Quik's Workout Log

[Quiksilver]

It is dizzying, but its worth it if I get a good routine down only a week or 2 into it. Most people go for months and YEARS with some crappy routine they typed up in MS word one day and pinned on their wall. Atleast this way I get some input from you guys, since I'm an admitted novice as far as muscle-building goes. Thanks for the help, im pretty open to suggestions at this point, as long as im still getting a decent workout in.

As for what I'm aiming at with this workout, it's to trim the fat off of the muscle that's there, but with a "normal", healthy diet and essentially a slower paced cycle(4-5 months), I know I can bulk up the large muscle groups abit.

Also, should I add in an abs session somewhere?

Tuesday

1. Sprints
- 3x8
set1: 1.15.00 its raining today, but i still gave it a shot
set2: rain
set3: rain

I'm goin to add a set to the next 3 days to make this up. I gave it a shot, but because of the rain and how i cut myself last time i tried sprints in the rain, I didnt do it properly. Whatever.

 

[Throttle]

Good point bringing up the abs. The beauty of working the abs is that they can take more abuse than just about any other part of your body, and they need it, too, since everything starts from the core. I'm a fan of 3 sets of weighted declined sit-ups (that is, laying back on a board and grabbing a plate or dumbbell) once or twice a week. Again the philosophy is to isolate as little as possible, until you're sure that some part is falling behind and needs extra work.

And re: going years w/ crappy workouts, I can attest that I made gains even with some of the crappiest full body workouts ever, paying little attention to nutrition. But since straightening out the diet and adding squats & deads it's been a whole different ballgame. The worst part about crappy workouts is that you can make gains--and then hit a plateau, get discouraged, and quit.

 

[mrRuckus]

Warmup sets normally aren't included when you're talking about your sets. Of course if you're doing 2-3 work sets you should do a couple lighter warmup sets. And to me his "warmup" sets are practically the same weight as the work sets which will do nothing but limit the actual workout sets and leave you more fatigued and have more to recover from after.

 

[Quiksilver]

Wednesday

1. Squats
- 4x10
set1(warm-up): 10x240
set2: 10x300
set3: 10x310
set4: 10x310

Again, my machine only has 310lbs. The week after next, I can start using real equipment!

2. Calf raises (I myself am questioning the usefulness of this workout)
- 3x10
set1: 10x100
set2: 10x150
set3: 10x200

This is my first time doing it, and have to find my max weight still. These ones were pretty easy. I'm still abit of a newbie, and blew any chance at a decent workout I could have had with this one, this week.
How about Leg Curls, they any good?

3. Tricep Pulldowns
- 4x10
set1: 10x60
set2: 10x70
set3: 10x80
set4: 10x90

I don't need a warm-up for the Tri's, I do some tennis drills for 20 minutes before every workout session each day, and its a pretty good light warmup for the Tri's.

4. 2-Mile Run ( I did this because the court where I do sprints was wet)
- 1 mile away from home, 1 mile back
Time: 10.39.16!!! did NOT expect such a good time for a 2-mile

I was pretty impressed with myself on this I remember the last time I ran a 2-mile, and it was something just under 13 minutes, so this was a BIG improvement.

--------------------------------------

I'm noticing an improvement in overall fitness, and am looking slightly better in the mirror There's NO ****ing way im going to stop this routine. If anything it's going to get more intense and more effective once I can get my ass into a real gym, instead of just home equipment.

questions:
1) Leg curls...your thoughts?
2) What grip should I use for squats, if there's a difference...
3) Should I keep Calf Raises?

Lata dawgs

 

[Nobody]

Lata dawgs

Lata dawgs? I've heard of later dogs, or later dawgs, but lata dawgs haven't hear that one!!!

 

[Quiksilver]

Thursday

1. 2-Mile Run
- 1 mile away from home, 1 mile back
Time: 10.03.89

Again the ground was wet so I couldn't do sprints. I did a 2 mile hard run instead which I think is almost as good. The rain's supposed to move off for tomorrow and next week, so all is well by the way i broke my time by 36 seconds..This time I put in a hard sprint to the end, tears coming down my face and almost puking when I got back in the driveway.
Months later I will return to look at these posts and see the level of determination I had here.

Quads are undergoing some DOMS from yesterdays squats now Mabye the 310s weren't so insignificant afterall...

 

[Throttle]

My suggestion would be to switch out the calf raises in favor of leg presses and/or something that works the hamstrings hard (leg curls are one option).

