Dan's Workout Log For Gaining Mass

[Dan08]

Dan's Workout Log For Gaining Mass And Diet Plan.

Right, this is my journal to bulking up starting from now.

I currently weight a skinny 138lbs and work out my calorie intake to be in the range of 2070-2350 based on my current weight if I intend to gain mass while lifting. If needed I will bump this up 10%

I aim to get in the gym 6x a week working a 2 days on 1 day off scenario and aim to increase weight lifted as the week goes on or if I struggle to achieve this on some lifts I will compromise and aim to increase that particular lift the following week.

Current Workout below:

Monday - Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Tuesday - Legs/Calves/Abs
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Backs/Biceps/Forearms
Friday - Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Saturday - Off
Sunday - Legs/Calves/Abs

And then this would rollover into week 2 etc.

I currently look like this
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/822/img0032lw.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/img0043ke.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/600/img0033cn.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/208/img0046vs.jpg/

Excersizes in RED are Pyramid Sets whereas excersizes in BLUE are sets of the same weight beginning with 12 reps

Concerning Diet I'm aiming to eat foods found in Industry's Guide to Eating Thread in the vault with 3 main meals a day, 2 snack portions and 1 shake after workout.

EDIT - This is all likely to change thanks to the sound advice given to me by the older and wiser heads in this thread. I'll update when I have some form of program in mind.

 

[Dan08]

Workout #1

Ok just got back from the gym and what with it being a Bank Holiday in the UK they shut earlier than I thought so I didn't get every excersize done so the ones below are the ones I did.

Barbell Bench Press - Will aim to begin next bench at 5KG

• 10 reps of the Bar only
  8 reps of 5KG
  6 reps of 7.5KG
  4 reps of 12.5KG

Dumbell Flye Flat Bench - 4 Sets of 12 with 8KG will increase next time to 12KG

Dumbell Lateral Raise - Will bump to 10KG next time

• 12 reps of 8KG
  10 reps of 8KG
  9 reps of 8KG
  7 reps of 8KG

Machine Shoulder Press - Will bump up next weight available

• 11 reps of 27KG
  8 reps of 27KG
  7 reps of 27KG
  6 reps of 27KG

Cable Triceps Pushdown - Will bump up next weight available
12 reps of 45KG
12 reps of 45KG
7 reps of 45 KG
5 reps of 45 KG[/LIST]


Excersizes I didn't do:

Dumbell Incline Bench
Standing Military Press
Lying Triceps Extension

 

[TheStig]

Good routine, I like it

 

[Dan08]

Good routine, I like it

Cheers Stig. It's not mine though

I'd do shoulders on a seperate day. Maybe do shoulders alone on your second chest and tris day. I personally do shoulders with biceps and chest with tris.

Any particular reason for this?

 

[Dan08]

My reason for going this is that I think shoulders are very important and get too worn out from chest day on the same day. Very painful. Also you should be doing at least 5 workouts on shoulder day( some sort of press, front raise, lat raise, reverse fly, and trap exercise.) I'd end up being in the gym too long.

It's a fair point, my shoulders have felt strained when I've combined with chest excersizes in the past. I'll monitor how my excersizes are over the coming weeks and see if my shoulders are suffering in which case I'll take your suggestion onboard and swap it out to another day.

 

[Purefilth]

It's a fair point, my shoulders have felt strained when I've combined with chest excersizes in the past. I'll monitor how my excersizes are over the coming weeks and see if my shoulders are suffering in which case I'll take your suggestion onboard and swap it out to another day.

I do shoulders with chest.

PUSH day
PULL day
LEGS day
REST day

rinse repeat. But hey, whatever works for you.

i do shoulders with chest since i'm already pulling them into most exercises with chest and triceps anyway.

 

[Dan08]

Workout #2

Legs/Calves/Abs for me today, met up with a buddy from way back and looks like we're want the same thing so we're gyming together which will be excellent for motivation etc.

Anyways excersizes are below.

Back Squat - Will bump all weight by 2.5KG

• 12 reps of 10 KG
  10 reps of 12.5 KG
  8 reps of 15 KG
  6 reps of 17.5KG

Deadlift - Will bump all weight by 2.5KG

• 12 reps of 5KG
  10 reps of 7.5KG
  8 reps of 10KG
  6 reps of 12.5KG

Dumbell Calf Raises - Could have easily done more, will ramp up to mid 20's next time

• 12 reps of 16KG
  10 reps of 16KG
  8 reps of 16KG
  6 reps of 16KG

Seated Calf Raises - 15KG either leg will bump to 20 next time

• 12 reps of 15KG
  10 reps of 15KG
  8 reps of 15KG
  6 reps of 15KG

Hanging Leg Raises - Will add weight next time

• 10 reps of bodyweight
  8 reps of bodyweight
  6 reps of bodyweight
  4 reps of bodyweight

Diet so far today (will update later this evening with full list)

Pre Workout - 1 Giant bowl of Crunchy Nut and bowl of fruit salad pre-workout

Post Workout - Chicken Sandwich on White Bread + 1 Banana

Lunch - 3 slices of Ham, Salad, 1 Tomato, 1 Banana

Dinner - Thai Fishcake, Green beans, Brocoli.

