New Guy

[devongarver]

Hey guys, name is Devon. :hello:
22 yrs old.
From ohio
Associates in Electronics Engineering
Electrical Service Engineer by trade

I have a bit of background info in my albums i just made, but i will do a brief intro here as well. Basically, i have been your typical fat kid all my life and i decided i didnt want to be anymore. When i was in high school i weighed 215 lbs at one point. I brought it down a bit after HS when i was in college, but it was obviously no where near enough, being i'm only 5'5"!! SO, last year i decided i wanted to make a change and now here i am doing it! I currently weigh 145lbs, and i only just started any "real" strength training 2 weeks ago. And even at that it is only light weights for the most part as i had never lifted before, and i only have limited equipment at home(about 150lbs of usable plates). I was just laid off from my job 2 weeks ago, ere go, i began lifting. Before i was on the road in hotels constantly, so a dumbbell routine was all i could do. Now, who knows what i will do, but like the website says, now, i wanna be big! :-)


It seems i cannot post a link to my albums yet as i do not have enough posts,
so here are a some newer shots, to see my before shots just check out my albums.



I apologize for the lack of intelligence on my part while attempting to take pictures, i realize they suck, but its all i have for now. I think my biggest gap in knowledge right now is routines. I normally do a full body workout circuit style as its great for fat burning, but after i get rid of these las few pounds on my stomach i think i should change it up to go for more strength. Any thoughts?
I appreciate any and all advice, after all, i'm the new guy!:):)

[Painzer]

Welcome man! You've got a great base to start with. If you want to get bigger, you gotta go with the old you... EAT! :)

[devongarver]

Thanks Painzer, I definitely wont have any trouble eating enough of the right foods, i've got that one down! I am just trying to get a steady lifting schedule figured out, until i can decide where to start, im just mixing in different things while still doing a full body workout.

[Painzer]

What are your lifts looking like right now? That would be a good thing to know as far as determining a good lifting routine for you.

[devongarver]

Well, i follow a basic full body circuit, very similar to the one outline in the ABS diet on the Mens Health website. The only difference is i am changing it up a bit with heavier lifts and fewer reps at least one time a week. Are you asking literally what amount of weight i am using for certain moves? I know one thing i cannot do enough weight with, and that is squats. I do not have a squat rack, so for now i am only using what i can press over head after i am fatigued from 10 reps safely. This at the moment is a whopping 100 lbs. Military press i start at 85 or 95 and work down each set. One armed bent over rows i start at 100lbs and work down each set. Upright rows i use 85lbs on a bar, then 40lb dumb bells each hand, then 25 lb plates each hand, then 20lb dumb bells. like i said, my equipment is limited so i make do. Bench press i start at 100 and work up to 155, thats all the plates i have right now so until i get more i'm stuck. Skull crushers i start at 55lbs, then step down each set. I do chin ups with a 25lb plate hanging from my waist for the first set, then the second set i do regular. The third i grip two hand towels that i have hung over the bar and pull up like that. I have no leg machine so i do wall sits for 2 mins first, then one min second time. Again, no leg machine so for hams. i lay on the floor face down and grip a 40lb dumbbell between my feet and lift it to my butt. I do flys on the bench with 25lb plates then 20 lb dumbbells. I do romanian deadlifts instead of back extensions now, with like 100lbs or whatever is on the bar. Like i said i only jsut started using anything other than a few light dumbbells just a few weeks ago. Before all of this i do my abs routine which consists of crazy weighted crunches, leglifts, planks etc. All of this i do with minimal rest to keep my heart rate up. A workout usually takes the entirety of my Avenged Sevenfold album, which is around 50 mins i think. give or take. I hope i didnt leave anything out. If i did just ask. Thanks guys.

[devongarver]

Just an update-
I've gained about 5 lbs, and surprisingly enough all of my lifts have improved a good bit the last few weeks. I can now press 135 oh so thats what im squatting. Military press is up to 115 from 95. one arm BO rows i am doin more reps with the same weights for more sets. Same with upright rows and bench. Skull crushers i am up to 70 from 55. Romanian i am up to 155, thats all i have i know i can do much more. I have been eating more last 3-4 weeks and im hopin the weight i have gained is not fat, haha. I cannot take new pics, my camera is broken, i have a new one in the mail this week tho, so new pics next week maybe!

[Painzer]

Glad you're progressing! Keep it up!