MillionG

So I've taken a read through a few journals recently, and decided that it would be a good idea to start one, mainly to keep track of how I'm progressing, and hopefully to gain some pointers from you guys.

I'm quite a disorganised person so this is going to be good for me

Firstly, a bit of background on my body:

I was a very skinny youth, average height, not alot of muscle to speak of but a fairly low bf %age so my abs have been visible since about 12 years of age.

At the age of 14 I dabbled in going to the gym, lack of commitment resulted in little results and I soon got bored.

When I turned 18 I decided I was sick of being a skinny runt and decided, when the summer comes (a time when I would have more spare time than I would know what to do with) I would go for it, hell for leather and put some meat on my bones.

So at the start of this July I began, I found myself a mate who went to a military gym near me, which was nice and cheap and I had access to it with my step-father being in the RAF, and started to go along with him.

One of my other mates decided he wanted to beef up too, so we both invested in some protein shakes and hit the gym almost everyday with a full body workout everyday.

Now this worked for a while, by the end of the month I had made pretty big gains, I could wear vests on holiday without looking like a total muppet and I was quite chuffed.

I then spent quite alot of time abroad with no access to a gym, and no protein supplements, I kept up my workouts with bodyweight training and lifting random things I could find (used gas bottles were a favourite), but it wasn't really the same obviously.

So in the story its now the end of september, I haven't worked out properly or supplemented my diet in about 2 months and I'd started to shrink, still better than I was before the summer though..

I recently joined a new gym and i continued where I left of (with a few kg reductions), full body workouts everyday (other than sundays), and I have noticed some slight gains in the past few weeks, but not nearly what I was used to.

Last week I started showing some signs of overtraining, I was lagging, I was lifting less and less everyday.

So last friday I decided I was going to have 5 days off and then begin a proper regime.

Turns out the break did me well, in the three weeks I was training everyday I put on 1kg. Since friday (5 days ago) with no workout whatsoever, only recovery, I have put on 1.5kg.

Stats as of Wed 18th Nov 2009:

Height: 6 ft
Weight: 71.5 kg

*I'm going to start measurements when I can find somewhere in the town that sells tape-measures*

The plan:

4 day split:

Day 1 - Chest + Triceps
Day 2 - Back + Biceps
Day 3 - Shoulders, Traps + Abs
Day 4 - Legs + Cardio

Diet:

Being a poor student, diet is a difficult one.

At the moment my diet consists of:

Breakfast - Protein Shake + Porridge Oats (if I have time, if not, no oats)
Lunch - Something with rice
Post workout - Protein Shake
Tea - Large meal with good carbs, rice/pasta + chicken breast/steak/pork chops + veg





Todays workout:

Chest + Triceps

Incline DB press
- 14kg - 10
- 16kg - 12, 12, 12, 12

Pec Fly Machine
- 40kg - 10
- 50kg - 10, 10, 10, 10

Dips
- Bodyweight - 10, 8, 7, 9

Wide Grip Pull-ups
- Bodyweight - 8, 4 (could get from start position after)

Skullcrushers
- 15kg - 10, 10, 7, 8

Chest Press Machine
- 40kg - 10, 7, 6, 6

Single Arm Tricep Pulldowns
- 3.75kg - 10
- 5kg - 10, 6

Todays sups - Creatine EE-MX


Let me know what you think people, and any hints and tips or improvements you would make would be great.

Thanks

tel3563

Good on yer for starting a journal
Diet is sh1t mate, although I think you know this

Look through the diet section and then make a new diet, doesn't have to cost the earth.

Workout looks a bit of a mish mash, pull ups are for lats and biceps mate

Concentrate on Compounds imo, bench, squat, deads, mp's

I just think you need to do a bit more research into diets and routines, less is more so to
speak
Consistency, diet and intensity, achieve these and you wont go wrong

MillionG

Thanks for the advice, noted

Next installment to come later on, cant go to the gym till later, being that I'm hanging like a b*tch.

MillionG

So it was my friends 20th yesterday, last night was a bit hectic.

