ragekill15

It was an interesting 30 days for me full of changes. From my lightest weigh in at the beginning of the month to my heaviest near the end I gained 10lbs! A lot of this is probably water weight as I seem to be averaging around 171lbs now and was around 168lbs then. Still making progress. I also increased my 1RM on bench from 200lbs to 210lbs, and deadlift from 280lbs to 300lbs. It was helpful being able to see what other people were doing on the site and I will definitely be sticking around. I have had a setback in my training in the form of a pulled muscle in my back around my right shoulder blade. I'm trying to give this time to heal. The injury only seems to get aggravated when I do dips, so I will just hold off for now. Besides that everything is fine and I plan on pushing forward and getting it done. Thank you for all of your support Robert!

Cardio: 10 minutes elliptical machine Squats: 140x12, 160x10, 180x9 Pullups: 0x16, 25x9, 25x7, 25x5, 0x8, 0x9 Lat Pulldowns: 130x10, 140x8, 140x8 Notes: Weighed in at 172.3lbs. Kept it simple today. Kept rest times short at 60 seconds each.

Thank You! My routine has changed a lot. My trainer for the new you for the new year challenge suggested I base my routine around 6 exercises (bench and deadlift, clean & jerk and dips and squats and pull ups), so now I sometimes only do 2 exercises a day. I used to be very set in doing 3 sets of each exercise, but now I work and steadily increase the weight until I can't lift any heavier and then decrease the weight and work until failure. I generally will not lift more than 12 reps or so per set and will instead stop and increase the weight so I hit failure earlier. Now that I think about it, my routine has lost a lot of it's consistency. I used to monitor rest times and always kept it under a minute. Now my rest times are sporadic. Sometimes only 30 seconds, sometimes 3-5 minutes.

On the plus side, I am gaining weight. Weighed in at 175lbs today.

I forgot my workout journal today so I won't have a very accurate log. It doesn't really matter because I didn't get very far today. Clean and jerk: 5x120, 5x120, 5x120 Dips: 12x0 Once I started doing dips I started to feel pain in my shoulder again. I thought it had healed, but all it took was a set of dips and I am back in the same boat I was last week. Bummer. Probably going to have to see the doctor about this.

Warm Up Stretches 10 Minutes Treadmill Deadlifts: 120x12, 250x6, 270x3, 290x1 Bench Press: 140x10,160x10, 180x6, 160x6, 140x8 Pull Ups: 100 (assorted sets and reps) Barbell Curls: 50x10, 60x10, 65x10, 70x8 Skullcrushers: 50x12, 60x10, 70x8 Triceps Pushdown: 60x10, 80x10, 80x8 Lat Pulldown: 100x12, 110x10 Notes: Weighed in at 173.6lbs. Did not feel strong today. Worked out late in the evening instead of the morning. I'm glad to say that my shoulder is no longer bothering me, so I will be able to get back into the swing of my routine. I just need to focus on lifting big and eating big. I'm getting the second part done alright today. Here is a picture of my 2,000 calorie bowl of curry I will be chowing down on for the rest of the night. http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/9074/imag0184m.jpg

Leg Press : 200x20, 400x12, 450x10, 500x8 Leg Extension: 110xx20, 120x15, 130x15, 140x8 Leg Curls: 100x14, 110x8, 110x7 Seated Calf Raises: 100x23, 140x15, 140x10 Barbell Curl: 50x15, 60x10, 70x6, 80x3 Cable Triceps Pushdown: 50x12, 60x10, 80x8 Notes: Weighed in at 174.5lbs. Made sure to do some warm up stretches before going in to the gym today. Shoulder still feels iffy. Substituted Leg Press for Squats. Didn't feel comfortable doing pull ups or any other back exercises today, so I did a little lbit of light arm work until my shoulder started to bug me and I called it a day.

Shoulder is feeling better today, but not 100%. Going to go in and train legs tomorrow. If it feels ok doing squats I should be back on track. We'll see.

Definitely pulled a muscle yesterday. Had to leave halfway through my shift today at work because I was in a lot of pain. Some pain pills and a hot shower have helped a lot. Hopefully a day of rest and I will be alright, otherwise I might be in trouble.

I was going to do squats today, but I am incredibly sore in my shoulders and upper back and experiencing some pain around the right shoulder blade, so a day of rest seems warranted. I have never felt my traps feel this sore. I have done plenty of barbell and dumbell shrugs before and not really felt much, but this clean and jerk seems to be really hitting the spot. I am a little concerned about my shoulder. I am not going to do any lifting until it feels 100% good to go. I'll just do some stretches today.

I usually just take an orange and a banana (peeled of course) and blend them with a vegetable protein powder. I have been using rice, pea and hemp protein. Some brands also make shake mixes like Vega, Jarrow Formulas and Natural Factors which contain a mix of proteins and are usually flavored and sweetened.

