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theVeganInitiative Training Journal


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I'm real inspired lately and want to get fit, strong, and looking good...

 

5/23: morning walk/run ~20 minutes

 

5/24: morning circuit of 15 chins, 16 pushups, 20 situps, 20 squats with 43.6 lbs

 

5/25: morning workout (medium day):

squats: 81x9x2

bp: 72.2x9x2

rows: 72.2x9x2

ohp: 43.6x9x2

sldl: 72.2x9x2

curls: 35x9x2

calves: 72.2x9x2

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5/29: Heavy Day, week 3 of 2nd cycle

 

Squats: 92.2x10x2

BP: 77.2x10x2

Rows: 77.2x10x2

OHP: 48.6x10x2

SLDL: 81x10x2

Curls: 40x10x2

Calves: 81x10x2

 

I played kickball in brooklyn on saturday which was a lot of fun and a really good workout...still a little sore in certain spots. Played more games on Sunday and got in a run as well as chins, situps, and pushups this morning.

 

I have some Hami Gold Melons which are just like little cantaloupes and are really tasty. My bananas are perfectly ripe so I've had some really sweet smoothies. My digestion feels good.

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6/1: Cycle 2, Week 3, Medium Day

 

Squats: 81x10x2

BP: 72.2x10x2

Rows: 72.2x10x2

OHP: 43.6x10x2

SLDL: 72.2x10x2

Curls: 35x10x2

Calves: 72.2x10x2

 

Morning workouts are really tough...I don't feel very strong or too good during the workout but I've been able to hit my lifts and get it done. I may have to workout later in the day for my heavy workouts though to make sure I'm not failing because it's too early and I don't have my shit together.

Not feeling too hungry today and have only had a small Hami Melon after this workout. My bananas are ripe and so are the mangoes so I'm pretty happy that I'll be set with food for the next few days at least.

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6/3: Cycle 2, Week 3, Light Day

 

Squats: 72.2x10x2

BP: 68.6x10x2

Rows: 68.6x10x2

OHP: 40x10x2

SLDL: 63.6x10x2

Curls: 28.8x10x2

Calves: 63.6x10x2

 

This light day felt really tough. I had a rough day with digestion on Friday (after my Medium Day workout) and did not eat much. I was back on track Saturday, played some basketball and kickball, and ate a decent amount. I also tried some tempo sets using my metronome which may have contributed to how hard this workout felt. I tried 2-0-2-0 but that felt so slow and made the sets I tried this with really hard. I lift naturally at about 1-0-1-0 or 2-0-1-0. I'm definitely going to stick with my natural tempo on my heavy days but I like to experiment and it's interesting to experience other tempos on these lifts. I'm not really sure what kind of effect all this would have on my workouts but it may be worth revisiting this in the future.

I'm increasing my green juice intake this week and getting more strict with my diet plan this week to see how I feel with this well designed (with cronometer) plan:

 

32 oz water upon waking

1 hour later, eat 1 honeydew melon (~1500g)

2 hours later, drink 32 oz green juice of kale (300g), celery (300g), carrot (300g), apple or orange (300g)

1 hour later, eat smoothie of banana (800g), mango (400g), and 12 oz water

3 hours later, drink 32 oz water

1 hour later, eat smoothie of the same green juice mixed with the same banana/mango combo.

before bed, eat 2 brazil nuts (for added selenium)

 

If I'm still hungry after the lunch and dinner smoothies, I'll eat additional whole bananas.

This diet is ~3000 cals and yeilds 88% carbs, 6% pro, and 6% fat as well as getting all the necessary micronutrients in good ratios including omega 3 / omega 6, amino acids, calcium/phosphorous, and all else. I'm taking a D2 supplement and B12 sublingual supplement daily.

 

I'm currently drinking green juice and already got in a 30 minute bike ride this morning.

