Hobbs Posted May 27, 2016 Author Share Posted May 27, 2016 Week 9 / Session 3 DELTS Weights roughly similar but the form is improving and I can target the right muscles better. http://i67.tinypic.com/rm1vs7.jpg Yesterday's cardio: 40min HIIT Bike 20mnWarm-up20 sec max effort + 10 sec rest x82 min easy10 sec max effort + 10 sec rest x42 min easy10 sec max effort + 10 sec rest x4 Stair climber 20mn1min 80% effort - 1 min easy, then 30sec 80% effort - 30 sec easy, all that x 5Cool down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Week 9 / Session 4 LEGS Weights steadily going up. Feeling light headed after the squats, not sure that's normal.Going to google that. http://i64.tinypic.com/ibwehf.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Week 9 - ASSESSMENT Completed 3 week shoulder cycle. Going to move on to the chest cycle to complete the 12 week challenge, before going on holiday for a week.Then I'm curious to do the leg cycle as well, before moving to something else. Stats are roughly the same, weight a bit down in spite of the calorie increase. Stats Weight 68kg (-0.2kg)Body fat % 7.3 (-1.4%)Hydration % 62.2 (+1.4%)Muscle weight 60 kg (+0.7kg) Nutrition No change High carb day, on training days, 4 days/week : 3,300 kcalprot 25% 190g / 760 kcalfat 20% 80g / 720 kcalCarb 55% 450g / 1800kcal Medium carb day, on cardio days and rest day, 3 days/week: 2,700 kcalprot 30% 180g / 720 kcalfat 30% 90g / 810 kcalCarb 40% 270g / 1080kcal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Week 10 / Session 1 CHEST Crap session, felt I had nothing left in the tank.Struggled to complete sets, even with lower weights than usual. http://i67.tinypic.com/21mw3o2.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Week 10 / Session 2 LEGSAnother quite average session, low weights and knee unhappy I find front squat hard on the wrists, not sure I'm placing/removing the bar correctly.Need to check videos on Youtube for tips and proper from. http://i66.tinypic.com/33w5bw6.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 Week 10 / Session 3 CHEST Not a great session, still feeling weak, and breakfast wouldn't stay down -_-'Not feeling tired or sick other than that, maybe I've lost a bit of my mojo. http://i64.tinypic.com/k0g74g.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 5, 2016 Author Share Posted June 5, 2016 Week 10 / Session 4 ARMS Things got better, great workout and knackered by the end. http://i67.tinypic.com/2hpko4j.jpg Thurday:Random HIIT 40mn - bike / running Sunday:Random HIIT 40mn - stairclimber / bike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 Week 11 / Session 1 CHEST Weights slightly up on that session. http://i66.tinypic.com/106dmbk.jpg Had my first swimming lesson in a while last night, felt great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 11, 2016 Author Share Posted June 11, 2016 Week 11 / Session 2 LEGS Weights going up, still finding front squat hard on wrists. I think sumo squats holding a dumbbell work better for me. http://i67.tinypic.com/6ejb41.jpg Week 11 / Session 3 ARMSSame weights but an extra rep for all sets. http://i66.tinypic.com/2ypam95.jpg Cardio day:Ramdom HITTSprints on treadmill 15mnSprints on bike 15mnJog/walk in nearby park 20mn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share Posted June 13, 2016 Saturday: I had signed up for a free British military fitness session in the local park where I run sometimes.Various bodyweight exercises like lunges or squats, but all done to failure, and then a bit more Some running in between exercises. My legs and abs still hurt 2 days later, so it's nice kick in the arse.They regularly organise free sessions all over the UK, defo worth a try:https://www.britmilfit.com/ Then Sunday: Week 11 / Session 4 CHEST http://i68.tinypic.com/2j1wwhg.jpg And this morning Week 12 / Session 1 ARMS Was supposed to go for heavier weights and long rest but I wasn't into it at all so went the other way with higher reps and low rest. http://i64.tinypic.com/2v8iza8.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 14, 2016 Author Share Posted June 14, 2016 Week 11 - ASSESSMENT Stats are roughly the same, weight still down in spite of the calorie increase.Wonder how accurate my scales are. Onward to final week anyway ! Stats Weight 67.2kg (-0.8kg)Body fat % 8.2 (+0.9%)Hydration % 61.1 (-1%)Muscle weight 58.6 kg (-0.4kg) Nutrition No change High carb day, on training days, 4 days/week : 3,300 kcalprot 25% 190g / 760 kcalfat 20% 80g / 720 kcalCarb 55% 450g / 1800kcal Medium carb day, on cardio days and rest day, 3 days/week: 2,700 kcalprot 30% 180g / 720 kcalfat 30% 90g / 810 kcalCarb 40% 270g / 1080kcal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 18, 2016 Author Share Posted June 18, 2016 Catching up! Week 12 / Session 2 CHEST http://i63.tinypic.com/dc4tx5.jpg Week 12 / Session 3 LEGS http://i65.tinypic.com/kf39dx.jpg Week 12 / Session 4 CHEST Quite a short workout, added a superset, in italic below. http://i67.tinypic.com/2gwhr7p.