jsalem978's Training Journal

[jsalem978]

Here goes nothing. Starting at 102 lbs.


Today (10/23) was my second day working out. I'm following a simple, 3 day/week program right now I found on a fitness app to get me used to the gym. It goes as follows: Pull, push, and legs. All reps are x10, x8, and x6

10/21:

Pre-workout nutrition: 2 almond butter sandwiches on quinoa bread, PlantFusion protein shake with almond milk

Pull
1. Pulldowns (front, wide-grip): 27.5 lbs on all sets
2. Pulldowns (rear): 20 lbs on all sets
3. Upright rows (barbell): 20lbs, 30lbs, 30lbs respectively
4. Plan called for t-bar rows, but my gym doesn't have a proper machine (skipped)
5. Shrugs (dumbell): 35lbs on all sets
6. Rear delt row (cable): 27.5 lbs on all sets
7. Arm curls (barbell): 30lbs on all sets
8. Preacher Curls (plan called for barbell but I used a machine. These are tough!): 15lbs on all sets
9. Reverse arm curls: 20lbs, 30lbs, 30lbs respectively
10. wrist curls (barbell): 30lbs on all sets
11. Reverse wrist curls (barbell): 20lbs on all sets

Post-workout nutrition: 1 banana, PlantFusion protein shake with almond milk

Lunch: BBQ seitan wrap with lettuce, tomato and veganaise, Clif Builder bar, 1 pear

Dinner: Trader Joe's Penne Arrabiata, gala apple

Felt awesome this day! Following day I was a tad bit sore, but that's to be expected. Not as bad as I've been in the past, which leads me to believe I could train harder.

[jsalem978]

10/23:

Pre-workout nutrition: 2 packages instant oatmeal, with almond milk and flax. 1 almond butter and jelly sandwich. PlantFusion protein shake with almond milk (this time I added cacao powder and a sprinkle of EKZ-Krealkaline I had sitting around. not sure how I feel about that stuff)

Push: all reps are x10, x8, and x6

1. Bench Press (barbell): 50lbs, 50lbs, and 55lbs respectively
2. Bench Press (dumbbell, incline): 20lbs/arm, all sets
3. Flyes (dumbbell, flat bench): 15lbs/arm, all sets
4. Shoulder Press (smith machine): 10lbs/arm, all sets (damn these are tough!)
5. Triceps Extensions (barbell, lying): 20lbs, 30lbs, 30lbs respectively
6. Cable Pushdowns: 20lbs/set
7 and 8 I simply didn't know how to do, or if I'm honest, wouldn't feel comfortable doing. Neck extension and Neck flexion. Are these worth doing?

Post-workout Nutrition: 1 banana, PlantFusion protein shake with almond milk, cacao powder, and Krealkaline. 1 Clif builder bar.

It's about 2:30 now. Feeling good! I could barely lift my gym bag when I got home, which is a good thing. I still feel like I could've pushed myself further today, especially on the bench press. I'll get em next time! About to go cook up some quinoa and veggies!

Edit: Yum! Quinoa, broccoli, and kale.

[HIT Rob]

Hi J,

That's a lot of volume there chum, and a lot of very specific movements for someone at your level (and of your genetic's), personally i would recommend you focus more on a small amount of compound movements for a while, these movements are much greater growth simulators and will help build a foundation mass (i don't recommend arbitrary system's that are based on two numbers that match, such as 5x5). Yes, isolation / targeted movements do have there place, however they should come in later down the line.

The goal of a bodybuilder is not to go into the gym to see how much weight he or she can lift, or to see how much work he or she can endure, your actual, literately purpose as a bodybuilder, is to do the "precise" amount of work required to stimulate your body, then get the hell out of the gym, go home, rest, recover and grow.

As far as being sore is concerned, my mentor and former Mr Universe Mike Mentzer said this to me...
"if getting sore was necessary, I, nor my brother Ray (who was a former Mr America) would have ever won a physique title, the only time we ever got sore was coming back after a layoff" he when on to say "the pump is also not a sure fire indicator that growth has been stimulated, intensity of effort is what stimulates growth, the harder you train the greater the growth stimulation, this has been verified by science and is an absolute requisite for muscle growth, the pump however has never been so verified"

Hope this helps and the very best with your journey
Rob

[jsalem978]

I'm still going! Just haven't gotten around to logging my stuff.