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6/5: Cycle 2, Week 4, Heavy Day

 

Squats: 92.2x11x2

BP: 77.2x11x2

Rows: 77.2x11x2

OHP: 48.6x11x2

SLDL: 81x11x2

Curls: 40x11x2

Calves: 81x11x2

 

Morning workouts are still kicking my ass. This is also my heavy day and was nearing failure on every lift except SLDLs and Calf Raises though these were still hard and felt good.

 

I stuck to my meal plan yesterday and am starting off well again today. I did have some stomach discomfort yesterday possibly from fibers from greens in the juices so I am straining after juicing. The prep time for all this juice and mangoes is a bit annoying but I need to stay consistent and get my nutrition. Today I combined the juice with the banana/mango smoothies so I'll be doing 3 meals today: honeydew, banana/mango/green juice smoothies, banana/mango/green juice smoothies.

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6/9: Cycle 2, Week 4, Medium Day

 

Squats: 81x11x2

BP: 72.2x11x2

Rows: 72.2x11x2

OHP: 43.6x11x2

SLDL: 72.2x11x2

Curls: 35x11x2

Calves: 72.2x11x2

 

Finally had a good night sleep after working in the city a couple days this week and continuing my day job up here as well. This workout was pretty tough for me. I was sipping orange juice through it and that helped. I tried a new technique for rows which made them a bit hard...not sure if I'll keep using this and have to drop the weight next cycle. For calf raises, I raised my toes on a wood block and this made them hard as well so I may not be able to make all my reps on the next heavy day...we'll see. Feeling good and definitely improving while staying healthy. This is awesome.

My plan has not gone as planned as I was away from home for a couple days this week. I brought a lot of bananas and mangoes with me but could not keep up with the green juice. I'm going to rethink the plan and work in some other foods I picked up at the wholesaler this week. I actually got 2 fresh durians! They just arrived as I was leaving brooklyn, called the wholesaler right as I was leaving, they said to come by, I turned onto the street and there was a rainbow coming out of the clouds leading right there! It was ridiculous. I feel very lucky and believe not many in the US get to experience fresh durian. They need a few days to ripen up nice so I can't wait to crack them open.

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6/14/12: Cycle 2, Week 5, Heavy Day

 

Squats: 92.2x12x2

BP: 77.2x12x2

Rows: 77.2x12x2

OHP: 48.6x12x2

SLDL: 81x12x2

Curls: 40x12x2

Calves: 81x12x2

 

I took an extra day off yesterday to let my shoulder heal more...it's been bothering me. This workout was tough but I've been feeling well besides the shoulder and getting sleep and food. I'll be increasing all my weights next week and starting again at 8 reps.

 

This morning I did a bike sprint of 30 seconds, 10 more minutes of riding, and a set of situps.

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6/18: Cycle 2, Week 5, Light Day (last day of cycle!)

 

Squats: 72.2x12x2

BP: 63.6x12x2

Rows: 63.6x12x2

OHP: 35x12x2

SLDL: 65x12x2

Curls: 28.8x12x2

Calves: 65x12x2

 

...still been having some problems with my right shoulder. i wake up with it being sore and tight but it gets better during the day. i have a history of bursitis and general inflammation in that shoulder and i'm hoping it will go away without having to stop lifting. i definitely aggravate it a bit on many of the lifts in my workout but i feel my form is good and if i don't overdo it, i should be healing while continuing to be consistent with my workouts. i think i will end up stretching or doing too much rehab type work when i have pains like this and it makes it worse so i am trying not to do much with my shoulder besides my workouts. i'll keep monitoring the situation...i'm stoked to increase the weights and start over at 8 reps next workout. this workout was tough for me and i just hope i can keep progressing next cycle.

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6/23 Workout: Cycle 3, Week 1, Heavy Day

 

Squats: 102.2x8x2

BP: 86x8x2

Rows: 86x8x2

OHP: 52.4x8x2

SLDL: 92.2x8x2

Curls: 43.6x8x2

Calves: 92.2x8x2

 

Squats felt really heavy. so did most other lifts. This should be a real tough cycle for me. I've been feeling a little crappy since playing a late show last Thursday and not getting much sleep before work on Friday. Busy weekend too and not taking such good care of myself so I need to get back on track this week. My right shoulder has been feeling better but these workouts are definitely aggravating if not causing the issues...I'll be watching this closely as well.