The knock on effect of which is that I woke up at her house at 3 this afternoon, with a moderate hangover and feeling weak as sh1t.

So I left it till around 9pm before I hit the gym, but traffic was bad so I ended up getting there at about 9.20, and the place closes at 10.. 40 minute burn then..

Todays Workout: Back + Biceps

Crossover Row machine
- 30 kg - 10
- 40kg - 10,10,10,10

Lat Pulldowns
- 40kg - 10,10,10,10

One arm DB row
- 18kg - 10,10,10

DB bicep curl
- 14kg - 8, 5
- 12kg - 6, 5 (Note, I usually perform 3 sets of 10 @ 14kg, when DB curls is the first exercise, but after all the others I was struggling there)

Low row
- 40kg - 12
- 50kg - 10, 10, 10

Todays sups: Creatine EE-MX

Todays Diet:

Breakfast - 3 Weetabix with sugar and full fat milk (Note: breakfast was at 3pm this afternoon)
Evening meal - Chicken breast + bacon + rice + sweet and sour sauce + veg
Post workout - Whey Protein Shake + Tuna + pasta in tomato sauce.

MillionG

Todays workout: Shoulders, Traps and Abs

DB Shoulder Press
- 14kg - 3
- 6kg - 10, 10, 10, 10
(Some cvnt was hogging the DB's, so after I realised 14 was too much, 6 was the next one down, couldave done with some 10's I think)

DB Side Raises
- 6kg - 9, 10, 10, 10

DB Front Raises
- 6kg - 10, 10, 10, 10

DB Shrugs
- 22kg - 12, 12, 12
- 26kg - 12

Abs workout - Sit ups, diagonal sit ups, paired reverse crunch.

Todays Sups - Creatine EE-MX

Todays Diet:

Breakfast - 2 Weetabix with sugar + whole milk + Whey Protein Shake
Lunch - Sweet + sour rice W. veg.
Post workout/evening meal - Whey Protein Shake + 2 rump steaks + Noodles and Veg in Blackbean sauce.

MillionG

Todays workout: Legs with a sprinkling of Cardio

Only a small amount of cardio, partially because I've been told too much is no good for putting on muscle mass, but mainly because I'm lazy:

1000m Row
3km bike
500m Row

Leg Curl
- 35kg - 10
- 45kg - 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg Press
- 60kg - 10, 10, 10
- 70kg - 10

Leg Extension
- 25kg - 10, 10, 10
- 35kg - 10 (legs were on fire by this point)

Todays Sups - None, still waiting on a sample of Black Powder from bb warehouse, run out of Creatine EE-MX (Was sh1te anyway)

Todays Diet:

(poor)
Breakfast/pre-wo - Weetabix, sugar, whole milk + Whey Protein shake
Evening meal/post-wo - Rice + beans + tuna + Whey Protein shake
Before bed (Just now) - Whey protein shake and a few choc chip biscuits

Not much food today, only got up at 2pm, had brekkie, went to the gym, came back, had some food, went to the cinema, went to a friends house, just came home to go to bed.

MillionG

Todays Workout: Chest + Triceps

Incline DB Press
- 18kg - 10
- 16kg - 10
- 18kg - 10, 10, 10

Dips
- Bodyweight - 10, 10, 10, 10

Pec Fly Machine
- 50kg - 10
- 55kg - 10
- 60kg - 10, 8, 8

Skullcrushers
- 15kg - 10
- 18kg - 8, 8, 5, 6

Rope Pulldowns
- 15kg - 8, 10, 10, 10

Chest Press Machine
- 40kg - 10, 8, 6, 5

Todays Sups: None, still waiting on black powder from bb warehouse, been 5 days since I ordered, if it doesn't come tomorrow I'm kicking off

Todays Diet:

Breakfast (at 4pm) - 2 Weetabix, whole milk, sugar + Whey Protein Shake
Post-wo - Lamb steak + sweet and sour rice + Whey protein shake
Late night snack - Tuna mayo

MillionG

Todays Workout - Back + Biceps

Pull-ups
- Bodyweight - 8, 7, 5, 3

Lat Pulldowns
- 40kg - 10, 10, 10, 10

Crossover Row
- 40 kg - 10, 10
- 45kg - 10, 9

Cable Curls
- 20kg - 10
- 22.5kg - 10, 8, 6

Concentration Curls
- 8kg - 10
- 10kg - 8

Low Row
- 50kg - 10
- 60kg - 10, 10, 10

Todays sups: None, STILL waiting on black powder sample, COME ON BB WAREHOUSE, SORT IT OUT.

