GodsGiftToFatBirds' Training Journal

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

Yesterday's session was chest:

Incline DB Bench w/33.5s Rest Pause: 21 (14,4,3)
NT: Flat next week, then 35kg

Dips 3*12
NT: Repeat

Flat DB Bench 2*6 w/33.5s: Did 6,8 (maxed out last set)
NT: Incline next week, then 35kg


Just checked my weight btw, finally over 80kg - 80.25 now.

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

Today's session was back and biceps:

Deadlift 1*4 107kg
2*4 149.5kg (2)
NT: 152kg

Bicep Curls w/curl bar w/51kg Rest Pause: 16 (11,2,3! - bizarre, think i was just more psyched up on the last set)
NT: 53.5kg

Wide grip o/hand pull ups w/12kg Rest Pause: 12 (9,2,1)
NT: Repeat

Concentration Curls 2*6 w/28kg (2) Did 6,11 (RH), 6,9 (LH) - maxed out on final sets
NT: Try 2*8


Progress is going great at the moment, been getting loads of people commenting on my physique. Only problem I got now is that I've just started a new job, which is gonna make it more difficult to get all the food in that i have been doing. ****ing employment laws here say a half hour break if you do over 6 hours. Shift I did this evening was bang on 6 hours, meaning i didn't get to eat for around 7 hours, which is near impossible for me. Gonna have a quiet word with my boss tomo i think, see if he'll give me 10 mins in the middle of shifts to get some food in.

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

Today's session was shoulders and triceps. Had to change the exercises a bit as I didn't have anyone to spot me for the Lying Triceps Press - my dad wasn't in (he normally spots me), tried to get my brother, he couldn't lift the damn thing off the floor - so put in the 1 Arm Tricep Press (the behind the head one) that I used to do ages ago.

Militaries 3*8 49.5kg (2)
NT: Arnolds next week, then 52kg

Press ups w/hands together w/10kg 3*15 (1)
NT: Repeat at end of session

Laterals 3*7 18kg (2)
NT: Cubans, then 3*8

1 Arm Tricep Press 1*6 14.5kg
1*6 17kg
1*6 18kg

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

And today was legs. I didn't push myself right to the limits on the hack squats as I would normally - I've got the medical tomorrow for my career (so long as I pass it!) so thought it best if I'm able to walk.
Sent off for wrist straps in the post couple days ago btw, should have them soon.

Today's session:

BB Hack Calf Raises 3*8 67kg (2)
NT: Repeat - bit unstable on some of the later reps

Lying 1-legged hamstring curl 3*6 w/level 5 (2)
NT: 3*8

BB Hack Squats w/92kg 3*8 (2)
NT: Widowmaker next week, then 3*10 week after

 

[semag]

good job GGTFB... good luck w/ the straps, let us know if you need help figuring out how they work

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

Cheers man.

Straps came today, haven't used them yet. Purely out of interest, are straps just a training aid or can they be used for competitive lifting as well?
Not that i'm intending to compete, but i was wondering if i can use them to gain an accurate measure of my 1 rep max on exercises such as deadlift, for example?

And is it worth using the straps for any exercises besides the obvious grip ones (such as deadlift and hack sqauts)?

 

[semag]

you can't use them in competition... but pl competitions will use chalk and stuff, so if you've got that lying around you can get an accurate measure of your one rep max.... however... I think your one rep max will stay close to what you can pick up grip wise. It's when you get into multiple reps at heavy weights that your grip will really fail, i think you could prolly grunt out and lift your ORM.

As far as other exercises, it'll change how they feel. For example, straps w/ pullups will let you do them really slow, pause at the bottom, and pause at the top, and you can really concentrate on the muscles.

Straps w/ overhand BB rows will allow you to concentrate on the muscles, and not the burning in your forearms. you can try the DC extreme stretch by strapping yourself to a pullup bar and hang for a minute or 2.. it's intense.

With SLDL, it'll let you focus on hams... etc.

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

Yeh mate, thx, that all makes sense.

Still haven't used em yet, will be doing for deadlifts tomo.

Today's sesh was chest, pushed the DB Bench up to 40kg for the first time, bit of a milestone for me. This was the session:

DB Bench w/40s Rest Pause: Did 10 (7,2,1)
NT: Incline, then Repeat

Dips 3*12 (2)
NT: 3*8 w/7kg

DB Incline Bench w/32s: 2*8 (2): Did 8,10 - maxed out on final set
NT: Flat, then repeat with only 1 min recovery

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

Yo

Thought I'd get this journal back on track. I have been training regularly since my last post (from before the site went down), but its handy having all your sessions in one place for easy reference, plus can get bits of advice here and there.

Since I last posted, I've made pretty steady constant progress in the weights I've been lifting, though my bodyweight is stuck at 80kg.
I need to step up the eating to get it going again. I've got a daily meal plan which incorporates 5500 calories and around 380g protein. I aim to eat at least 90% of it every day, problem is that I always have a couple of very 'loose' days a week. Usually because of working a long shift, going out on the town or staying over at my bird's, the daily plan goes to pot. I need to organise my food better for these 'difficult days', so that I still meet my daily requirements.

