Return to a healthy lifestyle

[syntekz]

This is my first post here in many years; I tend to not spend much time on forums but wanted a place to log my lifts and diet and hopefully in the future get some feedback and also have some of my questions answered that keep coming up.

History:
I lifted when I was 17 and 18 years old and stopped lifting shortly after I graduated high school. I proceeded to spend the last six years being as absolutely unhealthy as I possibly could. This wasn't really planned; just the path my life took.

I smoked, drank, partied; and didn't eat healthy for the past six years. Fortunately I didn't gain a lot of weight, but I lost all muscle and became quite flabby and weak and ultimately disgusted with myself and my actions.

Today:
I am 24 years old, have been completely sober for 132 days and started lifting again around that same time. So I've been exercising and lifting for about four months; but only within the past month have I started being serious about my lifting habits and lifestyle. I started eating healthy foods and began eating roughly eight to nine meals daily spread out to around every two hours of the day.

I bike several times a week; putting on my iPod and riding is one of the greatest releases I have.

I am 5' 9" tall and this morning weighed in at 169.8 pounds. I am going to weigh myself once weekly every Sunday after I wake up so that I can better understand the affect my diet is having on my weight.

Future:
I want to get strong and stay healthy!

[syntekz]

Deadlift:
225 x 12, 225 x 12, 225 x 12, 225 x 7, 135 x 12

Good Morning Machine:
190 x 12, 235 x 12, 235 x 12, 235 x 12

Barbell Shrug:
115 x 12, 115 x 12, 115 x 11, 95 x 12

DB Shrug:
45 x 12, 45 x 12, 45 x 12, 45 x 9

[syntekz]

Barbell Squats:
185 x 10, 185 x 10, 185 x 11, 185 x 10, 185 x 10

Single-Leg Extension Machine:
80 x 10, 80 x 8, Super-Set( 80 x 8, 50 x 7 )

Dumbbell Lunges:
35 x 8, 35 x 8

Lying Hamstring Leg Curl Machine
110 x 10, 110 x 6, 110 x 7

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Flat Bench:
60 x 10, 65 x 10, 70 x 6, 65 x 7

Dumbbell Flat Flyes:
40 x 10, 45 x 10, 45 x 9, 45 x 8

Dips x BW:
12, 9, 8

Dumbbell Incline Bench:
50 x 8, 45 x 7

Also did Machine Fly at the end of my workout to get some stretching in. Started out really strong, and tired out very quickly throughout the different sets.

[syntekz]

Smith-Bent Over Rows: (This is actual Weight only, not including any estimated weight of bar)
90 x 12, 110 x 12, 110 x 10, 110 x 9

Reverse Grip Pulldown (Close-Grip):
120 x 12, 125 x 7, 125 x 7, 120 x 8

Bent Over Dumbbell Rows - Single Arm:
60 x 12, 65 x 8, 60 x 9, 60 x 9

Seated Rows (Close-Grip):
105 x 9, 105 x 8

Front Grip Pulldown (Wide-Grip):
90 x 11, 95 x 10, 105 x 8



I have only been recording my lifts for about a week now. I have kept my reps high since I began to get my system and mind re-acquainted with lifting and certain movements.

I'm going to continue with the higher rep scheme for a couple more weeks and then will drop down my reps and start raising the weights a little bit.

:whip:

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
50 x 12, 50 x 10, 50 x 6, 45 x 7

Front Dumbbell Raise:
30 x 10, 30 x 10, 30 x 9

Seated-Reverse Dumbbell Fly (Super-Set with Shoulder Press):
35 x 12 x 12, 35 x 10 x 10, 35 x 9 x 10


I also did some brief ab work on machines at my gym and did some stretches on a reverse fly machine.