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Good work buddy, keep it up.

 

I like the detail in your log although you definately do need to look at your training. It looks like you are doing the same group of exercises for pretty much the same number of sets and reps each workout?

 

I know you are doing a training cycle, I just don't quite understand it ?! Let me know if I can help with you anything, cheers MF.

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thanks for posting on my blog mini forklift!

in case anyone is reading my blog and is interested in the routine I am following then you can find it here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843

 

I have tried other routines in the past like SS but I like how this routine is setup and simple to follow while also making me feel good. I have only done 2 cycles but I definitely feel my body composition is improving and my strength is definitely improving as I have not stalled yet and my 10 RMs were surpassed the 4th week of the 1st cycle.

 

I am still tall and thin, struggle to be consistent, and working on my health but I have noticed many improvements.

 

If anyone has any questions or comments or advice, I am always open to anything!

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  • 2 weeks later...

7/7/12

 

Back in action: Cycle 3, Week 1, Heavy Day

 

Squats: 102.2x8x2

BP: 86x8x2

Rows: 86x8x2

OHP: 48.6x8x2

SLDL: 92.2x8x2

Curls: 43.6x8x2

Calves: 92.2x8x2

 

So I took some time off as my right shoulder kept bothering me. It's still bothering me and waking up a bit stiff with pain upon turning my neck. I have a history of bursitis and for some reason I just can't get it to stop hurting intermittently. I really wanted to get back into my workouts so I just started up again this morning. This workout was tough and I feel like I lost some strength and may have some failures on this cycle. I switched to high bar squats as the low bar position seemed to be aggravating my shoulder more so I may not be as strong with the high bar. I may also eventually switch to front bar squats but we'll see. BP was super heavy and I almost didn't make the 8 reps. I've been working on my hand placement on the bar. My bench is shitty and won't allow me to grip it at shoulder width length from the start position so I've been lowering the first rep and moving my grip in while the bar rests on my chest. All the other lifts felt ok. I may be going too heavy on rows as well and took a bit of weight off OHP for this cycle. Overall I'm happy to be back at it but unsure how I'm going to hold up. I really need to be consistent because this 2 week break really took a toll on my strength...and I'll probably be sore in the next couple days as well.

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7/9: Cycle 3, Week 1, Medium Day

 

Squats: 92.2x8x2

BP: 77.2x8x2

Rows: 77.2x8x2

OHP: 40x8x2

SLDL: 81x8x2

Curl: 40x8x2

Calves: 81x8x2

 

7/11: Cycle 3, Week 1, Light Day

 

Squats: 81x8x2

BP: 72.2x8x2

Rows: 72.2x8x2

OHP: 35x8x2

SLDL: 72.2x8x2

Curl: 35x8x2

Calves: 72.2x8x2

 

Right shoulder continues to bother me (bursitis type inflammation). Getting it done and feeling good about it anyway.

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hey Mini - thanks for commenting again!

 

The routine I'm doing has me doing the same lifts, 3 days a week, but with a heavy day, medium day (-10%), and light day (-20%)...I don't think I could do heavy squats every other day but my recovery is good and I feel like this routine is working well for me besides my shoulder issue which I'm not sure is related to the workouts as I've had a history of bursitis even before I started lifting.

 

What kind of routine would you recommend for a beginner who wants to build muscle primarily?

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7/14/12: Cycle 3, Week 2, Heavy Day

 

Squats: 102.2 lbs x 9 x 2

BP: 86 x 9 x 2

Rows: 86 x 9 x 2

OHP: 48.6 x 9 x 2

SLDL: 92.2 x 9 x 2

Curls: 43.6 x 9 x 2

Calves: 92.2 x 9 x 2

 

Squats were very tough and taxing. BP almost failed 2nd set, last rep. Right elbow bothering me on curls. Right shoulder still has painful inflammation but manageable.