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 18, 2016 Author Share Posted June 18, 2016 Week 12 - FINAL ASSESSMENT Stats Weight 67.6kg (+0.4kg)Body fat % 7.2 (-1%)Hydration % 62.2 (-1%)Muscle weight 59.5 kg (+0.9kg) 12 WEEK PLAN ASSESSMENT So as a reminder: for the past 12 week I've been following the plan as described in Nick Mitchell book:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Ultimate-Body-Transformation-Plan/dp/0008147914/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466227740&sr=8-1&keywords=mitchell+12+weekNick Mitchell website:http://nickmitchellblog.com/ This is a 12 week plan, made of 4 3 week cycles, each cycle focusing on 1 body part (2 workouts/week) + 2 extra workouts for the rest of the body.The user is free to choose the body parts he/she wants to focus on. The only rule is not to focus on the same body part for more than 3 weeks.My cycles were:armsbackdeltschest Cons and pros of the method Cons:- Not for beginners. Workouts are quite demanding and require a certain gym know-how. It's clearly stated in the method and the author gives a routine plan to follow for few months for people who have spent less than 2 years at the gym.Also if you miss a piece of equipment or your gym does not have a specific machine, you need to be gym savvy enough to come up with a suitable alternative, as the author does not give any.- Workouts cannot be reasonably done at gym peak times.Workouts call for plenty of supersets, which is all good except you can't really hog 2 pieces of equipment at peak times in a gym.So you need your own home gym, or go to the gym at less busy times, early in the morning or at night.- Nutrition plan is a vegan hell.Nick Mitchell basically killed Bambi's mother, then ate Bambie the day after, for brekkie.The meal plans calls for animal protein at every meals, adding carbs only post-workouts or at night.So if you're vegan or vegetarian, getting close to the macros requires a large use of protein powder. Pros:- It keeps on changing.You change the body part you focus on every 3 week, so just when you're getting comfortable with a routine, it's time to change again.Withing a cycle, rest times, number of sets and number of rests change as well. No way to get bored.- Teaches proper form and tempo.The author puts a lot of emphasis on form and tempo, so you make sure you target the right muscles and ask a lot from them.The eccentric part of the exercises is always done slooowly (often 4 to 6 seconds), so you have plenty of time to feel the pain - Teaches interesting takes and variations on exercises.For instance, I feel that kneeling when doing E-Z bar curls helps targeting biceps a lot more than doing the same exercise standing. What went well... or wrong. Well:- I can endure quite a bit more pain when it comes to lifting. I don't give up as easily as I used too.- better wam-ups.I use to warm-up with some cardio. Now as specified in the method I warm with low weights, slowly increasing the weights and lowering the number of reps.- better form. My shoulders does not hurt anymore after bench press for instance.- legs workout made my legs stronger, which help with my old knee injury and running- stopped drinking 4-6 cups of extra strong coffee in an effort to get an healthier life style on the way.Now I just have 1 cup before working out. Wrong:- I didn't not eat enough to gain real mass. I don't like to feel stuffed, and I get stuffed really fast!Also part of me still thinks as an anorexic, stupidly associating calorie intake with self-worth and cleanliness, all that non-sense What I should have done differently:- eat more!- take measurements to help assessing progress- take photos of these bloody legs too!- do less cardio, especially in the early days of the program, and forget about running a half-marathon. Anyway... did that method work? To some degree, but not as much as I expected. Stats summary: The first couples of week (italic) are not really reliable as I was using crappy scales http://i63.tinypic.com/o6frwl.jpg Not much change is the upper body, some clothes feel a bit tighter.Noticeable changes in the legs though. But I didn't take pics of those I'm quite stronger though and I'm able to lift 10 - 20% heavier than when I started.So I'd say I've gain more strength than mass. http://i64.tinypic.com/sbucdd.jpg What's next? - off for holidays today : 1 week in Finland!