Sat 10/26: Leg day. All exercises are x10, x8, x6

1. Squats: 10x50lbs, 8x60lbs, 6x70lbs
I had never done a squat before in my life, so this was a feeler outer. Felt good! I could've definitely done more but didn't want to burn myself out
2. Leg extensions (can't remember how much weight I used! )
3. Hip Adductions, 130lbs
4. Hip Abductions, 130lbs
5. Incline leg press, 100lbs
6. Regular leg press, 100lbs

Still feeling the effects a couple days later. I know leg days have a bad rep but damn! Good problem to have, though. Excited for the next! I could definitely push myself further. Looking forward to squatting more weight.

[jsalem978]

I'll get right on it and log tonight's workout.

10/28 Pull (back and biceps). I felt low confidence on my way to the gym tonight. I think working out in the evening/night throws me off. I took a nap after class today too, which could've thrown off my mood/energy.

Pull
1. Pulldowns (front, wide-grip): 70lbs on all sets
I know I wrote 27.5lbs on my last weeks workout, I think I was using a different machine. Still not sure what happened here.
2. Pulldowns (rear): 70lbs, 70lbs, 55lbs
3. Upright rows (barbell): 30lbs on all sets
4. Plan called for t-bar rows, but my gym doesn't have a proper machine (skipped)
5. Shrugs (dumbell): 35lbs, 40lbs, 40lbs (I did all sets of 10 on this)
6. Rear delt row (cable): 27.5 lbs on all sets (these are tough! try a bar next week instead of individual handles)
7. Arm curls (barbell): 40lbs, 40lbs, 30lbs. Definitely felt the difference! Shoot for all 40 next week
8. Preacher Curls (plan called for barbell but I used a machine. These are tough!): Again, I'm not sure what happened but I did 30lbs on all sets this week. Maybe the weights were labeled incorrectly.
9. Reverse arm curls: 30lbs on all sets
10. wrist curls (barbell): 30lbs on all sets (all sets of 10)
11. Reverse wrist curls (barbell): 20lbs on all sets (all sets of 10)

Small increases in weight and reps this week. Not trying to destroy myself learning how to lift, but still trying to progress. Feeling good! Looking forward to seeing some gains take place, just gotta be patient and diligent. Wednesday is chest ant triceps, looking forward to it!

[jsalem978]

10/30 Push

Drank Sun Warrior sample packet of Vanilla today because I ran out of my PlantFusion and it was repulsive. Never again. Regardless, I had a big meal of tofu (32g/protein), white rice and spinach before working out. Lifted heavier this week, for sure.

1. Bench Press (barbell): 50lbs, 60lbs, 70lbs respectively. Did 10x 8x 8x on this.
2. Bench Press (dumbbell, incline): 20lbs/arm, all sets
3. Flyes (dumbbell, flat bench): 15lbs, 17.5lbs, 17.5lbs respectively. Did 10x 8x 8x
4. Shoulder Press (smith machine): The gym was so packed I couldn't get my hands on a bench press to try this one.
5. Triceps Extensions (barbell, lying): 30lbs on all sets. Did 10x 8x 8x
6. Cable Pushdowns: 30lbs, 40lbs, 40lbs respectively. Found the right attachment for the machine this week and was able to lift more efficiently.
I left out whatever neck workouts the guide told me to do and did some tricep presses on the machine. 50lbs 8x, 70lbs 6x, 90lbs 4x.

Note to self: Do your best to get to the gym early. Less people, more focus. Hopefully my PlantFusion shows up soon! I ordered it Monday and they've always been quick with shipping.

[esqinchi]

Hey man, I think your training looks good. Even if the moves are semi-advanced to advanced, you can always find resources to see proper execution. exrx.net is a good website for stuff like that.

I saw you bailed on the t-bar rows because your gym doesn't have a machine. That's a great exercise for back/delts, and you can totally get them done with a barbell, some weight plates, and a close grip row handle/attachment (if your gym has a low row bench, it should be nearby). Put the plates on one end of the bar, secure the other end in the corner of a room (or the home-plate looking thing, which your gym apparently does not have), stick the handle under the end with the weights on it (below the weights), and then lift that shit up. Just keep your back straight, and chin up. Like this... http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidPosterior/LVTBarRearDeltRow.html

I'm assuming you want to add mass, so eat up, and eat often - but I'm guessing you knew that. If you like Trader Joe's, they have this high protein superfirm tofu that is pretty legit. I ate a ton of that stuff earlier this year before going mostly raw vegan. I also did a push/pull/3day/week routine, which worked really well for me for about four months. After my body got used to that routine, I started doing strength + hiit training to lean out, which really seems to be working

Anyhow, keep killing it! I'll be sure to follow along.

[jsalem978]

Hey esqinchi, thanks for stopping by!

