swing the spiral

[Roark]

i'm starting a new journal to coincide with my switch from cutting to bulking. i took about 2 weeks off to rest and hopefully rehab my shoulder.

my cut took me from 232 to 208. i'm going to start slow and build my cals up gradually. i plan on hitting 2500 this week and next.

stats

6'1
208lbs
28 y/o

let us do this!!!

[Roark]

9/8/05 - Push

Inc BB Bench: 185 x 5, 195 x 5

DB Shoulder Press: 70s x 5, 70s x 5

OH Tri Press: 85 x 5, 85 x 5

Flat DB Bench: 95s x 5, 90s x 5

Side DB Raise: 35 x 8, 35 x 5

Tri Ex: eh, shoulder pain

Weight: 208

Well, not too bad for a start. My shoulder gave me some considerable pain though. This could turn out to be a long-lasting injury. I will do my best to remember to take ibuprofen regularly.

[Coke]

Actually off to a good start...do it to it dude - :thumbup:

[kad]

good start man, just be careful with that shoulder. i had a shoulder injury last summer that caused me to take a month off from lifting before it healed.

[Roark]

thanks fellas

9/9/05 - Pull/Legs

Deads: 275 x 3, 305 x 3

Front Squats: 135 x 5, 135 x 5, 135 x 5(see comments)

Stand DB Curl: 50s x 5, 50s x 5

BB Shrug: 275 x 5, 275 x 5

CG Pullup: BW+15 x 5, BW+15 x 5

Stand Smith Calf Raises: 275 x 10, 275 x 10

Weight: 207

Front Squats, hmmmmm, couldn't get the grip right. Using the crossed arms method but could only get 5 reps in because my shoulders were hurting too much. Felt like the bar was too far forward on my shoulders.

Had 2500 cals yesterday and lost a pound. Will move up to 2700 next week. After cutting for so long my appetite is horrible. It was a real challenge to even get 2500 cals in yesterday.

[Coke]

Workout is sweet...legs with pull work, thats 2 in one bro.

[Roark]

9/12/05 - Push

I'm not even going to post my workout. Diet was horrible this weekend, didn't get enough cals/protein at all. Will be strict this week and see how my push day goes on Friday.

Weight: 208

[Roark]

9/14/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 225 x 5, 245 x 3, 265 x 3

BB Rows: 185 x 5, 185 x 5

BB Curl: 105 x 5, 110 x 5

SLDL: 225 x 5, 225 x 5

DB Shrugs: 90s x 8, 90s x 8

Hammer Curls: 50s x 5, 50s x 5

Seated Calf Raises: 90 x 6, 100 x 6, 110 x 6

Weight: 206

Felt pretty darn good today. Cals have been at 2700 all week and I'm still losing weight. Will move up to 3K next week.

[Roark]

9/16/05 - Push

Inc BB Bench: 185 x 5, 205 x 4

DB Shoulder Press: 75s x 5, 70s x 5

OH Tri Press: 85 x 5, 90 x 5

Flat DB Bench: 95s x 5, 95s x 5

Side DB Raise: 35s x 5, 40s x 5

Tri Ex: 160 x 8, 180 x 8

Russian Twist: 5, 25 x 5, 25 x 5

Weight: 207.5

Felt pretty good. Shoulder pain was less than last week.

[Coke]

Showing some good strength in here man, certain movements are even lookin super.

[Roark]

thanks cocoa

well

i went to the beach this past weekend and i realized that i am not comfortable with the amount of bf i'm still carrying

i'm going to put the bulk on hold and get back on the cut

maybe i'm neurotic

but i just want to be as lean as possible before i start packing more bf on

soooooooooo

i started cutting again today

sucks, yeah

i was stoked about getting my strength back

ehhhhh

back in the gym tomorrow morning

[Roark]

back on the cut

9/23/05 - Pull

BB Rows: 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 165 x 5, 175 x 5, 185 x 5

Inc DB Curl: 45s x 5(5 sets)

CG Pullup: BW x 5, +5 x 5, +10 x 5

BB Shrug: 275 x 5, 225 x 8, 225 x 8

Seated Calf Raises: 90 x 5, 100 x 5, 110 x 5, 120 x 5, 130 x 5

Decline Crunches: 8, +25 x 8, +25 x 8

Weight: 207.5

Had planned on doing front squats but some jerkoff was hogging the squat rack and i didn't feel like talking to anyone.

Back on the diet.

New goal weight is 190. Sweet jesus.

If my love handles aren't gone after losing 40lbs, I may just kill a few small children.

