises as the days progress. This week I did 10x10 wide pull-ups and then 4x10 machine rows. next week I’m going to do bent bar rows 10x10 then lat pulldowns 4x10. After 8 weeks I will switch back to a regular training routine that hits multiple angles of all body parts

I do believe that I am doing GVT correctly, no? any feed back would be appreciated.

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[quote]Pbal17 wrote:
you have one row, “machine row”. maybe you could switch that with barbell rows or something more likely to help work on your upper back. also you dont have anything hitting your traps. i think you need to find more room to work on your back, just my 2 cents[/quote]

I second this. And while your at it, you could do chins instead of curls. And some face pulls.

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Do you have a leg press available? If so, then get on it. That is what helped me alot and ass to grass heavy squats. If not try some one legged variations. Maybe some sprints, that always helps those legs. And for your back I always like the gymnast routine. It is brutal. And try the farmers walk. Just some suggestions!

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[quote]ragingbassist wrote:

I do believe that I am doing GVT correctly, no? any feed back would be appreciated.
[/quote]

Traditionally that is correct. However, even Coach Poliquin’s last system involved an interesting variation scheme. Instead of doing exactly the same exercise, you do variations that get progressively easier so that you can keep the weight constant and still get all the reps in.

For example on chest: 3x10 incline, 3x10 decline, 4x10 flat. Or back: wide grip pronated pull-ups, then hammer grip, then supinated close grip. Vary the stance on your squat sets. Etc. etc. I found it quite effective. Plus, it’s much less boring than doing 100 reps of the same, exact motion. Give it a try.

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Kruiser, thanks for the ideas, Maybe I will try that variation of GVT the next time I think about going GVT. Right now I’m gonna stick with the classic method just because I have never done it before and would like to see its results.

Anybody else offer any advice, especially on calve training? What worked best for you to train them? I’m curious to hear some new methods/ideas

thank you!