Chapter One: Lose Some of that Fat!

FunkZ

http://www.naturalphysiques.com/cms/index.php?itemid=144
Judging by that I reckon my BF% is around 13 - 15% at the moment.
Two months till abs I reckon!

Just ran 3km in under 19 minutes outside.
Those dark country roads are scary as hell.
A car pulled over and a man who looked Muslim got out, he wanted directions I think, but I just sprinted off. He walked after me or in the direction I was going so then I really kicked on the pedals and sprinted as fast as I could, uphill for about 300 metres!

And carb loading wise I had:
A few rashers, my dad had 'em cooked so I ate 'em.
A banana and a shake.
A large bowl of pasta with like 110 grams of carbs.
A chicken fillet roll.
Two large Nutella pancakes, made of oats. Thanks again Rubadub!
Half a small bar of dark chocolate.
A 250ml glass of orange juice.
And now I'm gonna cook a pasta =]

FunkZ

Ran a bit under 2.5 miles on a dodgey road. Good fun though!

Back to no carbs tomorrow, can't wait haha!

FunkZ

Bench Press
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
75kg 5 x 3 sweet :pac:
50kg 10 x 3

I'm putting a lot of effort into not 'hating' bench presses. And I reckon I'll get eighty 5 x 3 in two or three weeks!

Squats
45kg x 8
65kg 8 x 2
75kg 8 x 2

Dropped the weight a lot, my form was awful, no depth at all. I only realised when I saw a picture of Arnie squatting. I also found that dropping into the squat helped a lot, moving down a lot faster like but still in control.

My recovery has improved so much from where it was three weeks ago.

FunkZ

1km in 6.26 minutes. My legs really need a break for a day or two, I'll probably wait till the weekend for that though.

FunkZ

I have some strange virus that's been going around where I live and I haven't been able to run 'cause of it. Joints in my knees and ankeles are sor, shins sore too. A few peeps in my family have it.

Bench Press
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
77.5kg 5 x 3
50kg 10 x 3

Shoulder Press
25kg x 5
47.5kg x resting on top of my head (luckily I wasn't wearing any gel) :pac:
35kg 5 x 3
25kg 10 x 3

Barbell Rows
25kg 20 x 3
Didn't plan on this, just happened!

T Bar Rows
25kg x 10
35kg 10 x 5

Serratus Crunches
10kg 10 x 3

I used a barbell for the T Bars. I put the barbell in the corner of the room with a towel beneath it to protect the skirting board and the floor. And I put a towel in between the weights to hold onto. Man towels are great. Now I gotta go study Physics for two or three hours, wake up at eight, go to Dundalk and study for another three hours and take an exam... then probably let a weekend binge begin in celebration!

FunkZ

Deadlift
65kg x 5
85kg x 1
105kg x 1
125kg x 1
140kg x 1
145kg x1 PFCUKINGR!
85kg 5 x 3

T Bars
45kg x 15, x 10

Dumbell Rows
35kg x 6, x 2



Sore shoulder, gay. Better rest it.
I'm quite drunk now :pac:
Time for a nightclub!

corribdude

Congrats on the deadlift man, what was your previous best?

FunkZ

Thanks man! I got 130kg x 3 about a month ago so that was my old PR!

And during the summer (June) I used to struggle to get 117.5kg x 3

FunkZ

HIIT - Threadmill
4kmph - 1 minute
10kmph - 1 minute
15kmph - 1 minute
x 5
4kmph - 2 minutes
15kmph - 1 minute
x 5

Ouch! This was before breakfast :pac:

FunkZ

Bench Press
25kg x 5
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
80kg 5 x 3 Oh yeah, hell yeah, fcuk yeah
The fifth rep on the second set stopped for about two seconds half way!!
55kg 10 x 3

Shoulder Press
25kg x 10
35kg x 5

Session cut short for a reason I don't want to talk about.

Delighted with the benching though! :cool:

FunkZ

Well on that session on the 22nd I hurt my back doing shoulder presses, arched it accidently half way through pressing. A few weeks of Difene helped, went back and shoulder pressed and it just got worse. No pain for the last two weeks though, not gonna shoulder press for a good long while now.

This is probably my third session of the year but it's my first decent one so I'll start logging again.

27/01/09

Bench Press
45kg x 5
55kg x 5
65kg x 5
75kg x 8
55kg 10 x 2

Barbell Rows
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 2

Barbell Curls
35kg x 6
32.5kg x 6

T Bar Rows
30kg x 10
40kg 10 x 2
50kg 10 x 3 Beast of an exercise.