I took a complete week off from training about a month ago, then started back with my 4 day a week split. I soon started getting muscle fatigue carrying over from session to session though, so I've changed that now so that I'm doing the 4 sessions over 8 or 9 days (ie with more rest days). So, for example, this'll be my split for this week (including today, already done):
Mon: Shoulders & Triceps
Tue: Rest
Wed: Legs
Thu: Rest
Fri: Chest
Sat: Rest
Sun: Back & Biceps
Mon: Rest
Tue: Shoulders & Triceps (with cycle starting over)

I'm also doing a half-marathon in May (not ideal for bulking I know!) so I'll be out doing a few miles on a couple of those rest days as well.

Finally, here's todays' session (shoulders and triceps):

Arnolds 3*6 w/23kg DBs (2)
Lying EZ Tricep Press 3*6 w/43.5kg (Did 10 when maxed out final set) (2)
Cuban Press 3*8 w/15.5kg (2)
Dips 3*8 w/12kg DB between feet (Did 14 when maxed out final set) (2)

As a sidenote (and I'd like to hear some opinions on these, especially from the more experienced guys on here), I've got a couple of other training ideas which I'm considering incorporating:

One is the 5*5 (5 sets of 5 reps each), this gets talked about a lot on the muscletalk forum, haven't read around it enough tho to understand the benefit

Second is drop sets: again, very recommended by a lot of people, but I've also heard it said that they do nothing for your strength, only for your size

Opinions/ideas welcome please!

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

Lol, no replies! Guess I'll just have to put in some research re the questions I asked last time.

Today's session (Wednesday) was chest, only had 20 mins to get my session in so did it differently to how I normally would.
Pushed the DB Bench up to 42kg for the first time, felt fvcking heavy!

DB Bench w/42kg DBs, Rest Pause, Did 8 (7,1,0) - I maybe should have done a drop-set for the last mini set cos it was obvious after the 2nd mini set that I wasn't gonna be able to get them up again.

DB Incline Flyes 3*8 w/23kg (1.5)

DB Incline Bench (1 min after the flyes) w/32kg DBs, Maxed out and did 10 reps

 

[TheTrader]

dropsets, 5*5 etc who the fvck cares?? just keep the reps pretty low and train as hard as you can and at the same time avoid overtraining - 5*5 is imo a good thing but it's not about the exactly 5*5 it's about the concept behind it. or you do 2*5 but twice as often - who cares experiment with it but there are more important things.

 

[Warboss Alex]

One is the 5*5 (5 sets of 5 reps each), this gets talked about a lot on the muscletalk forum, haven't read around it enough tho to understand the benefit

Why are you trying to change a routine that's currently giving you impressive strength gains?

your eating is holding you back. gimme a sample day (real day, not ideal day).

5500 calories is going to make you fat most likely.

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

5500 calories is going to make you fat most likely

It hasn't been doing tbh. It might be summat to do with the fact that I'm naturally very low bodyfat (had it tested when I was 15, was 5%).

gimme a sample day (real day, not ideal day).

Sure, here's yesterdays, which was a fairly typical day for me:

10:30am 2 Eggs, 1 Slice Toast, 1 Pint Milk = 540 cals, 37g Protein

1pm Fish, Roast Potatoes, 1 Pint Milk = 800 cals, 42g Protein

2pm Creatine

3pm - 3:30pm Workout

3:45pm Chicken, 1 Pint Milk, 2 Scoops Whey w/half pint Milk = 750 cals, 95g Protein

4:30pm 100g Pasta, 1 Pint Milk = 640 cals, 32g Protein

5pm - 9pm At Work

9:30pm Baked Potatoes w/cheese, 1 Pint Milk = 1160 cals, 51g Protein

10:30pm - 3am Out in Town

3am 2 Eggs, 1 Portion Salmon, Half Tin Baked Beans, 1 Pint Milk, 2 Scoops Whey w/Half pint Milk = 1120 cals, 112g Protein


Also interspersed in the day was an orange, 2 bananas and a vitamin tablet, which come to 250 cals, 4g Protein.

Daily Total = 5260 cals, 373g Protein


Tell us where I'm going wrong mate, I wanna improve it so don't mind criticism. :nono:

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

Hello!! Anybody there??? - I didn't spend half an hour calculating all those foods to get no feedback on it at all!!

Today's session was legs, decided to experiment with the 5*5 on squats, worked alright I think, couldn't honestly say if its better than the widowmaker, tho it does allow you to use bigger weights.