[Roark]

9/26/05 - Push

Inc BB Bench: 185 x 5, 190 x 5, 195 x 5, 200 x 5, 205 x 5

DB Shoulder Press: 70s x 5, 70s x 5

OH Tri Press: 90 x 5, 90 x 5

Side DB Raise: 40s x 5, 40s x 5

Tri Ex: 170 x 5, 175 x 5, 180 x 5

Weight: 207.75

felt pretty darn good. inclines were pretty easy. the last set was hard, but not too bad.

weight is good considering the grotesque cheat day i had on saturday. ihop, taco bell, mcdonald's, & ben & jerry's. hahahahahaha.

cut out flat bench dbs. felt i had enough chest volume w/ the inclines.

shoulder hurts, what's new

[Coke]

Throwing around some good weights with both efforts bro.

[Roark]

9/28/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 185 x 5, 205 x 5, 225 x 5, 245 x 5

BB Curl: 95 x 5 - 5 sets

SLDL: 185 x 5, 205 x 5, 225 x 5

DB Shrugs: 90s x 8, 90s x 8

Hammer Curls: 50s x 5, 55s x 5

Seated Calf Raises: 115 x 8, 115 x 8

Weight: 206.5

Okay

Squats are in the crapper

Cut is getting back in gear

Work sucks

[Roark]

9/30/05 - Push

limited workout. 1/2 the gym was off limits due to their replacing mats.

BB Bench: 185 x 5, 195 x 5, 205 x 5, 215 x 5, 225 x 5

Standing Military: 95 x 5, 105 x 5, 115 x 5, 125 x 5

Dips: BW+25 x 8(5 sets)

Weight: 206.75

Dips really aggravate my shoulder. Will probably cut them out after today.

[Coke]

Too bad about the shoulder, dips are nice...getting closer to 315lbs on the squats - they're not in the can man, lol.

[Roark]

thanks cocoa

i think my legs have fared the worst during my cut. i'll be hitting squats on friday, so we'll see what i can pull of then.

10/4/05 - Pull/Calves

BB Rows: 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 175 x 5, 195 x 4, 205 x 4

Inc DB Curl: 45s x 5(3 sets)

Standing Smith Calf Raises: 225 x 5, 275 x 5, 295 x 5, 315 x 5, 315 x 5, 315 x 5

CG Pullup: BW x 5, +10 x 5, +15 x 5, +20 x 3, +25 x 3

BB Shrug: 225 x 5, 275 x 5

Weight: 207

Went heavier on some lifts. Felt pretty good. BB Shrugs suffered due to volume earlier in the workout.

Diet has been steady although the pounds are slow to come off now.

[Coke]

Nice numbers dude, especially while on the cut...keep up the good work.

[MM]

Looks like you and I have some similar strength in areas, so I'll be hanging around a little.

[Roark]

Thanks for the support fellas

MM - We're similar on some push lifts, but you got me owned in the squatting area. I'm working on it!

CoCoa - Read through your journal for some lifting ideas. Good stuff. I'm going to heavier lifts in the 1-3 rep range on some of the big exercises for a while. Working so far.

10/5/05 - Push

Inc BB Bench: 185 x 3, 205 x 3, 210 x 3, 215 x 3, 215 x 3

DB Shoulder Press: 70s x 3, 75s x 5, 75s x 5

OH Tri Press: 85 x 5, 90 x 4, 95 x 5

Side DB Raise: 40s x 5, 45s x 5

Tri Ex: 170 x 5, 180 x 5, 180 x 5

Dec Russian Twists: 5, +25 x 5, +25 x 5

Weight: 206.5

Felt strong. I was surprised at my handling of 215 on the incline. I work out alone, so I pumped those with no spotter. Felt close to ME.

Weight going down again. Good.

I think i'm aiming for 200 now. I think I'm lookgin lean in mirror. I think.

[MM]

Nice workout man. Incline BB (and incline DB, for that matter) always gives me trouble, so I wouldn't dare rack up 215 sans a spotter.

Do you work out in a gym, or at home?

[Coke]

The lower reps are the way to go when it comes to building up raw strength and power man...great push training.

[Roark]

i go to a gym

i never ask anybody for a spot, i guess i've been working out by my self for so long that i feel pretty comfortable with my limits

i never talk to anyone in the gym

although i do mutter a lot though and walk in circles hahaha

[MM]

I talk to tons of people, and to myself. Usually I get pissed at myself for not repping something out or for losing form, and I start to call myself a pussy or swearing. People just sort of eye me warily and walk away.