03/02/09

Deadlifts
65kg x 5
85kg x 5
105kg x 5
125kg x 3 Tough, tough, tough, no chalk.

SLDL
85kg 5 x 3

Barbell Rows
25kg x 10
35kg x 10
45kg 10 x 3

Hack Squats
45kg 10 x 3

Shrugs
45kg 10 x 3

Barbell Curls
25kg 10 x 3

06/02/09

Bench Press
45kg x 5
55kg x 5
65kg x 5
80kg x 5 happy with this
65kg 5 x 5

Close Grip Bench Press
25kg 10 x 3

Skullcrushers
25kg 6 x 3

Barbell Curls
25kg 10 x 2

Amazingly painful DOMS from Tuesday and Friday, deadly buzz!

Armin_Tamzarian

Fair play to ya, you seem to be doing great.

I seem to have hit the wall with Bicep Curls (35Kg, ex bar)
and for some reason I ca't seem to make any progress with bench presses.
I can do 3x8 on about 50Kg but that's it and I've been lifting that
much for a few months.

Do you think that's my limit or could I be doing something wrong?

I make slow progressions with other excercises but the
bench press in particular was always one that I struggled with.

FunkZ

Armin_Tamzarian wrote: »

Fair play to ya, you seem to be doing great.

I seem to have hit the wall with Bicep Curls (35Kg, ex bar)
and for some reason I ca't seem to make any progress with bench presses.
I can do 3x8 on about 50Kg but that's it and I've been lifting that
much for a few months.

Do you think that's my limit or could I be doing something wrong?

I make slow progressions with other excercises but the
bench press in particular was always one that I struggled with.

Cheers dude!

Tbh I wouldn't worry about the bicep curls at all.

And for the bench that is definitely not your limit, that's a question you ask after 20 years training when you're blasting out 150kg for fun!

For the bench press I think you should lower the weight, try and do 3 reps for 3 sets if you have a spotter and try and add 2.5kg a week (if you don't get the full three reps on the last set don't change the weight the next week, wait till ya get it!), only bench once a week too. Do this for 6 weeks and I'm sure you'll find GOOD strength increases.

After this, or even before that cycle you should try and do 5 reps for three sets adding weight every week that you successfully complete the sets. This will give you good strength increases too!

If ya do the two of these 6 week cycles one after another, I reckon in three months you could add about 15kg onto what your lifting at the moment, maybe more, maybe less.

Best of luck!

Make sure ya do your other compound exercises too as they're more important!

Armin_Tamzarian

Cheers, mate, I'll try that.
I've been working off 4x10 at the minute.
The way my rountine works I only bench press once a week so that's a plus.
Unfortunately I don't have a spotter.

FunkZ

Armin_Tamzarian wrote: »

Cheers, mate, I'll try that.
I've been working off 4x10 at the minute.
The way my rountine works I only bench press once a week so that's a plus.
Unfortunately I don't have a spotter.

Well the way I deal without having a spotter is by not trying to lift wieghts that I'm not sure if I could lift, like I wouldn't have tryed for 80kg on Friday, I would have gone for 75kg, but the week after I'd still bring the lift up and I'd still know I'm getting stronger.

I reckon ya should start somewhere between 55kg - 60kg if ya don't have a spotter, for 5 x 3.

Best of luck man! You should start a training log here, and then all the people on the forum can give ya good tips!

Armin_Tamzarian

FunkZ wrote: »

Well the way I deal without having a spotter is by not trying to lift wieghts that I'm not sure if I could lift, like I wouldn't have tryed for 80kg on Friday, I would have gone for 75kg, but the week after I'd still bring the lift up and I'd still know I'm getting stronger.

I reckon ya should start somewhere between 55kg - 60kg if ya don't have a spotter, for 5 x 3.

Best of luck man! You should start a training log here, and then all the people on the forum can give ya good tips!

Thanks for the advice.
It never crossed my mind to start a log but perhaps I will.
I train 5 days on, 2 off so I'll start the log at the start of the rotation.
I used to train 3 times a week, Mon, Wed, Fri, working every muscle group, i.e, same exercises every time.
I got up to 12.5 stone from 11 but couldn't go any further.


I went on a 21 day course of M-Stak Animal before Christmas, as well as taking MaxiMuscel Promax protein twice a day.
I switched to working different muscle groups every day for 5 days with 2 days off.
I gained a half a stone in 4 weeks.

I haven't been able to train really since before Christmas but I'm a week back into it now.
Currently using Promax and I'm waiting on more M-Stak Animal, I think it's very good, especially for hard gainers like me.