Today's Workout: 10 Minutes Treadmill Clean & Jerk: 120x5, 120x5, 120x5, 120x5, 130x5, 130x5 Dips: 0x10, 25x10, 25x10, 25x10, 25x9, 25x7, 25x9, 0x15 Cable Pushdowns: 60x20, 80x12 Cable Curls: 50x12, 50x17, 50x10 Notes: Weighed in at 173lbs. Kept things simple today. After the cleans and dips I felt I had gotten a solid workout. I threw in a couple arm movements for fun and called it a day. The clean and jerk exercise is quickly becoming a favorite for me. It is awesome being able to work so many important movements into one exercise. I need to spend a lot of time working on my form with the clean motion before I move to heavier weights.

I love training lats mainly because it is an area with a lot of room for growth. It is really cool watching this muscle group develop from nothing and moving from a rectangle to a v-shaped upper body.

01/20/2012 Warm Up Cardio: Treadmill 10 Minutes Exercises: Deadlift: 140x10, 230x9, 280x3, 300x1, 230x6 Bench Press: 140x10, 160x8, 180x8, 200x3, 210x1, 180x4, 160x8, 140x10 Pull Ups: 0x10, 0x10, 0x6, 0x6, 0x5, 0x6, 0x4, 0x5 Dumbell Incline Press: 50x10, 50x8 Dumbell Decline Press: 60x9, 60x8 Lat Pulldown: 130x10, 140x10 Calf Press: 190x15, 190x10 Notes: Weighed in at 173lbs. Was short on time and had to cut some exercises to 2 sets. Bought a bunch of food and supplements today. I'm excited to work these new items into my routine: http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8971/imag0174h.jpg Also bought sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeds. I'm going to mix these seeds with walnuts and almonds so I have something to snack on at all times. Just a cupful of this mixture should give me a little over 800 extra calories and 30 grams of protein.

Cardio: 5 minutes Jump Rope Exercises: (All barbell movements done with a 50lb barbell) Squats: 20, 30, 25, 30, 30, 25, 25, 20 = 205 total Rows: 60, 30, 40, 70, 50, 60, 70, 60 = 430 Pull ups: 53 total Dips: 50 total Curls: 20, 20, 30, 20, 10 = 100 total Skullcrushers: 20, 20, 20, 20, 20 = 100 total Notes: Felt sluggish today. Still pretty sore from my last workout even though I took a rest day. I’m going to take it easy today and do 100 pushups and v-sits and omit the squats since I already did a couple today. I get paid tomorrow, so I will be back in the gym first thing in the morning moving some real weight. I’ll get to go shopping tomorrow as well. I’m going to try and incorporate some new sources of protein like pea and pumpkin seed into my regimen along with a variety of nuts and seeds for snacking between meals. Took this shot after working arms today. It is crazy to see my arms getting all swole and full of veins. 6 months ago my upper arms probably had the circumference that my forearms have now. http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1637/image6nt.jpg

Thank you for the support! I hope to have more progress to show you in the next couple months.

I simply love working out! I love to challenge myself and the feeling of setting goals for myself and surpassing them. Seeing the changes in my self as I progress is more than motivating... It's addictive.

Warm Up Cardio: 5 Mins Jumprope Exercises: Clean & Jerk: 50x5, 50x5, 50x5, 50x7, 50x8, 50x10, 50x6, 50x7 Front Squats: 50x12, 50x19, 50x20, 50x18, 50x19, 50x18, 50x21, 50x19 Shoulder Press: 50x20, 50x19, 50x15, 50x10, 50x18, 50x17, 50x17, 50x15 Pull Ups: 0x12, 0x10, 0x8, 0x8, 0x7, 0x5, 0x8, 0x6, 0x6, 0x5, 0x5, 0x4, 0x5, 0x5, 0x6 Dips: 0x15, 0x10, 0x10, 0x12, 0x8, 0x8, 0x9, 0x8, 0x7, 0x6, 0x7 Barbell Curls: 50x20, 50x20, 50x10, 50x20, 50x17, 50x21, 50x21, 50x19 Skullcrushers: 50x20, 50x20, 50x15, 50x21, 50x20, 50x18, 50x20, 50x15 Hand Stand Push Ups: 0x10 Notes: I woke up very sore from yesterday's workout, but that did not stop me from going at it again today. I took my time today and even took a power nap before running to the park to do my pull ups and dips. I snapped a couple shots of my back and biceps. It is nice being able to focus on my arms this week, and I'm seeing a lot of progress here. I'm very curious as to how heavy I will weigh in on Friday when I get back to the gym. http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/5708/image2wu.jpghttp://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9765/image3qy.jpghttp://img842.imageshack.us/img842/2541/image4tw.jpg Oh and of course I will be performing my Push Ups, V-Sits and Bodyweight Squats before bed. 200 each.

Loprinzi's I believe you have trained there. I think I saw a picture in your book.