[Roark]

10/7/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 245 x 3, 265 x 3, 225 x 5

BB Curl: 95 x 5, 105 x 5, 115 x 5

SLDL: 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 245 x 3, 255 x 3, 265 x 3

Hammer Curls: 55s x 5, 55s x 5, 55s x 5

Seated Calf Raises: 110 x 5, 120 x 5, 130 x 5, 130 x 5, 130 x 5

Roman Chair Knee Raises: 10, 10, 10

Weight: 206.5

Great workout for me today. My squats are still sub-par, but I 100% concentrated on form so I feel good about that.

That's the heaviest I've ever gone on SLDLs, and they were pretty easy. It's probably bad that my SLDLs are better than my squats. hahaha.

I've recently gone back up to 5gms creatine per day, so I think that may be slowing my weight loss as well as helping my strength.

[Roark]

10/10/05 - Push

BB Bench: 225 x 3, 235 x 3, 240 x 2, 245 x 1, 250 x 1

Standing Military: 95 x 5, 125 x 3, 125 x 3, 125 x 3, 125 x 3, 125 x 3

Close Grip Bench: 185 x 3, 195 x 3, 200 x 3

DB Flys: 50 x 5, 55 x 5, 60 x 5, 65 x 5

Felt Good. Upped the weight on the bench. 1-rep sets felt easy. Didn't push it too hard.

Weight: 207.75

Hmm, scale weight is up. Probably just water retention. Waist is shrinking. That's what matters. Yesterday I finally fit back into the pants from the suit i bought after I graduated from school. Those pants have kind of been my bench mark. Word.

[Coke]

Good deal there with those benchmark pants, you are putting on muscle while decreasing around the waist - :thumbup:

[MM]

Nice looking work man. Clothes are a good bench mark for growth, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

[Roark]

Thanks for the support fellas! Cut is picking up nicely again.

10/12/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 225 x 3, 245 x 3, 265 x 3, 275 x 3

BB Rows: 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 205 x 3, 215 x 2, 195 x 5

Inc DB Curl: 45s x 5(3 sets)

Standing Smith Calf Raises: 225 x 8, 315 x 8, 315 x 8, 315 x 8

CG Pullup: BW x 5, +25 x 3, +25 x 3, +25 x 3

BB Shrug: 275 x 5, 225 x 8, 225 x 8

Weight: 205!!!

Good workout. Went up a bit on squats. Keeping the cals under 2K this week and the scale is showing it.

We'll see if I can hit 200lbs by thanksgiving.

[Coke]

Very nice session...doing leg and pull work combined is quite a bit man.

[Roark]

Thanks CoCoa!

10/14/05 - Push

Inc BB Bench: 185 x 5, 205 x 3, 215 x 3, 225 x 2, 225 x 2

DB Shoulder Press: 70s x 5, 75s x 5

OH Tri Press: 85 x 5, 95 x 5, 95 x 5

Side DB Raise: 45s x 5, 50s x 5

Tri Ex: 170 x 5, 180 x 5, 185 x 5

Dec Russian Twists: 10, +25 x 8

Weight: 205.25

NICE! I'm as light as I've been in years and my strength is picking back up.

Maybe my body's settling in to this lower weight. I haven't gone over 2100 cals this week.

THE CUT CONTINUES!!!

[Coke]

This is awesome, great show of strength on everything while in the cutting process.

[Roark]

10/19/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 245 x 5, 265 x 3

BB Curl: 95 x 5, 105 x 5

SLDL: 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 245 x 5, 265 x 4

Hammer Curls: 55s x 5, 55s x 5

Seated Calf Raises: 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 135 x 5, 135 x 5

Weight: 203.25

Rough

Had a bad weekend, diet and w/o suffered as a result

Felt really off in there today

Weight is down

Back on track

[Coke]

Fine leg day combined with some curls bro.

[Roark]

good morning cocoa!

back in the gym

10/21/05 - Push

BB Bench: 225 x 3, 235 x 3, 240 x 2, 245 x 1, 225 x 5

Standing Military: 95 x 5, 125 x 3, 125 x 3

Close Grip Bench: 185 x 5(shoulder pain)

DB Flys: 60 x 8, 60 x 8

Dips: BW x 5, +25 x 5, +45 x 5, +45 x 5

Felt pretty good. Shoulders acted up on the CGB. Need to get back on the daily ibuprofen.

I will say, after losing all this weight, I'm stoked that I can still push 225 x 5 on my last set.

Weight: 204.25

[Coke]

Hanging real tough with it, maintaining a 240 or so bench is very nice...good session overall.