- when I'm back : do the 3 week leg cycle I haven't tried yet.- follow the same plan, but changing the macros and go less protein/fats, and higher carbs.Something like: 15% protein, 70%carbs, 15% fats- try the previous 12 week method by the same authorhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/12-Week-Body-Plan-MagBook-ebook/dp/B00GO6BST6/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1466232766&sr=1-4&keywords=nick+mitchell- try shorter, very high intensity workout and max contraction training as described on this forum by HIT Rob.http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=35421&start=390 That's it, thanks for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esqinchi Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Good tip on the EZ curls. No legs for 12 weeks? Did I miss something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIT Rob Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Finland...why you lucky son of a .... Been to Iceland (which was awesome), but really fancy a Nordic cruise in the future. Enjoy! Increasing your intensity and decreasing you volume will definitely be a step in the right direction mate, results are proportional to the intensity of effort, as a pioneering physiologist by the name of Roux stated "hypertrophy results in the increase of intensity of the work done in a unit of time, whereas the total amount of work done is without significance". BestRob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Good tip on the EZ curls. No legs for 12 weeks? Did I miss something?There was 1 leg workout / week.So for instance on an Arm cycle, it was:2 sessions arms1 sessions chest/back1 session back. Started the Leg cycle, and it goes like that:2 sessions legs1 session chest/back1 session arm Rob : Finland is great. Really lovely, friendly and generous people, forest and lakes everywhere. We've had such a good time we're already planning to go again next year Last day was picture perfect Finland: we harvested wild blueberries, went to an old sauna before jumping into the lake:http://i67.tinypic.com/9asr41.jpg Anyway Back to business: I tought I'd list the exercises / variations / supersets I found the most interesting during the 12 week program: Back:Cable face pullLying sideways dumbbell pullover Triceps and arms:close grip bench press Wrists:Dumbbell wrist curlCable wrist curlBehind back dumbbell wrist curl Core:Decline plank with touch Superset: neck bench press + incline reverse dumbbell rowSeated dumbbell shoulder press + 60 degree hammer curlDecline close-grip E-Z bar triceps extension + Kneeling close-grip EZ bar curlTriceps dips + 45 degree dumbbell curl Shoulder superset:Cable face pull +Seated lateral raise +Seated Scott press +Incline reverse lateral raise +Seated behind the neck press + Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIT Rob Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Looks awesome mate, its the simple things in life, me and the mrs were planning our trip for next winter:) Good luck with the next bout of gym endeavours aswell, will be following:) BestRob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted June 30, 2016 Author Share Posted June 30, 2016 Looks awesome mate, its the simple things in life, me and the mrs were planning our trip for next winter:) Good luck with the next bout of gym endeavours aswell, will be following:) BestRobGo there! We used couchsurfing.com, you lose some privacy but it's always far better to stay with locals, they can show you stuff most tourists will miss. Waiting for amazon to deliver my max contraction training book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbear666 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 great pic, sounds like you had a good time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 great pic, sounds like you had a good time It was just brilliant. Quite the opposite of Manchester and work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIT Rob Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 Hey bud, hows the training been going? All good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted July 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 Hey yes started another 3 week leg cycle finishing tomorrow, I'll post an update this w-e. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbs Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 Up! Summary of the past 3 weeks: WeightsI've bee doing the leg cycle as described in the method I used before for the 12 week challenge:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Ultimate-Body-Transformation-Plan/dp/0008147914/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468749380&sr=8-1&keywords=nick+mitchell The program for a week was as follows. I periodised it to increase weights and decrease reps every week: http://i65.tinypic.com/34odbgy.jpg Pull-ups on arm day: a personal trainer I met while on holidays told me to try and do as many pull-ups as possible in 15mn in order to become stronger. Apparently once you can do 100 pull-ups, you can do a set of 20 reps. So far I my record is 70. It's really taxing and I was super sore the first time I tried. Not sure it's working for me. Max contraction trainingI read the Max Contraction training by John Little, upon HIIT Rob's suggestion on this forum.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Max-Contraction-Training-Scientifically-Building/dp/0071423958/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468751065&sr=8-1&keywords=max+contraction+trainingThe idea is that you can decrease reps and training time by going for very high weights while keeping the muscle contracted for a very short time.I intend to give it a go later on this year, but out of curiosity I started trying it already on various machines to see how it goes.It's intense! NutritionI switched to carb cycling between 4 high days (weights days) 3 and low days, for an average calorie intake close to maintenance (2600kcal) After 3 years vegan I decided to try a vegetarian diet, adding eggs and cottage cheese. Didn't notice any increase in performance, recovery, or body composition.I went for organic stuff but even like that I didn't feel really comfortable buying animal products, so it's back to a vegan diet. Rounding things up: High days:3000 kcal:170g prot - 25%380g carbs - 55%70g fat - 20% Low days:2000kcal170g prot - 40%55g carbs - 10%100g fat - 50% StatsNot much change, although my legs are more muscular:weight: 68.4kgfat: 8.7%muscle: 58.4kg CardioStarted doing spinning class once a week, more demanding that when I do intervals on my own.With the instructor shouting at you, the loud shit music and the group around, it all really pushes you to do more than you would on your own. Whenever I do classes, it seems they are far more girls than guys, so singles: give classes a go Also signed up for another half-marathon in Warrington in mid-September. Planning to do it in a fancy costume, maybe Jack Sparrow or a dinosaur, just because. Also really want to get back into martial art for fitness and cardio. I used to do taekwondo, but the time and the class didn't really suit me. Had 1 lesson of krav maga this week which I enjoyed, very friendly people and supportive atmosphere - in spite of all the aggro Next 3 weeks:- weights: I'll start another 12 week plan by the same trainerhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/12-Week-Body-Plan-MagBook-ebook/dp/B00GO6BST6?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc- nutrition: get back to a vegan diet, stop relying as much on protein supplements and take carbs up for macros like:prot - 15%arbs - 65%fat - 20%- cardiofind a martial art class I really like and fully get into it, for 2-3 sessions/week if possible.I already planned to try: karate, kickboxing, and muay thai. Thanks for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbear666 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 i always wanted to try krav maga if i ever had the time to do some martials arts, looks pretty hardcore! interesting training you definitely keep busy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIT Rob Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Ah, so youve made your MCT debut:) Enjoyable? The advanced MCT book I think is even better, goes into the omega set training and talks with high level athletes from different sports who've used it successfully. John also goes into the glycogen theory, and why high carb diet is a most for this type of training method. Love Urban Krav Maga btw, did it for a couple of years about 6 years ago, also training in Wing Tsun years ago, reached a pretty high level, but couldnt continue due to illness at that time. Might give the KM another go. Found it to be more realistic than traditional systems due to its aggressive approach and the techniques, their arent fancy, but their definitely very effective. Take it easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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