Post Dinner - Protein Shake

 

[Purefilth]

Shiit man I destroy that crunchy nut.

For something healthier without the sugar, i make porridge, it keeps you sustained in energy. (I mix in a spoonful of nutella for flavour.)


Also - if youre using olympic bars, they weigh 20kg on their own, so you can add that to the weight lifted.

Just sayin...

 

[[S]alvatore]

You don't need a split routine when you're just starting out. Get strong in the compound lifts, then you can fvck around with isolation.

Start with a full body routine:

Squats 3x10
Bench Press 3x8
Bent Over Rows 3x8
Overhead Press 3x8
Stiff leg deadlift 3x8
Curls/Chins 3x8

3 times per week.

 

[Dan08]

Shiit man I destroy that crunchy nut.

For something healthier without the sugar, i make porridge, it keeps you sustained in energy. (I mix in a spoonful of nutella for flavour.)


Also - if youre using olympic bars, they weigh 20kg on their own, so you can add that to the weight lifted.

Just sayin...

Crunchy nut is beast! But porridge is healthier so I'm going to phase it out for some oats and mix in honey

Hahaa I hadn't realised they added that much in addition but ill add it onto my lift total

alvatore]You don't need a split routine when you're just starting out. Get strong in the compound lifts, then you can fvck around with isolation.

Start with a full body routine:

Squats 3x10
Bench Press 3x8
Bent Over Rows 3x8
Overhead Press 3x8
Stiff leg deadlift 3x8
Curls/Chins 3x8

3 times per week.

The reason I went for split tho is I want to be in the gym 6x a week and I felt doing a full body workout that much would burn me out? I appreciate the advice Salvatore, 3 sets of 8 reps is different to what I'm doing right now but I'll take it on board.


EDIT- Fugly have to answer you here because of 10 post limit.

If not 6 days then would you advocate alvatores all body workout 3x a week? 1 day on 1 day off?
You're right when it comes to not overtraining but I thought my split would allow it.
My diet isn't bad I'm just not getting enough calories in unfortunately right now so everything is a learning curve for me, I just make sure I'm eating ok and just more food than normal to try and gain mass.
I can't get 1lb of meat in a day unfortunately but I aim to get at least some daily aswell as top up protein levels through a shake.
And cheers for thinking I've got potential



- DanZy similar to alvatore you advocate compound lifts and I'm more and more inclined to go with what you guys are saying, I'll sleep on it, tomorrow's my rest day.
Rep ranges are purely based on cumulative fatigue being achieved, I don't know what you mean by sets of heavy triples/singles?
And in my defence on the ham I know that's nowhere near enough but c'mon I'm at my nans right now, I didn't want to eat her out of the house

 

[Fuglydude]

Hey man,

I'd avoid going to the gym 6 days a week.

I'm in the same boat as you... I wanna bulk, however, I'm 5'8" - 190 lbs w/ a 500 lb trap bar deadlift, 350 lb squat and can do pull ups w/ 100 lbs around my waist. I've been lifting for over 14 years... I've been a high performance athlete, a stripper, and also dabbled in bodybuilding. My body can handle a fair amount of volume, however, I would never train 6 days a week.

My point is that in order to grow you gotta give your body time to regenerate. In my opinion your diet is inadequate for your goals, especially if you're gonna be training that much. I'd ramp up your calories to atleast 3000/day and try and consume at least 1 lb of red meat a day. Stay away from processed crap like ham.

You got great potential... Keep at it, and you'll go far!

 

[DanZy]

You're new to this, your body only wants to grow.
Try hit the gym 6 times a week, do 3 heavy days and 3 lighter days. It may work for you, everyone is different. Try find that sweet-spot where your body grows best. On Chaos and Pain (Google it), he suggests hitting one squat, one push and one pull on mon, tues and wed with 3 lighter days in-between on which you do higher rep bodyweight stuff etc.

Place emphasis on your compound lifts, they're all you need right now. Don't bother with machines for now, barbells are your best friend. I don't understand your rep ranges at all to be honest, I reckon they're too high. Rather hit sets of heavy triples or even singles (especially for deads), your strength will climb rapidly.

Like Fugly said, increase your calories! 3 slices of ham? Dude that's nothing, you need to add more meat to your diet.

The body reacts best to periods of over-reaching (training hard as fvck) followed by a week or so of lighter training when you feel like your body needs it. Keep doing that and your gains will be great

 

[Fuglydude]

Dan, I'd suggest you lift 3, and no more than 4 times a week.

As the guys are saying, focus on compound movements. These are:

- Squat
- Deadlift
- Bench
- Shoulder press
- Chin ups
- Dips.

Here's a split that I used with great success:

Day 1: Squat/Chin ups.

Day 2: Dead lift/Dips.

Day 3: Push pull (bench and back work)

Take 1-3 days off between workouts depending on how u feel. You can obviously throw in accessory work on your training days, but keep your workouts under 60-75 minutes.