[Roark]

thanks for the support cocoa, i'm trying to maintain........trying

10/12/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 135 x 10, 185 x 10, 225 x 10

BB Rows: 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 205 x 5

Stand DB Curl: 45s x 5, 50s x 5, 55s x 3

CG Pullup: BW x 5, +25 x 4, +25 x 3

BB Shrug: 225 x 8, 275 x 5, 275 x 8

Just a workout

Did the 225 x 10 on squats just to switch it up a bit. Will go heavy on Friday.

The Cut Continues!!!

[f=ma]

nice squats and rows man. does doing db curls before your pullups mess with your strength at all? ive been trying to do iso exercises last in my routines so i dont tire out early

[Coke]

Impressed with your ability to do legs, back and biceps all together so consistently, props for it - great job.

[Roark]

force - i don't know if it hinders me or not. it may. i try to space my w/o on those days with a leg movement, back movement, bicep movement,

thanks for the props cocoa, i'm just doing my best

10/26/05 - Push

Inc BB Bench: 135 x 8, 185 x 5, 205 x 5, 205 x 5, 205 x 5

DB Shoulder Press: 75s x 5, 70s x 5

OH Tri Press: 85 x 5, 95 x 5

Side DB Raise: 45s x 5, 50s x 5

Tri Ex: 180 x 8, 180 x 8

Inc DB Burnout: 70s, 60s

Dec Russian Twists: 10, 10

Weight: 204.75

Felt pretty good today. Lacked endurance on lifts towards middle of w/o.

Weight loss is SLOW at this point

Cals have been around 2k this week

Will drop to 1800 from now until Saturday................rough

I think I'm leaning out in the mirror. Will post pics when I'm closer to 200lbs.

[MM]

Ack, 1800 calories. :(

Incline bench looking strong, especially for multiple sets of 5x205. Nice work.

[f=ma]

nice benching dude, cutting is a bitch

[Coke]

Super push work, covered all bases very well man.

[Roark]

thanks for the continued support fellas

yeah, i'm entering new realms with my cut

cals were @1750 wed. and @1650 yesterday

had to force myself out of bed for the workout this morning

weight is showing it though, i'm truly at my lowest weight today

i got down this low a couple of weeks ago but that was due to improper diet over the weekend

anyway, here it is

10/28/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 135 x 10, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 245 x 3, 265 x 3

SLDL: 185 x 5, 225 x 8, 245 x 8

Hammer Curls: 50s x 5, 55s x 5, 60s x 5

Weight: 203.5

workout was pretty hard

squats are defnitely my weakest lift through this cut

i actually felt very strong on the sldls

had to cut it short due to getting a late start

[Coke]

Damn bro, you are roughing it well because those are some damn good weights whether cutting or not.

[Roark]

thanks cocoa, maintaining strength is getting harder

for sure

10/31/05 - Push

BB Bench: 205 x 5, 225 x 4, 235 x 2, 240 x 2, 225 x 4

Standing Military: 95 x 5, 115 x 5, 125 x 5

CGB DB(palms in): 50s x 5, 60s x 5, 70s x 5, 80s x 5, 90s x 3

DB Flys: 65 x 5, 65 x 5

ROUGH. feeling sick this morning which may be my excuse for the lack of strength in the gym.

strength seems to be slipping a bit faster. may need to swallow my pride and lower the weight on the BB Bench.

started to add some cardio in to speed up the end of this cut.

been doing my bas rutten muay thai boxing workouts. basically 3 minute rounds of shadow boxing w/ punches and knees. pretty intense.

[Coke]

I'm scared of you now bro you throwing punches+knees and $hit - :D ...nice regular and close grip benching sets, fine workout. Adding cardio to the mix while cutting is like icing, you'll look great.

[f=ma]

nice pushing man, your bench is looking real solid. do you clean the weight from the ground when you do standing milis or just pick it up from the rack that way or what?

it certainly sucks to see strength drop bit by bit, i know the feeling bro. im starting to see the effects of it on my healing time and my last few reps are getting harder and harder

[f=ma]

oh yeah, muay thai is ****ing cool.. ive always wanted to get into it but there isnt anything like that around here. how did you find your shadow routine?? did someone teach you or was it a video or something?

[Roark]

nice pushing man, your bench is looking real solid. do you clean the weight from the ground when you do standing milis or just pick it up from the rack that way or what?

it certainly sucks to see strength drop bit by bit, i know the feeling bro. im starting to see the effects of it on my healing time and my last few reps are getting harder and harder

i use the rack w/ the bar about chest high and just rack it and step back

strength is definitely dropping, but i think for my long term goals it's the right way

i want to get down to as low a bf% as possible

i feel like i've got the nutrition down, so i want a lean base to build muscle on in the future

personally, i don't want to be big & strong w/ a big belly as well

[f=ma]

i hear that man.. i want strength, but i want to look good too. i look good now clothed, but kinda chunky unclothed. what weight are you looking for so that your cut will be done?