I do a lot of stir fries, burritos/wraps and pastas. I would use something like tempeh or seitan that keeps it's shape pretty well to replace the chicken in recipes and tofu to replace eggs. The tofurkey sausages are awesome to throw in with pasta or grill up for a quick 26g of protein. Grains and legumes are also great protein sources. Try experimenting with different types of beans and lentils. If you are going to make a salad, throw some french green lentils in for a protein boost. I eat a lot more than 1500 calories in a day, but I will usually start the day off with either a bowl of oatmeal, fruit and protein shake or tofu scramble. Lunch time I might have a sandwich, burrito or salad. Dinner might be a stir fry or pasta. Maybe a veggie burger/veggie dog?

I haven't really tried the full body workout approach, but have found working 2 muscle groups a day, 3 days a week to be pretty effective. My routine has usually gone something like this: Day 1: Chest and Triceps Bench Press (DB or BB) Incline Bench (DB or BB) Decline Bench (DB or BB) Dips Skullcrushers Cable Pushdowns Day 2: Back/Biceps Deadlifts Barbell Rows or Seated Rows Lat Pulldowns or Pull Ups (Vary Grips) Curls (BB or DB) Reverse Cable Curls Day 3: Legs/Shoulders Squats Leg Press Leg Curls Leg Extensions Barbell or Smith Machine Shoulder Press Barbell or Smith Machine Shrugs DB Lat or Front Raises Squats and deadlifts are super important because they work a whole range of muscles and strengthen your core. Do make sure you are using proper form to get the most out of your exercise and avoid injury.

Well I will look forward to seeing you kick more ass than ever. I'll also look forward to receiving that Vega... mmmmm.

Thanks Robert, Meeting with Ed was awesome! He really helped me polish my form on squats, deadlifts and cleans. Ed suggested I incorporate more variety of nuts and seeds into my diet. I'll be doing some serious shopping in the bulk aisle come payday. His studio is really coming together and I think he has a great approach to training. You know I have never been very athletic and led a pretty unhealthy lifestyle for the longest time. I never liked being a skinny vegan, so I gave up and ate meat again for years and the only lbs I gained were around my waist. Bodybuilding got me on the path to a healthy lifestyle, and when I started seeing results I couldn't turn back and I started working harder. It seems kind of odd that bodybuilding brought me back to veganism, but that is exactly what happened. The more I read on nutrition, the harder it became for me to convince myself that animal products were doing anything for anyone but harm. I saw you speak at Vegfest last year, and your story of how you went from a skinny kid to a champion bodybuilder really did inspire me. Even though you are semi retired now, I think what you are doing with your book and the website is incredibly important. I have a lot of progress to make. If I was featured on the website that would really be something... I'll put that away in my mind as some extra motivation. Crush it I shall!

I didn't have money to pay my member dues at the gym, so this week I'm going to be working out from home. The only equipment I have is a makeshift 50lb barbell, a jump rope, the playground across the street and my own imagination. This is what I did today: Jump Rope 5 Minutes Deadlifts: 50x30, 50x50, 50x30, 50x30, 50x30, 50x30 Chest Press: 50x50, 50x30, 50x20, 50x30, 50x20, 50x30, 50x30 Bent Over Rows: 50x50, 50x30, 50x50, 50x40, 50x30 Jog 5 Minutes Pull Ups: 0x15, 0x10, 0x6, 0x8, 0x5, 0x5, 0x4 Dips: 0x15, 0x12, 0x8, 0x10, 0x10, 0x8 Curls: 50x20, 50x10, 50x15, 50x15, 50x20, 50x15 Skullcrushers: 50x20, 50x15, 50x25, 50x20, 50x20, 50x20 Jump Rope 10 Minutes Push Ups: 200 Squats: 200 V-Sits: 200 Notes: No access to a scale for weigh in. Got a great pump from today's workout. My makeshift barbell broke while doing rows. The shorter length of the bar is much more stable now. Although pretty week for big lifts like squats, bench and deadlifts, the little barbell is great for my isolation movements. I'm starting to see a lot of improvement in my biceps. 3 different people complimented my "guns" this week. High five self. Although not having access to my gym is quite a set back, I am going to make the most of it finding new ways to exercise at home. It was fun running outside and doing my pull ups and dips in the park while the snow came down. I should have gotten pictures of that. http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2938/imag0121e.jpghttp://img259.imageshack.us/img259/5051/imag0124b.jpghttp://img259.imageshack.us/img259/456/imag0125t.jpg http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/3500/imag0128bm.jpghttp://img714.imageshack.us/img714/4114/imag0129zn.jpghttp://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7820/imag0130ww.jpg http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4356/imag0131u.jpghttp://img714.imageshack.us/img714/8240/imag0132k.jpghttp://img189.imageshack.us/img189/550/imag0133n.jpg http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4450/imag0134ia.jpghttp://img507.imageshack.us/img507/6816/imag0136cp.jpghttp://img853.imageshack.us/img853/6651/imag0137ei.jpg http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/6950/imag0141s.jpg

When I first started training I was sore after every workout. After the first couple of weeks my body seemed to adapt and start recovering faster. As I have gotten my diet and supplementation on track, soreness has come only with truly exceptional workouts.