Diet/Lifting Journal 2008/2009

[macallik]

Just dropped $400 on a 6 month gym membership and this journal is going to help make sure I get my money's worth.

Current stats:
21 years old
5'8
Around 135-140 lbs
29 inch wiast

Goals
- improve overall strength
- Build more muscle EVERYWHERE!
- Eat healthier

(I see others with BF% and max lift goals but I don't really care about those things, as long as I see results...)

Background
I have a decent amount of free time because I am not in school this year and i have even more than normal currently because I got laid off. I've had gym memberships on about 3 different occasions in the past 4 years but i always was too lax in following the regiment or I quit before results started kicking in.

However, my biggest problem is not the workout routine but rather the diet routine. The main reason I am skinny is because if I don't like the menu, I just don't eat... so trying new and healthier foods is going to be hard for me but I will force myself to. I am cutting my life short with all the crap I eat

 

[macallik]

Was gonna do Option B of Effort's "Where to Start" thread, but there is so much detail and advice attached to Option A that i decided to change it at the last minute. Also in Prodj26's journal he said he tried Option A and thinks it is geared more towards getting a great body, and option B is more about getting bigger.

The Gameplan
Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift
**2x8 Dips

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Pendlay or Bent Rows (or power cleans)
**2x8 Chin-ups (recommended mainly if doing the cleans)



Week 1:
Monday - Workout A
Wednesday -Workout B
Friday - Workout A

Week 2:
Monday - Workout B
Wednesday - Workout A
Friday - Workout B



Pics
Just went crazy in the bathroom with the cell. This is my starting point...
Front: http://i34.tinypic.com/2zfrjt0.jpg
Side: http://i33.tinypic.com/2ue5y54.jpg

 

[Warboss Alex]

Also in Prodj26's journal he said he tried Option A and thinks it is geared more towards getting a great body, and option B is more about getting bigger.

both routines are geared towards getting bigger, both routines are geared towards obtaining a muscular physique. either of them would work for you right now.

good luck with the journal

 

[macallik]

^Thanks

Since I started on a Wednesday, I decided to Max test 2 exercises a day so that I can line up to start regular lifting on a Monday.

Yesterday was a struggle. I hadn't done Squats outside of the machine ones and so struggling with a barbell was something new to me. I felt like the star of my own comedic silent movie while I tried multiple ways to get the barbell over my head and onto my shoulders. too heavy for me to clean jerk over my head, so any suggestions so I look like less of a loser next time I'm in the gym would be much appreciated.

After all the warmup sets I couldn't go A2G on my Max rep so the last set was really for nought but I felt the burn pretty damn fast. My thighs/butt started to seize up when I sat down to manoeuver the barbell on my back the last time. I think thats just 1st day fatigue and I should tackle the last set much better next week.

Next I did bench press. Nothing special happened there. I benched the same that I squatted but that shouldn't be for much longer





Diet
I achieved the protein requirements no problem but I needed more carbs for my 1st day. Also, I need to stick to the 6 meals as well. Set a timer or some sh!t. Anywho, it went like this

Breakfast:
Lucky Charms and milk (16 g) <--- before I got into the diet mindset

Lunch
Brown Rice and Vegetarian Hotdogs (16 g)

Post Workout:
Whey Powder & milk (56 g)

Dinner:
Veggie Burger (15 g)

Evening Snack:
Breakfast Sausages (7 g) <--- very little protein, won't be eating that too much
Turkey Bacon (8 g)
Shake w/ raw egg & milk (34 g)


152 g protein. So I can do the protein part. So many vegetarian alternatives in my house I figured I'd mash back on a couple before I go beef crazy. They are expensive but the soy beans pack quite a bit of protein so its a trade off. Now I need to try and get the carbs part down and the two down together

 

[Warboss Alex]

clean jerking a barbell for squats? do you not have a squat rack or power rack at your gym? if you don't then I hope you can cancel the membership because you will not progress in a gym without a rack.

at your weight you'd be needing around 300g protein a day (plus 6-8 litres water) if you want to progress FAST.

 

[macallik]

more protein? gaaaah. Oh well, I'll up the ante sommore I suppose. Same for the water. I don't know if I can drink that much as well as all of the shakes though, that seems undoable but I'll report back with my experience tommorow

I googled squat rack and I think I saw one of those in the corner of the gym. I feel kinda stupid, lol. I was using the rack off the bench press bench before.

Oh and i'm fvcking sore. My chest and my thighs are tight like a tiger

 

[ProDJ26]

ok we got work to do....

For Starters:
Your definitely have to get more protein in cuz what your getting right now isn't enough. When I 1st started I liked milk because of all the calories but it made me bloated. $400 on a membership? Whatever floats your boat I suppose. Eating isn't so hard once you get used to it. Yeah both routines work but I've gotten faster results with the 2nd option.