The best grip for squatting is any grip you can hang on to. Seriously. Take it slow the first time you use a bar if you've only ever squatted on a machine. It's a totally different experience.

 

[Quiksilver]

Friday

1. Deadlift
- 4x10
set1: 10x160
set2: 10x180
set3: 10x200
set4: 10x220(this set pushed me pretty hard, i know where my 10rep max is now)

2. Lateral Pulldowns
- 4x10
set1: 10x100
set2: 10x110
set3: 10x120
set4: 10x130

3. Pullups - bodyweight

Total: 6...i was disappointed, i used to be able to do 10 or 11 consistently...
It could be because of the Deads and Lats that I couldn't manage anymore though.

4. Chinups - bodyweight + 10lbs

Total: 8...haha yea i think the deadlifts and lats conflict with these
Next week ill be ready though!

5. 1.75-mile Run - it turns out its not 2 miles like i estimated..i suspected as much when i was doing it in roughly 10 minutes.

Time: 9.43.02!!! The time keeps getting better, thats a full minute shaved off the original time. Its a distance that I can run pretty hard the entire way, and have time for a sprint at the end. I'm goin to start getting back on the Sprints though, I find they do more for me.

A good end to the week, I know I updated it a little late but I was late for something because of the workout anyways.

 

[Quiksilver]

Monday

1. Push-ups(warmup for chest/shoulders)
- 1x20
set1: 20xbodyweight

2. Incline Bench Press
- 4x10
set1: 10x90
set2: 10x110
set3: 10x130
set4: 10x150

Sweet! Been making some steady gains with this workout.

3. Bench Press
- 3x10
set1: 10x100
set2: 10x110
set3: 8x120

I couldn't manage a fourth set of this workout, and i keep hearing advice about not continuing to muscle failure, so I stopped after failing at 8 reps in 3rd set.

4. Military Press
- 4x10
set1: 10x70
set2: 10x110
set3: 6x110
set4: 7x90

haha, I couldn't even manage 3 worksets on this one. Mabye the bench press interfered? I can feel that this exercise will put some good mass on the shoulders. I still can't do Shoulder Presses until I get into my gym next monday, so we'll see where that goes.

5. 1.75-mile Run (It was raining again, what the fvck is up with the weather since i started this workout program!)

Time: 9.54.09

----------------

I took your advice and cut the Chest Fly's and Crossovers from the workout, and put more energy into the Bench Press. How does Mondays routine look now?

One last comment...I know I'm losing some of that stubborn fat I had over my abs, how long does it take for the flabby skin to disappear? It's not that bad at all, but im just curious.

Thanks

 

[Quiksilver]

Tuesday

1. 1.75-mile Run

Time: 9.41.98

Still shaving off seconds from this run! I had a pretty heavy meal before the run, which wasn't a good idea; i started cramping about 2 minutes in and had to push through it. that was fukin killer. I've started incorporating sprints into it as well. I do 10-second bursts and then cut back to running for 20 seconds, and repeat.
I find this works better than my old Sprints because they had a good 1 to 2 minute break between sets, which sorta defeats the purpose of 'em.

Another question: 1) Anyone up for Abs on Thursdays?

Would this fook up my routine any, or would it benefit my core? I could always add it to Mon, Wed, Fri...But those days are pretty full as is.

P.S. my weight has dropped a consistent 6lbs since I began afew weeks ago. My diet is that of a cutting diet and has been pretty clean. Start of January(i know still awhile away), im starting a bulking cycle in my own fashion.

Outlook is good!

 

[mrRuckus]

you are probably safe adding abs in as you like

 

[Quiksilver]

Wednesday

1. Squats
- 4x10
set1: 10x250(warm-up)
set2: 10x310
set3: 10x310
set4: 10x310

Hah, next week I'll be able to use real equipment for squats, just in time!

2. Abs
- 4x10
set1: 10x60
set2: 10x70
set3: 10x80
set4: 10x90(muscle fatigue hit me like a brick wall in this set! I tihnk I've found my max!!!

3. Tricep Pulldowns
- 4x10
set1: 10x70
set2: 10x80
set3: 10x90
set4: 6x100(failed on 7th rep)

4. 1.75-mile Run

Time: 9.53.78

Mildly disappointed with the time here, but then again, I just did squats so my sprint at the end wasn't as hard as it could have been. Whatever, solid time, 10 seconds in a 10 minute run doesnt mean much!