FunkZ

Squats
20kg x 5
50kg x 5
70kg x 5
85kg x 5

Bench Press
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
65kg x 5
70kg 5 x 3

Deadlift
70kg x 5
100kg x 5
130kg x 3

DB Bench
15kg 8 x 2

1km run home

Serious DOMS, took painkillers. Failed on 4th rep of Deads. Legs felt tingly after the squats so didn't continue.

FunkZ

Unbelievably sore DOMS in the legs.

Barbell Rows
20kg x 5
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg 5 x 3

Shoulder Press Machine
20kg x 5
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg 5 x 3 my friend got 100kg x 15, sick

Lat Pulldown
20kg x 5
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg 5 x 3

Pull Ups
3 reps, 4 reps, 3 reps

FunkZ

Well starting tomorrow I'm back to my lazy ways. Don't have the balls to try and lost fat at the moment.

Gonna be squatting x 20 twice a week, lifting one or two other days as well.
Running a few times a week with the housemates too.
Drinking a gallon of milk on the days I lift weights. Some of it will occassionally be chocolate milk.
Trying to only get carbs from the milk and whatever ever I eat after I go to the gym which will be Lucozade Sport.
Eating loads of chicken, steak, mince, fish etc. and as much greens as possible.
Loads of LF cheese, oh yeah.
Won't be count calories!

So in eight weeks time I hope to get to 95kg with a waist below 38", this morning I was 88.7kg with a 36.3" waist.

Supplement wise I'll be taking the usual fish oil capsules, glucosamine, multi vitamin and a few others.
Whey protein and glutamine. For five weeks, creatine and nitric oxide.

And sports wise I wanna be squatting 90kg x 20 and benching 100kg x 1 by the end of the eight weeks.
The bench will be easy enough cause I'll be eating so much but the squats will be a serious challenge.
I won't be paying too much attention to deadlifts but reckon if I get my squat to that point my DL will go to around 160 at least. I'll probably do them once every week or two.

I took pictures today, I'll post em in eight weeks with the after photos.
Any other lifts I do bar the main three will mainly be compound, and I doubt I'll do any leg work other than what I've said.
And I won't be keeping a log online, too lazy for tha' shizzle. But I'll throw in the odd update =]

FunkZ

09/03/09
AM:
Bench Press (no spotter)
45kg x 5
65kg x 5
80kg 3 x 3
Superset (three sets)
Incline Bench Press
45kg x 10
Dumbell Curl x 10

Happy with the BP 'cause I had no spotter and every rep was very safe.

PM:
Squats
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 20
T Bar Rows
30kg x 10
40kg x 10
50kg 10 x 3

Grand, the squats were pretty easy.

10/03/09
3km jog before breakfast

FunkZ

11/03/09
2km jog before breakfast
Then...
Two 2km jogs around 8pm with a five minute rest in between them.
Came back and staright away hit the squats.
Squats
45kg x 5
65kg x 20
Bench Press
45kg x 5
65kg x 5
87.5kg x 3 best in over a year and a half
67.5kg 5 x 3

12/03/09
Superset
Chin ups x 5 PB
Lat Pulldowns
50kg x 10
Chin ups x 4
Lat Pulldowns
50kg x 10
Chin ups x 4
Lat Pulldowns
50kg x 10

Superset (3 sets)
Dumbell Press
10kg 'bells x 10
Knee Raises x 10
Machine Shoulder Press
25kg x 10
35kg x 10
1km jog

Hour long football match.

Milk + creatine + NO + mince =

The mirror is looking good too!

Armin_Tamzarian

Alrite mate.

You seem to be doing real well, fair play.

Sorry to cut into your thread again but seeing as you indulged me before...

I've got a question.

I'm training pretty hard right now.

5 days in a row (different muscle groups)
2 days in a row rest .

I run at least 2 miles 7 days a week so my body is kept ticking over on rest days.

I go boxing on my first rest day - this doesn't seem to effect my training.
However, this week I played Squash for 90 minutes on my second rest day.
When I went in to train the next day I found it hard to lift what I'd been lifting 7 days previously (i.e. same day in my cycle).

Do you think I should be taking it more easy on my rest day?
How much to you think playing sports such as Squash, football, etc
and going jogging on your rest dayus can sap your energy for lifting on your training days.

-Cheers...

Armin_Tamzarian

Also, how are you finding the NO?

I'm currently taking M-Stak Animal and Cyclone, finding it pretty good.