[Roark]

oh yeah, muay thai is ****ing cool.. ive always wanted to get into it but there isnt anything like that around here. how did you find your shadow routine?? did someone teach you or was it a video or something?

i used to train mma(muay thai, boxing, & submission wrestling)

we used the bas rutten workout cd's to warm up at the beginning of class

he basically calls out different striking combos for 2 or 3 minute rounds

for example, a "1" is a jab, a "2" is a jab-cross, a "3" is a jab-cross-hook, etc.

so on the cd he's like "1........3.........1 & a left knee........10 left knees"

you can d/l the cd's on limewire for free

that's what i did :angel:

just search for bas rutten

[Roark]

i hear that man.. i want strength, but i want to look good too. i look good now clothed, but kinda chunky unclothed. what weight are you looking for so that your cut will be done?

i don't know

i started at 230, i'm at about 205 now, it may take 190 i think before i can really see my abs fully relaxed

[Roark]

here we go

tried to lower weights and concentrate on form today

11/2/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 135 x 8, 185 x 8, 225 x 8, 235 x 8

Pendlay Rows(OH grip from floor): 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 185 x 8

Stand DB Curl: 50s x 8, 50s x 8

Standing Smith Calf Raises w/ Full Pause: 225 x 8, 275 x 8

CG Pullup: 8, 6

BB Shrug: 275 x 8, 275 x 8

Weight: 203

Felt good

New low on the bodyweight

Been doing 3 3-minute rounds of the muay thai workout every night

Will do 4 rounds a night next week, etc.

Cals at about 1850/day

[Coke]

No doubt U will look super as U continue to drop a pound here and there, great that U have gotten the nutrition down.

[MM]

Nice work XCH. I haven't got a handle on your routine -- how many times a week are you doing legs? If once, you might want to increase the volume there, hit hammies a little.

[Roark]

i'm doing a split

there's 2 push routines & 2 legs/pull routines

i work out 3 days/week

so every other week i hit legs once, and every other week i hit em twice

you're right, only one legs/pull routine has deads, those are sldls too

[Roark]

the numbers continue to dwindle

11/4/05 - Push

Inc BB Bench: 135 x 8, 185 x 5, 195 x 7, 185 x 8

DB Shoulder Press: 70s x 5, 65s x 8(arghhhhhhhhhhhhh)

OH Tri DB Press: 85 x 8, 85 x 8

Side DB Raise: 45s x 8, 45s x 5

Tri Ex: 180 x 8, 170 x 8

Inc DB Burnout: 70s, 60s

Weight: 202.5

WEAKSAUCE!!!!!

man, after the inc bench my shoulders were GONE. i was lucky to push those 65s up.

i'm not a dickrider in the gym, i'm not competitive with folk in there, hell i don't even talk to anybody

but my pride is starting to get to me as my weights decline

some curljockey was staring at me today

i wanted to say "i'm cutting bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Cals have been <1875 this week

weight is coming off almost too quickly w/ the cardio added in

i think i'm really leaning out now

pics soon

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT

[Coke]

Are we there yet? - :D ...glad to see you close to your goal, even talking pics soon, lol. And the weights are not bad.

[Roark]

i hope we get there soon cocoa

for sure

so, instead of trying to progress every week in weights this deep into my cut and getting continually frustrated

i've decided to just find a good weight for 2 sets of 8 for every exercise and try to maintain that for the rest of the cut

no matter how embarassingly frail those numbers may be

11/7/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 225 x 8, 225 x 8

SLDL: 245 x 8, 245 x 8

BB Curl: 95 x 8, 95 x 8

V-Bar Pulldowns: 165 x 8, 165 x 8

Seat Calf: 135 x 8, 135 x 8

Hammer Curls: 55s x 8, 55s x 8

Weight: 202.75


nothing to write home about

just trying to maintain

[Coke]

Got a good plan man, the numbers still look nice, lol...hang on in there for the big payoff.

[Roark]

thanks for sticking with me cocoa

another day

continuing my 2 sets x 8 reps scheme for the rest of the cut

11/9/05 - Push

BB Bench: 205 x 8, 205 x 8

Standing Military: 95 x 8, 95 x 8

CGB DB(palms in): 80s x 7, 75s x 7

DB Flys: 60s x 8, 60s x 7

BW Dips: 8, 8, 8

Weight: 201.75

the 8 reps on everything is a bit higher volume than i'm used to

sticking it out

200 is almost here!

[f=ma]

nice work on the benching and squatting bro

i cant wait to finish cutting and im sure youre feeling the same way

[Coke]

Great job man, will arrive on schedule with it - staying on course very nicely Alan.