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Pushover:
60 x 12, 65 x 10, 60 x 12, 60 x 12

Rope Pushdown:
60 x 12, 70 x 11, 65 x 7, 65 x 7

Skull Crusher:
65 x 8, 65 x 7

Single-Dumbbell Curl:
35 x 12, 40 x 9, 40 x 7

Seated EZ-Curl:
70 x 11, 70 x 7, 65 x 6

Reverse Straight-Bar Curl superset with Straight-Bar Curl:
50 x 12 x 2, 50 x 8, 50 x 7 x 2

[syntekz]

Deadlift:
225 x 12, 245 x 8, 275 x 7, 225 x 10, 225 x 6

On this last set, one of the calluses on my left hand ripped open and was bleeding. I don't wear gloves or use straps and I would prefer not to have to purchase any gloves.

Hand is definitely in pain though; hampered me for the remainder of my workout.

Good Morning Machine:
265 x 12, 235 x 12, 235 x 12, 235 x 12

I imagine within a month I will replace this with some form of free weight good morning exercise.

Dumbbell Shrug:
50 x 12, 50 x 12, 50 x 12

Barbell Shrug:
135 x 12, 135 x 8, 135 x 7

I couldn't hang on to the barbell any longer after this last set.


I did various ab work as well - don't really care to keep track of that right now.

[syntekz]

Weigh-In:
Did my Sunday weigh-in this morning. Weighed in at 171.8 up from 169.8 last week.

I use FitDay to keep track of my Calorie intake; my averages for last week are as follows:

Calories: 3102
Fat(g): 113
Carbohydrates(g): 240
Protein(g): 295

[syntekz]

Barbell Squats:
185 x 10, 205 x 10, 205 x 10, 205 x 10, 205 x 8, 135 x 12

Single-Leg Extension Machine:
80 x 10, 85 x 9, Super-Set( 80 x 8, 50 x 7 )

Dumbbell Lunges:
35 x 8, 35 x 8

Lying Hamstring Leg Curl Machine
110 x 9, 110 x 8, 110 x 6


Was diagnosed with some sort of tendinitis in my right-glute area and it has been inflamed and bothering me a bit this weekend. Feared it would be a problem during my squats - didn't bother me at all! :cool:

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Flat Bench:
65 x 10, 70 x 7, 70 x 4, 65 x 7

Dumbbell Flat Flyes:
45 x 10, 50 x 9, 50 x 5, 45 x 7

Dips x BW:
14, 10, 6

Dumbbell Incline Bench:
50 x 8, 45 x 8, 45 x 7

:evillaugh:

[syntekz]

Smith-Bent Over Rows: (This is actual Weight only, not including any estimated weight of bar)
110 x 12, 120 x 10, 120 x 8, 110 x 8

Reverse Grip Pulldown (Close-Grip):
120 x 12, 127.5 x 8, 120 x 9, 120 x 8

Bent Over Dumbbell Rows - Single Arm:
65 x 12, 70 x 8, 70 x 8, 65 x 9

Seated Rows (Close-Grip):
105 x 12, 112.5 x 8

Front Grip Pulldown (Wide-Grip):
105 x 9, 105 x 9, 105 x 8


:bang:

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
50 x 12, 55 x 8, 50 x 7, 50 x 6

Front Dumbbell Raise:
30 x 10, 35 x 5, 30 x 10

Seated-Reverse Dumbbell Fly (Super-Set with Shoulder Press):
(35 x 11 x 10), (40 x 8 x 10), (40 x 6 x 8)

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Pushover:
65 x 12, 70 x 10, 70 x 10, 70 x 10

Rope Pushdown:
65 x 12, 70 x 10, 67.5 x 10, 67.5 x 7

Skull Crusher:
65 x 10, 65 x 10, 65 x 6

Single-Dumbbell Curl:
40 x 10, 45 x 6, 40 x 8

Seated EZ-Curl:
70 x 11, 70 x 8, 70 x 4

Reverse Straight-Bar Curl superset with Straight-Bar Curl:
50 x 10 x 3, 50 x 8 x 3, 50 x 6 x 1

[syntekz]

Deadlift:
225 x 12, 245 x 9, 275 x 7, 225 x 10, 225 x 6

Once again, my hands are shredded and holding me back on my lifts. I’m contemplating taking a one week break from deadlifts just to let my hands heal up. I don’t want to use straps or gloves.