As for the diet I like to use the K.I.S.S. method (Keep it simple stupid )

Alex is right no rack no growth

I'll PM you the videos of the routine and I'll leave the diet up to EFFORT and Alex.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Same for the water. I don't know if I can drink that much as well as all of the shakes though, that seems undoable

you must drink all that water if you're going to be taking in high protein, it's a rule. the high protein puts a strain on your kidneys and you need to be hydrated. if you can't drink that much water, eat less protein to stay healthy, but gain slower.

seriously though, that much water is easy to drink. count the water in your shakes towards your total

 

[macallik]

Thanks for the help so far guys. Can't stress that enough. What are your views on using the Smith machine for the exercises? I don't bench on it but I did do my squats and my deadlifts on it. My form was pretty sh1tty before but with the forced straight lift on the Smith Machine, my form is on point


I've been following what you guys say and so I now I basically eat and drink whenever I'm not full. Is it normal for my farts stink more than a Mariah Carey's acting?

 

[simon]

Stay away from the Smith machine, stick to the free weights. Keep the weights comfortably low until you have decent form. Good form comes from regularly practising the movements and making adjusments, and will take time.

Google 'mark rippetoe deadlift' and do some reading and watching videos, and go do some searches for deadlift, squat and bench form over at stronglifts.com , ironaddicts.com , t-nation.com , strengthmill.com etc.

Advice that helped my conventional deadlift form: drive through the heels and try to push the hips through as soon as the bar leaves the ground. This is assuming you've got the starting position down, which you can read about here.

If you need to work on your flexibility, which you probably will, stronglifts.com and t-nation.com are also good places for information about stretching. Also look out for articles by Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson.

 

[macallik]

Thanks for the tips Simon. No more Smith machine for me. I figured that the free weight might be better after I read that the barbell military presses should use free weight because the body uses more muscles overall to stabilize free weight. Some random guy at the gym gave me some deadlift pointers as well so I got that down even though it was new to me initially.

 

[ProDJ26]

Add Sander Van Doorn - Message in A bottle remix to your headphones!!!

 

[macallik]

I would but it doesn't come close to the Hi Tack remix, lol. That takes me back, I think that was on one of the first house CDs I ever listened to.



Anyways, I'm back on forth on the next action I should take. The catch 22 with my squats is that I am
a) trying to lift my maximum weight and go A2G but --->
b) I can't maintain my balance with the lifts. I can squat it no problem, but I get pulled backwards when I am starting the ascent so --->
c) form is the first thing to go out the window. I tip-toe to gain my balance and end up using the wrong muscles in the lift


So in essence I end up lifting my max weight with bad form. I don't need to follow a guide to do that. Instead, I am either going to drop my weight or head to the Smith Machine.... I'm thinking the latter. The gym I'm at doesn't have a squat rack it turns out so the Smith Machine is the most comfortable way for me so far. When I start putting higher weights on w/ the free weight way, i feel like I am gonna topple over so I overcompensate my weight and I end up working my quads instead of my glutes.

 

[simon]

$400 for 6 months and your gym doesn't even have a squat rack? Sounds like a sh.ithole. I suggest you get a refund and go find another gym. The Smith machine squat is no substitute for a free weight squat.

Not being able to keep your balance is no doubt a combination of crap form and a weak core. I've already said you should lower the weight and learn good form, but apparently you thought squatting your max with bad form would be a better idea.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do, but realise that your progress will be severely limited without access to a squat rack.

 

[kickureface]

$400 for 6 months and your gym doesn't even have a squat rack? Sounds like a sh.ithole. I suggest you get a refund and go find another gym. The Smith machine squat is no substitute for a free weight squat.

Not being able to keep your balance is no doubt a combination of crap form and a weak core. I've already said you should lower the weight and learn good form, but apparently you thought squatting your max with bad form would be a better idea.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do, but realise that your progress will be severely limited without access to a squat rack.

i'm glad im not the only one who noticed it. 400$????? WTF????
listen to simon he;s spot on and his name is simon, do what he says.

 

[kickureface]

no need to go a2g unless you aspire to be an olympic lifter, especially if you don't have the glute activation and flexibility to do it properly.

 

[macallik]

Hey fellas, thanks for the feedback

1) I dropped 5-10lbs off my squats and curl my toes. Problem solved
2) The Mark Ripptoe thread linked in the initial post says go A2G. My A doesn't touch the G but I go past my knees.
3) $400 is expensive, but it isn't as expensive as it would be in America. The dollar has a lower buying power locally but the same buying power in America

 

[mrRuckus]

A2G doesn't mean LITERALLY.

 

[kickureface]

Hey fellas, thanks for the feedback

1) I dropped 5-10lbs off my squats and curl my toes. Problem solved
2) The Mark Ripptoe thread linked in the initial post says go A2G. My A doesn't touch the G but I go past my knees.
3) $400 is expensive, but it isn't as expensive as it would be in America. The dollar has a lower buying power locally but the same buying power in America

Yes your hips just need to pass your top knee, which is going under parallel.

I don't know what link you're referring to but I'm very sure Mark never said to go A2G! Nonetheless if that's what you like to do it's fine too.

400 is a lot! LOTS! A lot of gyms here you can go for a year with 400$!

 

[macallik]

Alright, i had the week of max rep recently. I was feeling extra lazy so I didnt test my max, i just took a week off the gym and ate like crap. back on the horse now though