[MM]

Nice looking workouts; I assume you're doing some initial warmups, right?

[Roark]

thanks fellas

yeah mike, those were working sets.

11/2/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 225 x 8, 225 8

Pendlay Rows(OH grip from floor): 185 x 8, 185 x 8

Stand DB Curl: 50s x 8, 50s x 8

UH Lat Pulldown: 165 x 8, 165 x 8

BB Shrug: 225 x 8, 275 x 8

Weight: 200.75

Weight is dropping like crazy this week

Felt pretty good in the gym

Off to visit my folks for the weekend

Much eating will occur

[f=ma]

nice squats and rows bro, looking damn strong on both. youre dropping the weight, down 2 lbs from barely 7 days ago. im killing time until i go to the gym.. :) better women around 11am lol

[Coke]

Have a super weekend with the folks bro, you've been going at it so well and deserve to kick back and refeed - ;)

[Roark]

thanks fellas

weekend was nice, ate a little too much though

weight had jumped up a bit on the scale this am

all good though, should be evened out by wed or fri

11/14/05 - Push

BB Bench: 185 x 8, 205 x 8, 225 x 4

DB Shoulder Press: 65s x 8, 65s x 8

OH Tri DB Press : 85 x 8, 85 x 8

Side DB Raises: 45s x 8, 45s x 8

V-Bar Cable Ex: 160 x 8, 160 x 8

Eh

Just a workout

Felt pretty good

[Coke]

Just a workout...Felt pretty good

A fine push workout at that, looks pretty damn good to me bro - ;)

[MM]

Nice benching. Do you ask for a spotter for the 225?

[f=ma]

nice push session bro.. my weight was up this morning too. kinda pisses me off but its my own fault.. hope you had a good weekend at the folks' place

[Roark]

Do you ask for a spotter for the 225?

nah, i never ask for a spotter

probably should

i'm pretty comfortable with knowing my limits

i haven't gotten pinned since i was a youngster

that was with 175 too.....good lord!

[Roark]

i'm on low carbs this week and cals are <2000

my energy is really really low

was just kind of like a zombie in the gym this am

had some little nagging pains that limited the workout

11/16/05 - Legs/Pull

Squats: 225 x 8, 225 x 8

SLDL: felt a pull in the middle of my back during warmups so i cut these today

BB Curl: 95 x 8 only 1 set due to wrist pain

V-Bar Pulldowns: 165 x 8, 165 x 8

Seat Calf: 135 x 8, 135 x 8

Hammer Curls: 50s x 8, 50s x 8

Weight: 200.25


check that weight

could have probably called it 200 or less

but it was a def 200.25 on the scale

hopefully my last day above 200 for a while

still unsure on when the cut will end

[f=ma]

nice squatting bro. cutting is such a bitch

[f=ma]

i was thinking, maybe you should do your curling last and move the compounds like pulldowns up in the order? i know if i curl before i row or do pulldowns my lifts definitely suffer

[Coke]

Props for getting in there and doing your thing...step back and recharge/regroup, doing fine with it all regardless.

[Roark]

what's up guys

thanks for the input, i will put it all in my bag of tricks

felt good this morning, finally weighed in <200

progress is being made

11/9/05 - Push

BB Bench: 185 x 5, 205 x 5, 225 x 4

Standing Military: 105 x 8, 105 x 8

CGB DB(palms in):75s x 8, 75s x 8

DB Flys: 60s x 8, 60s x 8

BW Dips: 8, 8

Weight: 199.25!!!

wanted to get 225 x 5 on bench

didn't push it though

maybe next week i'll ask for a spot so i can be sure to get it

hoping to maintain that 225 x 5 through the cut

hoping

[f=ma]

real nice benching bro

better yet, awesome weigh in.. we should race to 180 :) i know you had 225x5 in you.. 1 more rep is nothing when youre pushing that kind of weight to begin with

[Coke]

Super push day man, glad to hear of the constant improvements being made.