Good Morning Dumbell:
40 x 12, 40 x 12, 40 x 10

This one is a bit hard to explain; I stopped using the machine at my gym though. I’m doing good mornings on a platform-type-thing and just holding a dumbbell at my chest.

Barbell Shrug:
135 x 12, 145 x 9, 135 x 9


Dumbbell Shrug:
45x 12, 50 x 12, 50 x 9

[syntekz]

Weigh-In:
Did my Sunday weigh-in this morning. Weighed in at 173.0 up from 171.8 last week.

I use FitDay to keep track of my Calorie intake; my averages for last week are as follows:

Calories: 3050
Fat(g): 116
Carbohydrates(g): 228
Protein(g): 297

I gained about 1.2 lbs over the past week with roughly same calorie intake. I'm feeling a little bit bloated though - I was taking in a bit more saturated fats than I like and I haven't been running or riding nearly as often as I was. I've been very fatigued all week; I'll blame it on lack of sleep caused by the new XBOX 360 that I just bought. :bash:

[syntekz]

Barbell Squats:
185 x 10, 205 x 10, 215 x 10, 215 x 10, 225 x 10, 135 x 10

Was really happy with my squats today - getting my strength back fairly quickly.

Single-Leg Extension Machine:
85 x 9, 90 x 8, Super-Set( 90 x 8, 60 x 6 )

Dumbbell Lunges:
40 x 10, 45 x 6

Lying Hamstring Leg Curl Machine
110 x 10, 115 x 6, 110 x 6


It seems that my diet is definitely making me grow and get stronger. :burger:

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Flat Bench:
65 x 10, 70 x 10, 70 x 6, 65 x 8

Dumbbell Flat Flyes:
50 x 10, 50 x 8, 50 x 4, 45 x 6

Dips x BW:
13, 10, 10

Dumbbell Incline Bench:
50 x 6, 45 x 8, 45 x 6


I have some personal stuff going on today that is really stressing me out and has been affecting me all day. I made a bit of progress over last week, but I wasn't mentally all into my workout today.

:whiner:

[syntekz]

Smith-Bent Over Rows: (This is actual Weight only, not including any estimated weight of bar)
120 x 10, 130 x 10, 130 x 9, 130 x 8

Reverse Grip Pulldown (Close-Grip):
127.5 x 12, 135 x 9, 135 x 6, 127.5 x 7

Bent Over Dumbbell Rows - Single Arm:
70 x 10, 70 x 10, 70 x 8, 70 x 8

Seated Rows (Close-Grip):
112.50 x 10, 112.50 x 9

Front Grip Pulldown (Wide-Grip):
112.50 x 9, 112.50 x 10, 112.50 x 7

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
50 x 10, 55 x 9, 55 x 5, 50 x 8

Front Dumbbell Raise:
35 x 10, 30 x 10, 30 x 9

Seated-Reverse Dumbbell Fly (Super-Set with Shoulder Press):
(35 x 10 x 10), (40 x 8 x 7), (40 x 6 x n/a)

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Pushover:
70 x 10, 70 x 10, 70 x 10, 75 x 9

Rope Pushdown:
65 x 10, 75 x 7, 70 x 8, 70 x 6

Skull Crusher:
65 x 10, 70 x 8

Single-Dumbbell Curl:
40 x 10, 45 x 6

Seated EZ-Curl:
70 x 10, 75 x 9, 75 x 5

Reverse Straight-Bar Curl superset with Straight-Bar Curl:
(50 x 10 x 10), (50 x 8 x 2), (50 x 8 x 2)

:whazzup:

[syntekz]

Deadlift:
225 x 10, 275 x 9, 275 x 7, 275 x 7, 225 x 10, 135 x 10

Good Morning Dumbell:
45 x 10, 45 x 9, 45 x 5

Barbell Shrug:
145 x 11, 145 x 10, 145 x 6

Dumbbell Shrug:
50 x 10, 55 x 10

[syntekz]

Weigh-In:
Did my Sunday weigh-in this morning. Weighed in at 175.2 up from 173.00 last week.