As far as diet goes, aim to take in lots of complex carbs, rice, whole grain bread and pasta, yams, etc... These in combination with protein are amazing for growth. Meat doesn't have to be expensive. Try ground beef... one of the best bulking foods around. Eggs and cottage cheese are also good, as is whole milk. These are calorie and protein dense foods that don't cost you an arm and a leg.

Also, what supplements are you taking?

Also consider limiting your cardio to 2x/week. I'd personally just take up a sport or join a rec league. I think your body would be much more responsive to interval cardio than simply biking/running on a treadmill, etc. Important here is to mix things up.

 

[Purefilth]

Like Fugly said, increase your calories! 3 slices of ham? Dude that's nothing, you need to add more meat to your diet.

The body reacts best to periods of over-reaching (training hard as fvck) followed by a week or so of lighter training when you feel like your body needs it. Keep doing that and your gains will be great

true dat, i just hard a post workout protein shake and got home and had half a chicken in a pan of pasta im still hungry too - body is shaking - literally craving nutrients - clucking like a crackhead

 

[Dan08]

Dan, I'd suggest you lift 3, and no more than 4 times a week.

As the guys are saying, focus on compound movements. These are:

- Squat
- Deadlift
- Bench
- Shoulder press
- Chin ups
- Dips.

Here's a split that I used with great success:

Day 1: Squat/Chin ups.

Day 2: Dead lift/Dips.

Day 3: Push pull (bench and back work)

Take 1-3 days off between workouts depending on how u feel. You can obviously throw in accessory work on your training days, but keep your workouts under 60-75 minutes.

As far as diet goes, aim to take in lots of complex carbs, rice, whole grain bread and pasta, yams, etc... These in combination with protein are amazing for growth. Meat doesn't have to be expensive. Try ground beef... one of the best bulking foods around. Eggs and cottage cheese are also good, as is whole milk. These are calorie and protein dense foods that don't cost you an arm and a leg.

Also, what supplements are you taking?

Also consider limiting your cardio to 2x/week. I'd personally just take up a sport or join a rec league. I think your body would be much more responsive to interval cardio than simply biking/running on a treadmill, etc. Important here is to mix things up.

I was thinking of following the 5x5 program shown as the first one on this page
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/forget-steroids-5-fullbody-workouts-for-serious-gains.html

I will go with 3x in the gym weekly and am currently taking an all in one supplement from matrix which is whey protein and creatine, I'm thinking about combining the powder with other ingredients to create a weight gainer shake of about 1000 calories and having one of these daily.

Cardio wise I'm thinking of playing squash once a week and do 15mins HIIT Cardio at the end of each workout?

 

[Purefilth]

I was thinking of following the 5x5 program shown as the first one on this page
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/forget-steroids-5-fullbody-workouts-for-serious-gains.html

I will go with 3x in the gym weekly and am currently taking an all in one supplement from matrix which is whey protein and creatine, I'm thinking about combining the powder with other ingredients to create a weight gainer shake of about 1000 calories and having one of these daily.

Cardio wise I'm thinking of playing squash once a week and do 15mins HIIT Cardio at the end of each workout?

If you find it hard to put on mass, then I'd reccomend a weight gainer shake in the am protein shake post workout (within like 30 minutes of finishing workout) and another weight gainer shake before bed to keep the muscles fed while you sleep.
http://www.discount-supplements.co....&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CK-sqbvGu7cCFUfKtAodKk8Ahg
something like this, it helped me anyway. and thats a pretty decent site pricewise.

Worked for me initially to get some mass on, then its all about maintaining the muscle once its on there

 

[Dan08]

If you find it hard to put on mass, then I'd reccomend a weight gainer shake in the am protein shake post workout (within like 30 minutes of finishing workout) and another weight gainer shake before bed to keep the muscles fed while you sleep.
http://www.discount-supplements.co....&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CK-sqbvGu7cCFUfKtAodKk8Ahg
something like this, it helped me anyway. and thats a pretty decent site pricewise.

Worked for me initially to get some mass on, then its all about maintaining the muscle once its on there

Cheers filth for the link I had a look and it seems decent but I was edging more towards using my protein I have already and combining it with bananas, milk, peanut butter etc to hit 1000 calories and still remain healthy rather than get an additional powder in. It's definatly an option in the future but seeing as money is a bit tight for me right now I'll take the homemade option.
As for when to take them, isn't twice possibly a bit overkill if they're 1K Calories each? 2K Calories in a day before I've eaten, I'd be worried I'd put on some substantial body fat very quickly.

Any thoughts on the routine or cardio I outlined?

 

[Purefilth]

Well, you don't want much cardio on a bulk. I do cardio 1 x a week.
You'll have to try what works for you. Give any routine or plan you try at least 6 months before you decide its not working for you.

 

[Dan08]

Well, you don't want much cardio on a bulk. I do cardio 1 x a week.
You'll have to try what works for you. Give any routine or plan you try at least 6 months before you decide its not working for you.

Okay mate, will do. Now I just gotta sort out my first post to reflect all of this. >.<

 

[DanZy]

Make sure you cycle your calories to stay lean whilst adding muscle. Keep protein high always, on training days go high carb/low fat and on off days go low carb/high fat.