[Roark]

hey there fellas

well, now is the time of year we take a break from the rigors of our everyday lives

tomorrow morning i board a plane for las vegas where i will partake in many activities detrimental to my training but crucial to maintaining my sanity

hopefully the week off of diet and training will not set me back too far

i snuck in a full body workout this morning to hopefully promote a little growth while i wade through buffets, liquor dranks, and loose women

woohaaaaaaa

11/22/05 - Full Body

BB Bench: 185 x 5, 205 x 5, 225 x 4

Squats: 135 x 8, 185 x 8, 225 x 8

OH Tri DB: 80 x 8, 85 x 8

SLDL: 135 x 8, 185 x 8, 225 x 8

Standing Military: 95 x 8, 95 x 8

Hammer Curls: 50s x 8, 50s x 8

UH Lat Pull: 165 x 8, 165 x 8

Side DB Raises: 40s x 8, 40s x 8

Felt Damn Good

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Gobble Gobble and all that good ****

[f=ma]

very nice effort bro, good squat and bench strength

[f=ma]

ps: have a blast in vegas, i really want to hit it up one of these days

[Coke]

This holiday is yours dude, know you'll have the time of your life while in Vegas…nice full body workout beforehand.

[f=ma]

damn i could use some sluts right now

[Roark]

yo

what's up fellas

vegas was a good time, wore me out though

ever since i got back i've been sick, so i've still yet to get back in the gym

i plan on starting back on monday

hope the layoff hasn't hurt too much

hope all is well with everyone

[f=ma]

glad to see youre still in the saddle. get better soon so you can get in there

[Roark]

BACK IN THE MIX!!!

alright fellas, hope you didn't count me out

i've decided to start a HST program

i will be cutting for the rest of the year, and then slowly building up cals in jan

i have been studying the HST method and wanted to use the rest of my cut to get acquainted with it

today was a sub-maximal effort, but it still kicked my ass

i was plannign on doing 2 sets of 10, but i think my carb defecit is too much and so i reverted to 1 set after a few exercises

here we go:

12/5/05 - HST/10 reps/Sub-Maximal

Squats: 185 x 10, 185 x 10

SLDL: 185 x 10, 185 x 10

Inc Bench: 165 x 10, 165 x 10

BB Rows: 135 x 10

DB Shoulder Press: 55s x 10

UH Lat Pull: 150 x 10

OH DB Tri Press: 75 x 10

DB Curls: 35s x 10

Dips: BW x 10

Lat Raises: 30s x 10

BB Shrugs: 225 x 10

WEIGHT: 197.5

Definitely taxed my muscle endurance

Liked the variety

Check that weight

Steady falling

[f=ma]

very nice progress on the weight. not only that, real nice effort on the fullbody workout

im still 200+ :( how come you decided to do HST for cutting?

[Roark]

very nice progress on the weight. not only that, real nice effort on the fullbody workout

im still 200+ :( how come you decided to do HST for cutting?

thanks man

well, i did that full body workout right before i went to vegas and i liked it alot

been on a very similar split for a year+

i plan on upping cals in january and using HST, so i wanted to go ahead and get used to it

we'll see how i like it after a few weeks

[Coke]

Major props to you for resuming the plan, a whole body session will knock anyone out anyday of the week.

[MM]

Hey, look who's back. No more breaks. Or at least not too many more.

[Roark]

had severe DOMS so pushed wed workout to thurs

went atf on squats, they were damn hard

12/8/05 - HST/10 reps/Sub-Maximal

Squats: 205 x 10

SLDL: 205 x 10

Inc Bench: 170 x 10

BB Rows: 155 x 10

DB Shoulder Press: 60s x 10

UH Lat Pull: 165 x 10

OH DB Tri Press: 80 x 10

DB Curls: 40s x 10

Dips: +25 x 10

Lat Raises: 35s x 10

Seat Calf Raises: 90 x 10

BB Shrugs: 245 x 10

WEIGHT: 197.25

pretty intense

struggled to finish the workout

saturday should be interesting

[f=ma]

real nice progression on the weights

how come you dropped the 2nd sets of squats/sldl/bench? too much volume/not enough time? youre making real good progress on the cut man. nice work

[Coke]

Fine work Alan, doing the one set per body part does look appealing...but otherwise I know I could not pull it off, lol.

[Roark]

tim - i dropped the second set due to it being too much volume with the weight. from the HST material i've read, you can do 2 sets when you're using lower weight, but once you get close to max effort you should(and pretty much can only) do one.

cocoa - i know you could hang with it. especially using my light weight. lol

this was supposed to be a max effort day, i think i planned it pretty well. could have gone heavier on some exercises, but not much.

i think it helped that today is my cheat day and i was able to take a whole serving of dextrose before the workout. felt stronger down the stretch.