I use FitDay to keep track of my Calorie intake; my averages for last week are as follows:

Calories: 3079
Fat(g): 109
Carbohydrates(g): 257
Protein(g): 271

Still gaining weight, gaining strength and my body is physically changing very rapidly. The past two days however I did not even count my calories and probably had about 4,500 calories or more both Friday and Saturday. Although, I feel healthy still, this isn't a trend I plan on keeping. Back to my more strict eating habits!

:strong:

[syntekz]

Barbell Squats:
185 x 10, 205 x 10, 225 x 10, 225 x 10, Super-Set(245 x 7, 135 x 10)

Single-Leg Extension Machine:
90 x 10, 95 x 8, Super-Set( 95 x 8, 60 x 6 )

Dumbbell Lunges:
40 x 10, 40 x 10, 40 x 10

Lying Hamstring Leg Curl Machine
110 x 10, 115 x 7, 110 x 7

:cry:

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Flat Bench:
70 x 10, 70 x 9, 70 x 8, 65 x 8

Dumbbell Flat Flyes:
50 x 10, 50 x 10, 50 x 10

Dips x BW:
14, 10, 9, 6

Dumbbell Incline Bench:
50 x 10, 50 x 8, 45 x 8

[syntekz]

Smith-Bent Over Rows: (This is actual Weight only, not including any estimated weight of bar)
130 x 6, 140 x 6, 150 x 6, 150 x 5

Reverse Grip Pulldown (Close-Grip):
150 x 7, 150 x 7, 157.5 x 7, 165 x 5

Bent Over Dumbbell Rows - Single Arm:
80 x 7, 80 x 6, 85 x 6, 75 x 8

Seated Rows (Close-Grip):
120 x 8, 135 x 5, 135 x 6

Front Grip Pulldown (Wide-Grip):
120 x 6, 135 x 5, 135 x 5


I bumped all weights up considerably more than usual and I dropped the amount of reps I'm doing per set. Going to do this across all boards for the next month. Just want to change up my routine a bit!

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
55 x 7, 60 x 6, 60 x 5, 55 x 5

Front Dumbbell Raise:
35 x 6, 35 x 6, 30 x 10

Seated-Reverse Dumbbell Fly (Super-Set with Shoulder Press):
(40 x 6 x 6), (45 x 5 x 6), (40 x 8 x 8)


:mad:

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Pushover:
75 x 10, 80 x 8, 80 x 6, 80 x 6

Rope Pushdown:
75 x 6, 80 x 6, 80 x 6, 80 x 6

Skull Crusher:
60 x 10, 75 x 7, 75 x 5

Single-Dumbbell Curl:
45 x 6, 50 x 5, 45 x 5

Seated EZ-Curl:
75 x 8, 85 x 6, 85 x 5

Reverse Straight-Bar Curl superset with Straight-Bar Curl:
(60 x 6 x 6), (60 x 6 x 1), (50 x 6 x 3)

[syntekz]

Deadlift:
225 x 10, 275 x 8, 315 x 6, 295 x 6, 275 x 6, 225 x 10

I pounced on these today. Got over 300 lbs, only problem is grip, but that is coming along slowly and surely.

Good Morning Dumbell:
Did not do these; was tired from dead lifts.

Barbell Shrug:
145 x 7, 145 x 6

Dumbbell Shrug:
55 x 10, 70 x 8, 70 x 6

[syntekz]

Barbell Squats:
225 x 10, 225 x 10, 245 x 7, 245 x 6, 225 x 6

Single-Leg Extension Machine:
Didn't do these this week.

Dumbbell Lunges:
45 x 10, 50 x 8, 45 x 8

Lying Hamstring Leg Curl Machine
110 x 8, 115 x 6, 110 x 7

My stomach is swollen from the squats; definitely kicked my own arse.

[syntekz]

Weigh-In:
Did my Sunday weigh-in this morning. Weighed in at 176.2 up from 175.2 last week.

