j4779

Thank you, I will check that out. But I'd still appreciate any suggestions from locals- I know where to find some of things that I like, but the places that I've found are pretty pricey. So, if anyone around this area knows of a good place with good prices, that's what I'm really looking for

I just moved to the Englewood area (just south of Sarasota) and haven't found a good place to buy vegan food. If anyone is near this area and has any suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks for the feedback. What do you mean about "stop trying to hit 75% of the bodies muscle mass on day one, then hitting the remaining 25% over three days"? Are you saying that the back is 75% of the mass of the body, and chest, arms, legs, etc. are the other 25%?

To clarify on the squats: I don't have a squat rack, but I have a piece of equipment that I can rest the barbell on that is about the right starting height. I can get under the bar and perform the squat, but I don’t have a safety “catch” or a spotter, so I have to lift with less weight to be on the safe side. I can go up to about 250 lbs, so it’s not too bad. So, yeah, I never really reach “failure” when I do squats, or even dead-lifts, which is maybe why I can do them on the same day. I realize that I won’t get as much of a benefit this way, but I have to be safe. I did my back/leg routine 2 days ago and I’m still feeling it, so that tells me that I am getting at least a little “something” from my workouts, right? As for anabolics, I only use creatine and glutamine along with NO Xplode; pre-workout drink. I am, however, trying “Precision Engineered Perfect Storm” today. It has creatine, amino acids, carbs and insulin-spike. It’s new and I haven’t been able to find much info online about it, but it sounds like a helpful supplement (but how safe, I don’t know). Any recommendations on supplements?

Well, I just put them together because they seem to go hand in hand without really conflicting with each other (or so I thought). Is it not a good idea to do it this way? I have no problem separating them- it just seemed like a good fit because I don't have many exercises to do for each group. Also, I don't really work those parts as hard as I could because I don't have the means to do them safely (squat rack; spotter) and I'm always nervous when it comes to my back. I do, however, feel that I get a pretty good workout, regardless. So, could you recommend a good routine for quads, hams and back on separate days that would be a full workout? All I have for equipment is a bench w/leg-lift extension and a "Power Tower" which I can use for dips, pull-ups and chin-ups, push-ups, ab exercises and I actually use the "arms" on it to hold my barbell when I do squats (not the safest way to do them, but it more than supports the weight).

After much research, I have developed what I consider to be a very efficient and effective Strength Training Log template. I’ve incorporated the “Stronglifts” system of 5 X 5, though I like to mix it up and sometimes just do 3 X 10. Just to clarify, each exercise consists of 5 blocks to record weight and reps, and columns go left to right each new day- for instance: Columns C through G on Bench is ONE day, then H through L is the next time Chest is done on another day. This way, you can see the progression each few days/week. Make sense? I would love any feedback/suggestions. I’ve basically made it a compound-exercise routine, predominantly, with some isolation exercises mixed in, but would love any advice on more exercises to add in or let me know if any of the sections have conflicting exercises on the same day (body-part wise), etc. Also, I only do one section a day, like "Chest" or "Arms" and I'm usually pretty beat at the end, so I feel like I'm getting a good workout- do these seem like enough exercises per day, per section? Do you do more/less?

Thanks! I have been taking pics at the end of each month to put in my progression picture, but I kept getting headaches every time that I exercised for a couple of weeks at the end of July, so my progress is a little behind schedule. I plan to update my pics mid to late August.

I usually just take pics at the end of each month, but I felt like I looked pretty good this morning. This 1st pic is just me flexing my arm and the 2nd pic is just a huge difference from my beginning pics. It's nothing spectacular, but I like it because I'm starting to see definition and, again, it's a huge difference from what I looked like 4 months ago.

Totally amazing!!! I'm no expert, but maybe part of the reason why you don't have the extra skin (which was mentioned earlier) is because you lost the weight over 10 months- not really quick like with liposuction. Anyway, great job! Like everyone else has said, you're very inspiring. It takes an insane amount of determination and self-discipline to do what you did, and not many people have that! Did you also quit smoking?

Well, I couldn't do exactly as I planned. I did, however, mix in your suggestions with my normal routine, which mixed things up pretty good. It turned out to be the best workout I've had in a while. I have also began trying to bulk-up, so adding calories/carbs before my workout also seemed to help. I feel that I may have been depriving myself of enough carbs to put on more muscle, but part of my goal was to shed a bunch of body fat- which I have. So now I can concentrate on bulking up a little while still maintaining a lower body fat percentage.

I like the idea of a compound-only regimen, but I also like doing certain isolation exercises. I definitely agree that it is a more intense type of exercise because any time that I mix some compound exercises in with my regular routine, I'm worn-out quicker and out of breath more. I was thinking about having one day a week just for compounds and then still having like a chest day, bicep, etc. day. But can ones whole regimen be solely compounds and still work every muscle as much as a regimen with isolation exercises? In other words; are squats, dead lifts, bench, pull-ups and the other compounds enough?

Okay, I'm going to try your suggestion. So, let's say for flat-bench, I normally would do the following 3 sets: 10 reps @ 90 lbs 10 reps @ 100 lbs 10 reps (or until fatigue) @ 110 lbs With your routine, I should do 6-8 reps of heavier weight that I should only be able to do 4 reps or less of, right? So maybe something like: 4 reps @ 110 4 reps @ 115 4 reps @ 120 4 reps @ 125 4 reps @ 130 4 reps @ 135 Should I increase in increments like that? Also, what is your suggested recovery time between sets (I usually rest 1:30-2 minutes)?

Wow! Thanks for all the info! I'm definitely going to do squats and deadlift along with pull-ups and chin-ups mixed in with all my other exercises from now on. As for joining a gym, I've been thinking about lately- we'll see. I have a bench, a "power tower" (for dips, pull-ups and ab work) and a home gym with cable exercises, so aside from a squat-rack, I have almost everything that I need at home. It would be nice to have more options, though...

Man, I just don't have the body type to do that- if I eat any extra carbs, I can literally account for it 2-3 days later by weighing myself on a scale and seeing the fat around my abdomen growing. I am THAT in-tune with my body. So if I have pasta, pizza, potatoes, bread or any sweets, I'll put on like 3-5 lbs within 3 days, seriously. Also, isn't it like every gram of protein equals 4 carbs? I don't know, but I'm trying to put on lean muscle- I'm not trying to get too huge, like a body-builder, more like lean and muscular similar to Ryan Reynolds build. As for all the pull-ups and 6-8 sets, I'm only 4 months into lifting, so once I've done 3 sets of pull-ups or even chin-ups, I only have enough steam left to do 1 or 2 more exercises. Because of that, I only do pull-ups and chin-ups along with push-ups and ab stuff together, then I do chest, arms, shoulders, etc. on separate days so that I can get good full sets instead of wearing myself out with pull-ups first. I do, however, perform 3 sets of dips on chest or shoulder days sometimes, but then the rest of my workout is usually weaker. I take N.O. Explode before working out, maybe I need to try something different to give me more endourance?

Cool, I will check that out. But I want to clarify: You meant under 4 "Sets" and 6-8 "Reps", right? Also, I've noticed that many people on this site list what they eat during a typical day and it seems like everyones diet includes a lot of carbs and not so much protein. I know there are good and bad carbs and you need to eat the good ones, but I have a hard enough time trying to get the suggested 1 gram per lb of body weight of protein, while also trying to keep my body fat percentage down by eating less carbs/calories. Am I eating wrong? Almost every meal that I eat consists of around 20 grams of protein (including shakes that replace a meal), and I eat about 6 small meals a day. How many grams of protein do you usually eat a day?