My gym doesn't have that machine, and I work out at Planet Fitness which has secured barbells on the machines (I can't take them off if I wanted to). I could probably modify the machine for tricep pulldown's though, there's a setting where you can pull it from the bottom which looks similar. I'll give that a shot.

And funny you say that, I actually work at Trader Joe's. The high protein tofu is good stuff. I just always seem to have a tough time cooking it well. Still on the hunt for a good way of cooking tofu, although I do do my best to stay away from soy. Sometimes you do what you gotta do to bulk up!

Also glad to hear from someone who did a similar routine. I was worried I wasn't going to progress with it, but I already feel stronger and it's only been about 2 weeks. I can look down and see a difference in my forearms already. I should start researching what would work for me after I, for lack of a better term, build a process addiction to actually physically going to the gym. That's kind of what I'm working on now; making it a part of my life.

Thanks again, and I'll check your log too!

[esqinchi]

Right on, man. I think your routine would be good for a solid four or five months really. There's nothing better than training, and feeling every muscle react as you move around. As for cooking the high protein tofu, what I really liked to do was....

We bought a grill pan that went over our existing stovetop (gas stoves work best, I think). I would take the tofu out of the package, rub some grapeseed oil over the grill pan, cut the tofu into 1/2" thick squares, grill it on each side maybe 2 - 3 minutes (depending on heat setting), then put it in a plastic bag, add in about 1/3 cup of TJ's soy sauce, sriracha, spices, whatever... Seal the bag, shake it up, steam some broccoli, and put the tofu on top. Pretty good stuff!

[jsalem978]

Thanks esqinchi for the reinforcement about what I'm doing. Very helpful to hear someone thinks I'm on the right track.

I just hopped on the scale in my skippies and I'm up a couple pounds! I feel stronger in my back and arms already. Kind of starting to see results too!

11/1:

[C.O.]

Your hair's looking strong! You look pretty fit, not as frail as one would suspect for 102 lbs. Keep pushin' you'll get to where you want to be at.

-Dylan

[jsalem978]

Ladies love the hair, Dylan! Thanks though, I've always felt like a fit kid. I was shocked to find out how little I weighed when I stepped on a scale a few weeks ago. I can only go up from here!

Another leg day down, another week of anguish commences for every staircase I encounter. Made some leaps in weight though!

I got my order from Vegan Proteins in and got a fresh tub of PlantFusion Chocolate! Also, I'm a big Joe Rogan fan and I tried some of those Onnit supplement trial packs. I took an AlphaBrain and a ShroomTech before this workout, along with a protein shake in almond milk.

11/3: Legs

1. Squats: 10x70lbs, 8x90lbs, 6x100lbs
3 digits! Hell yeah. I felt good enough to finish my workout strong after this too! Could've done even more.
2. Leg extensions 50lbs, 50lbs, 60lbs this week.
3. Hip Adductions, 130lbs, 150lbs, 160lbs
4. Hip Abductions, 150lbs, 160lbs, 170lbs
5. Calf press 90lbs, 140lbs, 140lbs

I was kind of in a rush to get to work, so I had to make this workout quick and heavy. I feel good! Back and biceps tomorrow.

[C.O.]

Drinking the protein shake after your workout right, not before?

[jsalem978]

Drinking the protein shake after your workout right, not before?

I make my protein shake when I make my pre-workout meal, and I do drink some of it beforehand but the majority right after my workout.

[jsalem978]

11/4: Pull (back and biceps) Felt good heading to the gym today. Got plenty of rest, and ate well!

Here's lunch:


Pull
1. Pulldowns (front, wide-grip): 85lbs, 70lbs, 70lbs
2. Pulldowns (rear): 55lbs on all sets
3. Upright rows (barbell):40 on all sets
4. Plan called for t-bar rows, but my gym doesn't have a proper machine (skipped)
5. Shrugs (used barbell this week): 40lbs (I did all sets of 10 on this)
6. Rear delt row (used a machine this week): 40lbs, 40lbs, 45lbs (big difference in machines! form felt better)
7. Arm curls (barbell): 30lbs all sets.
8. Preacher Curls: 30lbs all sets
9. Reverse arm curls: 30lbs on all sets
10. wrist curls (barbell): 30lbs on all sets (all sets of 10)
11. Reverse wrist curls (barbell): 20lbs on all sets (all sets of 10)

NOTE: I focused very strongly on proper form this week, and I can feel the difference. Even though some of my weight numbers are down, I performed those exercises slowly and accurately, focusing directly on the muscles I was working.

I feel like biceps in particular are the weak point on my body. I'd like to take time to build them well. Other areas I seem to be able to make gains confidently (legs, chest, tri's), but biceps are really tough for me. I suppose it's just a matter of staying consistent!