All in all, a good solid workout; found my 10-rep max. on the Abs and Tri's. Just gotta get some decent Squats movin forward!

 

[mrRuckus]

I really don't think you're warming up squats properly.

 

[Quiksilver]

What should I be doing?

 

[simon]

What you should not be doing is 1 warmup set.

What you should be doing is starting with the bar, moving up slowly to about 20kg or more away from your workset. Number of warmup sets should increase as workset weight increases, i.e. a 500lb deadlift will need more warmup sets than a 300lb deadlift.

http://www.ironaddicts.com/Warm-ups.html

 

[Quiksilver]

Friday

1. Deadlift
- 4x10
set1: 10x170
set2: 10x190
set3: 10x230
set4: 10x240

2. Lateral Pulldowns
- 4x10
set1: 10x110
set2: 10x120
set3: 10x130
set4: 10x140

3. Chin-ups - bodyweight

Total: 11

4. Pull-ups - bodyweight

Total: 6

5. 1.75-mile Run

Time: 9.24.00

--------------------------

Steadily increasing weight on my deadlift and lat. pulldowns, some might argue that i should just go straightup and find my max. 10rep weight but i have a history of muscle problems when i do that, so in my case i think it's wise to just steadily increase each week. This isn't so much a workout program as a lifestyle change, so there's no real hurry.

My chinups went pretty well but the pullups suffered because of it

The Deadlift is probably the single best exercise i do in this routine, probably because i dont have proper squat equipment. Nice, this week I will though, time to really go at this routine!

My run time was pretty ****ing good on Friday for some reason. It's strange because i didn't listen to music like i normally do. Mabye the weight of the mp3 player slows me down

Solid workout i think.

p.s. What would a good workout for Deadlifts have been this Friday if I included warm-up sets? Im not sure what weights to do for a warmup, how many reps, etc..

thanks

 

[Throttle]

There's no perfect formula, but if your work sets are 240, try:

Bar x 12
85 x 6
115 x 5
145 x 3
175 x 1
205 x 1

Then your worksets

240 x 8 x (2 or 3)

Though with proper warm ups and slightly lower reps you should be able to do even more weight (say 250 or 260 right off the bat).

 

[Warboss Alex]

There's no perfect formula, but if your work sets are 240, try:

Bar x 12
85 x 6
115 x 5
145 x 3
175 x 1
205 x 1

Then your worksets

240 x 8 x (2 or 3)

Though with proper warm ups and slightly lower reps you should be able to do even more weight (say 250 or 260 right off the bat).

that'll work. although I like pulling to within 20lbs of the target weight (I think it's safer), sometimes less. it also gives you a feel of what the workset'll be like. but that's how I'd warmup too, apart from that.

 

[Quiksilver]

Monday

1. Push-ups(warmup)
- 1x20
set1: 20xbodyweight

2. Incline Bench Press
set1: 12xbar
set2: 6x70
set3: 5x110
set4: 2x120
set5: 2x140
set6: 1x160

3. Bench Press
set1: 12xbar
set2: 6x50
set3: 3x100
set4: 1x120
set5: 1x140

4. Military Press
- 4x10
warmup: 10xbar
set1: 10x80
set2: 10x100
set3: 10x110
set4: 10x120

5. Shoulder Raises
- 4x10
warmup: 10x10
set1: 10x40
set2: 10x50
set3: 3x60 (failed on 4th rep)

6. 1.75-mile Run

Time: 10:33:17

--------------------------------------

Im trying to develop some healthy habits for a workout still, so I incorporated the advice about warmup sets into todays workout.

Still improving on my bench press, although only 4 weeks in i would still call this conditioning rather than muscle building.

Ugh, lousy run! I was cramping up from the first step, and it didn't go away! Usually a cramp for me dissipates after 2 or 3 minutes but this one bugged me the whole circuit, and drastically slowed me down. I feel cheated!!
Note to self: Don't eat a big meal before a workout.

Question...Does it matter if I do Incline Bench before normal Bench?

 

[Warboss Alex]

Question...Does it matter if I do Incline Bench before normal Bench?

no, although if you're doing a barbell movement on your incline try to do db's e.g. flat or decline for your second chest movement. if you insist on doing flat bench then make the reps much higher. you've fatigued your muscle through the incline (the main movement) and going for a max single again afterwards on one of the most dangerous exercises in the book is asking for trouble.

your single on the bench is 140 but you can do 120 x 10 on the military press? how come?