FunkZ

Squats
5kg x 5
25kg x 3
45kg x 3
72.5kg x 20 ****ing difficult, ****ing delighted.

10 minute half a 12" pizza break

Pullovers
10kg x 20

Squats
45kg x 10
25kg x 10

Calf Raises
25kg x 50 ouch! There was a big vein popping outta one of my calfs. Deadly.

Half KM sprint/jog

Whoaaa!
Can't believe the squats, guess I'll be going for 75 next, damn sweet. Maybe I started off too light. Today was the first time this week where the squats were really tough, and they were tough from the first rep. I remember around reps 5 or 6 I thought I wasn't gonna be able to do it. By rep 10 I knew I could. Maybe I might even get to 100kg x 20 by the end of the 8 weeks!

Pullovers caused a pain in my right shoulder.

Gotta go and eat now. And... where's my milk?!

Edit: I couldn't really train anywhere else on my body 'cause it's all a wreck with the DOMS haha!

FunkZ

I love milk!

Squats
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 3 uh oh that was tough
75kg x 20 **** yeash!

Pullovers
15kg x 20

Chin ups x 3
Knee raises x 10
Chin ups x 3
Knee raises x 10

Might be hiking the highest mountain in Ulster tomorrow!

FunkZ

Armin_Tamzarian wrote: »

Also, how are you finding the NO?

I'm currently taking M-Stak Animal and Cyclone, finding it pretty good.

The NO seems weird, I honestly don't think it's helped me in the gym at all and so far my vascularity has improved by somewhere around the 0% mark, but I'll be able to tell what I really think when I finish the whole packet. It might get good. And errr it gives ya random Er's of the bone kind. Like in class when I was dissecting, what the hell like!

The creatine I got is great though and I reccommend it!

Armin_Tamzarian wrote: »

I've got a question.

I'm training pretty hard right now.

5 days in a row (different muscle groups)
2 days in a row rest .

I run at least 2 miles 7 days a week so my body is kept ticking over on rest days.

I go boxing on my first rest day - this doesn't seem to effect my training.
However, this week I played Squash for 90 minutes on my second rest day.
When I went in to train the next day I found it hard to lift what I'd been lifting 7 days previously (i.e. same day in my cycle).

Do you think I should be taking it more easy on my rest day?
How much to you think playing sports such as Squash, football, etc
and going jogging on your rest dayus can sap your energy for lifting on your training days.

-Cheers...

Well if you're finding it hard I'd suggest droppin the weight by five KG and add 2.5kg every time ya do the lift. This would probably help ya stay on the right track of strength increases for the next few weeks!

Ya could take it easier on the rest days if ya wanted but it's up to you and how you're feeling. If you've done heavy weights the day before but ya still feel full of energy ya might as well make the best of it and do some sport 'cause it seems like you could. Which I'm sure most people can't, I envy ya!

I'm not sure what squash is like for draining your energy as I haven't played it since I was about 8! But for me, football absolutely leaves me in ruins for a day or two and it makes lifting that bit harder, whereas running only does good. It helps me recover big time from squats, I think.

So in short, when you have the energy to play a sport, DO!
Hope I helped ya dude!

Armin_Tamzarian

Cheers buddy...

I think I'll give the Squash a rest and take it easy on my rest days.
I want to be able to lift as much as possible.

I'd be surprised if the NO doesn't work.

I know some massive blokes who swear by it...

Keep up the good work, A.T.

FunkZ

18/03/09
Squats
25kg x 5
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
80kg x 20
My legs were trembling from the fifth rep, I almost got sick, I spent a while seeing stars after it but **** it. I'm only two weeks away from bodyweight x 20. When I get there I'm gonna drop it back 10kg and then stay at it till I get 110kg x 20. I'm tired.

Pullovers
10kg x 20

Calf Raises
45kg 10 x 3

Barbell Rows
45kg 10 x 2

Crunches
10kg 15 x 2

FunkZ

Squats
25kg x 5
45kg x 3
65kg x 3
82.5kg x 20

Pullovers
10kg x 20

SLDL
87.5kg 5 x 3

Barbell Rows
67.5kg 5 x 3

Crunches
20 x 3

Barbell Curls
32.5kg 10 x 3

I feel like Hulk Hogan without the 'roids

FunkZ

Deadlift
30kg x 5
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
90kg x 20

Pullovers
10kg x 20

T Bar Rows
30kg x 10
40kg x 10
50kg 10 x 2

Tricep Extensions
10kg plate 20 x 3

Standing Shoulder Press
25kg x 5
52.5kg x 5 PR

Pullovers
10kg x 20