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hey Mini - thanks for commenting again!

 

The routine I'm doing has me doing the same lifts, 3 days a week, but with a heavy day, medium day (-10%), and light day (-20%)...I don't think I could do heavy squats every other day but my recovery is good and I feel like this routine is working well for me besides my shoulder issue which I'm not sure is related to the workouts as I've had a history of bursitis even before I started lifting.

 

What kind of routine would you recommend for a beginner who wants to build muscle primarily?

Well, what you have said could work and you seem to gauge that it is working well for you. I'd say a beginner could do well on a 4 day split, something like Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri. Nutrition would be paramount and the macros tailored for him/her to best encourage and support muscle growth.

 

I had someone ask me a few weeks back what I thought about the minimum requirement of protein required daily for building muscle. Well, the American RDA (I believe) is 0.4g/lbs, but this is based off studies with relatively sedentary individuals. Logic would dictate that the more active you are then the more protein is going to be required; on a base level the protein will simply be used to fascilitate muscular recovery, preventing muscle/bone loss and providing your body with what it needs to either maintain or build muscle, depending on your activity type and the intensity level.

 

For strength training athletes I would be looking at at least double that, so 1g/lb bodyweight and upwards. The reason I am suggesting one gram/lb bodyweight and upwards is that people that train with weights are definately going to working at least twice as hard as the sedentary person (bit of a no-brainer there), so 1g would really be just a starting point. As you increase the protein markedly past this point, there has to be some optimal point where muscle building can occur ~ the ideal combination of training stimuli and protein intake/utilisation in the body. I'd have to look at the data for this, but I would say it's impossible to set a definative number as everybody is different, both with their muscular response to training, diet and how well their digestive system is functioning. Then of course you have the different types of protein, the main two being animal and plant... there are a lot of variables to factor in.

 

For an experienced lifter I would probably start around the 1.5g/lb bodyweight mark and take it from there depending on their initial response to that amount, beginner you could probably get away with a little less than that as they should be more responsive to the training stimulus (initially at least)

 

Keep up the good work, and sorry for my long-winded reply haha.

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Thanks for the advice MF!

 

7/16: Cycle 3, Week 2, Medium Day

 

Squats: 92.2x9x2

BP: 77.2x9x2

Rows: 77.2x9x2

OHP: 43.6x9x2

SLDL: 81x9x2

Curls: 40x9x2

Calves: 81x9x2

 

7/18: Cycle 3, Week 2, Light Day

 

Squats: 81x9x2

BP: 72.2x9x2

Rows: 72.2x9x2

OHP: 40x9x2

SLDL: 72.2x9x2

Curls: 35x9x2

Calves: 72.2x9x2

 

I'm still having some shoulder issues but may be doing better...not sure. Right elbow got tweaked on Monday and is still not feeling well today. I'm trying to be consistent so I hope these problems don't get in the way!

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7/21: Cycle 3, Week 3, Heavy Day

 

Squats: 102.2 x 10 x 2

BP: 86 x 10, 86 x 8

Rows: 86 x 10 x 2

OHP: 48.6 x 10 x 2

SLDL: 92.2 x 10 x 2

Curls: 43.6 x 10 x 2

Calves: 92.2 x 10 x 2

 

Failed bench! It was heavy last week so I knew this was a possibility. Heavy day is tough and felt my form breaking down on rows as well.

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7/23: Cycle 3, Week 3, Medium Day

 

Squats: 92.2 x 10 x 2

BP: 77.2 x 10 x 2

Rows: 77.2 x 10 x 2

OHP: 43.6 x 10 x 2

SLDL: 81 x 10 x 2

Curls: 40 x 10 x 2

Calves: 81 x 10 x 2

 

Made it through ok. Squats are tough and I feel like my right shoulder/neck is still being bothered by the movement. On BP I realized my right wrist/hand is being bothered as well. My right elbow is also still giving me some pain. oh, my right side! I'm feeling good about staying consistent. I'll see where it gets me. Stronger? Bigger? Nagging Pain? maybe all 3.

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