I use FitDay to keep track of my Calorie intake; my averages for last week are as follows:

Calories: 2944
Fat(g): 110
Carbohydrates(g): 245
Protein(g): 259

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Flat Bench:
75 x 10, 75 x 5, 70 x 8, 70 x 6

Dumbbell Flat Flyes:
50 x 10, 55 x 6, 55 x 6

Dips x BW:
12, 10 , 10

Dumbbell Incline Bench:
50 x 10, 55 x 5, 50 x 7


I am still increasing my weights at a consistant rate, which I'm very happy about. Today though; I was not into my lifts and was not really mentally focused. Might be coming down with a slight cold; or just have a lot of outside-the-gym type factors taking their toll on me. Good times!

[syntekz]

Barbell-Bent Over Rows:
135 x 8, 155 x 6, 155 x 6, 135 x 6

Reverse Grip Pulldown (Close-Grip):
165 x 6, 165 x 4, 157.5 x 5, 157.5 x 5

Bent Over Dumbbell Rows - Single Arm:
80 x 8, 80 x 6, 75 x 6, 75 x 6

Seated Rows (Close-Grip):
135 x 7, 127.5 x 6, 127.5 x 6

Front Grip Pulldown (Wide-Grip):
127.5 x 7, 127.5 x 7

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
55 x 9, 60 x 7, 60 x 6, 55 x 6

Front Dumbbell Raise:
35 x 6, 35 x 6, 30 x 10

Seated-Reverse Dumbbell Fly (Super-Set with Shoulder Press):
(40 x 6 x 10), (45 x 6 x 8), (40 x 8 x 8)



My lifts and weight training are a continued success, I havne't been as strict on my diet as I would like to be and I have not been doing cardio.

Hopefully will start running again in the coming weeks. :shoot:

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Flat Bench:
65 x 10, 75 x 7, 70 x 8, 70 x 6

Dumbbell Flat Flyes:
50 x 10, 55 x 6, 55 x 6

Dips x BW:
15, 11, 10

Dumbbell Incline Bench:
50 x 10, 55 x 6, 55 x 6

[syntekz]

Barbell-Bent Over Rows:
140 x 8, 140 x 6, 140 x 6, 140 x6

Reverse Grip Pulldown (Close-Grip):
165 x 6, 165 x 4, 157.5 x 5, 15.7 x 6

Bent Over Dumbbell Rows - Single Arm:
80 x 8, 80 x 8, 80 x 6

Seated Rows (Close-Grip):
135 x 8, 135 x 7

Front Grip Pulldown (Wide-Grip):
127.5 x 8, 127.5 x 5

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
55x 10, 60 x 7, 60 x 5, 55 x 7

Front Dumbbell Raise:
35 x 6, 30 x 10, 30 x 10

Seated-Reverse Dumbbell Fly (Super-Set with Shoulder Press):
(40 x 8 x 10), (45 x 8 x 10), (45 x 5 x 7)


:dj:

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Pushover:
60 x 12, 75 x 11, 80 x 8

Rope Pushdown:
70 x 12, 90 x 8, 90 x 5

Skull Crusher:
70 x 8

My wrist is hurting quite a bit still; too much for this exercise.

Single-Dumbbell Curl:
45 x 10, 45 x 5,

Seated EZ-Curl:
75 x 12, 85 x 7

Reverse Straight-Bar Curl superset with Straight-Bar Curl:
60 x 10 x 2

[syntekz]

Deadlift:
225 x 10, 275 x 10, 275 x 8, 225 x 10

Took a week off from dead lifts, my hands healed up and I could not hold on to the weights so couldn't do much. Hands got shredded quickly.

Barbell Shrug:
135 x 12, 135 x 10

Dumbbell Shrug:
70 x 8, 70 x 8, 70 x 6, 55 x 10

[syntekz]

Dumbbell Flat Bench:
70 x 8, 75 x 5, 70 x 7, 70 x 5

Dumbbell Flat Flyes:
45 x 10, 50 x 8, 50 x 8

Dips x BW:
13, 9

Dumbbell Incline Bench:
55 x 11, 60 x 5, 55 x 8