Todays diet:

Breakfast (1pm) - Cereal + Whey Shake
Lunch (4:30pm) - Rice + Beans + Tuna
Pre-wo (8pm) - Sweet and sour rice
Post-wo (10pm) - Sweet and sour chicken + stir fry veg + rice + Whey Shake


SO much food today for a skinny boy like me.

MillionG

Todays Workout: Shoulders, Traps + Abs

DB Shoulder Press
- 10kg - 10, 10, 9, 10

DB Side Raises
- 6kg - 10, 10, 10, 10

DB Front Raises
- 6kg - 10
- 8kg - 8, 9, 10

DB Shrugs
- 26kg - 12, 12, 12, 12

Ab Crunch Machine
- 25kg - 10
- 35kg - 12, 10, 10, 10

Oblique set

Todays sups: None

Todays diet:

Breakfast - 2 weetabix, whole milk, sugar + Whey Shake
Post-wo - Whey shake + Lemon Chicken + Rice

MillionG

Todays Workout: Legs + Cardio

Cardio:

2000m Row
2Km Bike +1 level

Leg Press
- 100kg - 3
- 80kg - 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg Curl
- 45kg - 10, 10, 10, 10

Leg Extension
- 35kg - 10, 10, 10, 10


Todays Sups: MRI Black Powder (Review)

Todays Diet:

Breakfast - Whey Shake
Pre-wo - Rice + Beans + Tuna
Post-wo - Whey Shake + Chicken + Rice + Stir fry veg in lemon sauce.
Just now - two massive rashers of bacon.. mmmm.

MillionG

Todays Workout: Chest + Triceps

Incline DB Press
- 18kg - 10, 10, 10, 10

Dips
-Bodyweight - 10, 12, 12, 12

Pec Fly Machine
- 60kg - 10, 10, 8, 8

Rope Pulldowns
- 15kg - 10
- 20kg - 10, 10, 8

Todays Sups: Boditronics Red Mist - Bad experience, felt dizzy, nauseous, had the shakes.

Todays Diet:

Breakfast/pre-wo - Cereal + Whey Shake
Post-wo - Chicken + Pasta
Before bed - Whey Shake

crouchmagic

where do you train in swansea mate?

MillionG

LC2, the leisure centre in town.…

MillionG

Todays Workout: Back + Biceps

Today I decided to really focus on making the negatives last much longer, and I think it worked, definitely feel like I've worked harder, and I couldn't do as many reps as normal.

Pull-ups
- Bodyweight - 8, 8, 4

Lat Pulldowns
- 45kg - 10, 10, 10
- 50kg - 10

Crossover Row
- 45kg - 10
- 40kg - 10, 10, 10

Inclined DB curls
- 14kg - 8, 6
- 12kg - 8, 8

Low Row
- 60kg - 10
- 65kg - 10, 10, 10.

Todays Sups: None - Laying off pre workout sups for a while, eugh.

Todays Diet:

Breakfast - Weetabix, milk, sugar.
Pre-wo - 2 lamb steaks + Sweet and sour rice

Wasn't in the mood for eating today.



Seen as today was back and biceps I thought I'd share some pictures:

Taken today, after 10 days on my new programme, and months of next to useless full body workouts.



Slight redness on my back is because I just got out of a boiling hot shower.

Joshua

What is a crossover row?

Is the listing of exercises you have done in order that you did them in? If so, any reason for doing the cardio before the weights?

LC2 - is that the big place with the hydroslide going outside the building?

You've got good symmetry in your delts mate. When doing those double bi shots, pick your head up a bit, as your spine is in better form. I would also lift my elbows up a bit more.

All the best,
J