BB Hack Calf Raises 3*8 67kg (2)
Lying 1-legged Hamstring Curls 3*8 Level 5 (2)
BB Hack Squats 5*5 92kg (2) - maxed out on the last set and did 11 reps - based on this, I could have probably used a bit heavier weight

 

[Warboss Alex]

you go too long without eating (at work, sneak a whey shake with olive oil into the toilets, 30 seconds it's gone)

milk and pasta is not a meal in my opinion, add some beef in there instead of the milk.

in general, cut down on the milk.. I don't like it unless fat gain is not a problem, in which case drink whole milk for the cals, otherwise forget it as a protein source.

aim for 1-2 servings of beef every day, eat more whole eggs, some carbs pwo.

are you gaining fat right now?

 

[semag]

I'd stick w/ what WA says man.... maybe cut down on your carbs and up the fats a bit. If you're having trouble gaining weight, start throwing in extra fat (olive oil, flax oil, etc.) and see how you do.

 

[[S]alvatore]

10:30am 2 Eggs, 1 Slice Toast, 1 Pint Milk = 540 cals, 37g Protein

1 slice of toast is not enough, have 2. Or you could substitue it with oats

1pm Fish, Roast Potatoes, 1 Pint Milk = 800 cals, 42g Protein

2pm Creatine

too big of a gap between your pre-workout meal and when you actually train

3pm - 3:30pm Workout

add in pwo shake (whey & dextrose)

3:45pm Chicken, 1 Pint Milk, 2 Scoops Whey w/half pint Milk = 750 cals, 95g Protein

no carbs in ppwo meal to replenish glycogen, lose the whey, add in some basmati rice, sweet potato etc)

4:30pm 100g Pasta, 1 Pint Milk = 640 cals, 32g Protein

5pm - 9pm At Work

you need a meal in here, 4 hours without food is a long time

9:30pm Baked Potatoes w/cheese, 1 Pint Milk = 1160 cals, 51g Protein

too many carbs, no source of protein. Add some chicken breast, lean meat, fish.

10:30pm - 3am Out in Town

Before you go out you should have some cottage cheese with Flaxeed Oil

3am 2 Eggs, 1 Portion Salmon, Half Tin Baked Beans, 1 Pint Milk, 2 Scoops Whey w/Half pint Milk = 1120 cals, 112g Protein

Get rid of the whey, you don't need 112g of protein in one sitting unless your juicing. Add some almonds, hazel/brazil nuts

Overall you're using the whey in the wrong places. Missing EFA's as well.

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

Cheers for the feedback, over the next day or 2, I'll be drawing up a new meal plan based on what you've said, then I'll post it on here.

are you gaining fat right now?

Don't think so, not noticeable anyway, you can still see my abs even tho I've done no direct abs work for a couple of months. But like I said, I'm naturally very low body fat so I don't put it on like other people might.

Today's session was back and biceps, I experimented with lower weight, higher reps on the deadlift (I have been doing stuff like 2*2 with 157kg), felt totally fvcked afterwards, I could probably use some advice on the best rep and set range for deadlifts?

Deadlifts 1*4 107kg, 3*8 127kg (2) - last set felt brutal, never thought I'd be able to complete the 8 but somehow squeezed out the last few reps

Bicep Curl w/curl bar 3*6 46kg (2)

Wide grip o/hand pull ups Rest Pause: 19 reps (14,3,2)

21's w/16kg EH: Intended to do 3*21, but failed at 17 on the 2nd set, my forearms were completely and utterly gone by this stage!

 

[Warboss Alex]

Get rid of the whey, you don't need 112g of protein in one sitting unless your juicing.

I've eaten that much and I ain't juicing

GodsGift, watch your form on high rep deads. It's very easy to hurt yourself on that exercise.

I'd stick with just 2 x 5 for the deadlifts personally. You can use a heavy weight - but remember to rest well between sets. 1-2 reps is if you're training for a powerlifting meet and need to perfect putting everything into one lift. (or if you're a powerlifter and train that way anyway)

Quite frankly with the info you've given I feel you need to boatload the solid food (i.e. NOT milk) to gain. If you ate as much beef as you drank milk every day you wouldn't be worrying about the scale not moving.

 

[GodsGiftToFatBirds]

I feel you need to boatload the solid food (i.e. NOT milk) to gain

Tbh mate, I'm very surprised you're telling me to cut back on the milk. Agreed its maybe not the ideal protein source and not as good as beef but my thinking behind drinking it has always been: i'm gonna have to have summat to drink with every meal, and milk's the best option cos its higher in both calories and protein than any other drink I can think of.
If I'm to cut back on the milk, what would you recommend I drink with my meals instead?

I have been out shopping today though and got in some whole milk (like I say, fat gain int a problem for me), plus I've just now drawn up a new meal plan based on the advice I've been given. I'll post it in a day or 2 though when I'm able to give it as a sample, rather than an ideal, day.

Not forgetting the weights, today's session (shoulders and triceps):

Military Press 3*6 54.5kg (2)
Lying EZ Tricep Press 3*8 w/43.5kg (2) Did 8,8,7
Lateral Raises 3*6 w/20kg (2)
Dips 3*10 w/12kg DB between feet (2) Did 10,10,7