12/10/05 - HST/10 reps/Maximum Effort

Squats: 225 x 10

SLDL: 225 x 10

Inc Bench: 175 x 10

BB Rows: 165 x 10

DB Shoulder Press: 65s x 10

UH Lat Pull: 180 x 10

OH DB Tri Press: 85 x 10

DB Curls: 45s x 10

Dips: +45 x 10

Side DB Lat Raises: 40s x 10

Seat Calf Raises: 115 x 10

BB Shrugs: 265 x 10

WEIGHT: 197.25

so, after my first week of HST, i like it so far.

i will go to sets of 8 next week.

company christmas party tonight, i'll try to take it easy on the liquor and bad food :angel:

[f=ma]

allan, real nice man. props on the weight, youre getting down there! i did a HST program for a bit earlier this past summer. it was real rough haha, I switched to back to upper/lower a few weeks after i started full body HST

[Coke]

...company christmas party tonight, i'll try to take it easy on the liquor and bad food :angel:

Yeah right, lol - :D ...know you had a complete blast at the xmas party even if it was from work. Nice session man.

[f=ma]

bump, lets see some action alan!

[Roark]

ahhhh

you caught me

man, i drank wayyyyyy too much at the christmas party

i've had a 3-day hangover

the older i get the longer they last

thursday and saturday this week i will be lifting

i know i know

no more drinking for a while

[f=ma]

haha nice bro

its good to get it out of your system once in a while. looking forward to seeing some numbers soon

[Roark]

ice storm this morning

no gym

tomorrow, tomorrow

[Roark]

admittedly, december has not been great for me and working out

will keep to it for the duration of '05

big things in '06

not planning on ending the cut anytime soon

have had some medical scares lately, hopefully all turns out well and i'm around for a bit longer

12/17/05 - HST/8 reps/Sub-Maximal Effort

Squats: 205 x 8

SLDL: 225 x 8

Inc Bench: 175 x 8

BB Rows: 165 x 8

DB Shoulder Press: 65s x 8

UH Lat Pull: 180 x 8

OH DB Tri Press: 85 x 8

DB Curls: 40s x 8

Dips: +45 x 8

Side DB Lat Raises: 35s x 8

Seat Calf Raises: 115 x 8

BB Shrugs: 245 x 8

WEIGHT: 198

my diet hasn't been 100% this week, was def surprised at the lack of weight gain

guess it wasn't as bad as i had thought

[Coke]

My energies have been a little off as well this month, but thats how winter is for me...good job on the sub max effort.

[Roark]

Thanks CoCoa, sticking with it

Some lifts were closer to max then submax(squats, rows)

Squats continue to be my weakest lift during the cut

been going deep on them though, gotta

12/19/05 - HST/8 reps/Sub-Maximal Effort

Squats: 225 x 8

SLDL: 245 x 8

Inc Bench: 185 x 8

BB Rows: 175 x 8

DB Shoulder Press: 70s x 8

UH Lat Pull: 190 x 8

OH DB Tri Press: 90 x 8

DB Curls: 45s x 8

Dips: +55 x 8

Side DB Lat Raises: 40s x 8

Seat Calf Raises: 125 x 8

BB Shrugs: 265 x 8

no weight today, want to let the crap i've been eating settle

[Coke]

Great way to keep moving on with it through these icy and snowy days dude, lol - ;)

[Roark]

You know it CoCoa

Gotta Keep it Moving, do the K.I.M.

Not a bad day

Felt really strong on some lifts(rows, sldls, curls, dips, bench)

and weak on others(squats, squats, & uh, squats)

I think that maybe my doing squats first thing is why they're lagging

This morning i woke up at 630 and by 710 i had 245 lbs on my back

maybe i need to get up at 6 and wake up a bit more before hitting the gym

Moved to sub-max 5 reps so i could hit a max 5 rep workout on fri before splitting town

Actually did 6 reps on some lifts, but we'll call it 5 for neatness' sake

12/21/05 - HST/5 reps/Sub-Maximal Effort

Squats: 245 x 5

SLDL: 275 x 5

Inc Bench: 195 x 5

BB Rows: 185 x 5

DB Shoulder Press: 75s x 5

UH Lat Pull: 200 x 5

OH DB Tri Press: 95 x 5

DB Curls: 50s x 5

Dips: +65 x 5

Side DB Lat Raises: 45s x 5

Seat Calf Raises: 145 x 5

BB Shrugs: 285 x 5

WEIGHT: 196.25

Weight is looking nice. I've indulged a few christmas treats but kept portions under control.

[Clifford Gillmore]

Solid numbers for a sub-max there man. Good job!

[Coke]

Wow dude, hit them weights up within 45 minutes of waking - thats drastic stuff but somebody has got to do it, lol.

[Roark]

Risk - thanks for stopping by, i'll check out your journal here in a few. i'm trying to keep my numbers as high as possible on the neverending cut.

CoCoa - yeah man, i wonder what i'm thinking. i got up at 0600 on my DAY OFF today to go lift. hahaha.

okay, had planned on doing a ME workout today, but the gym was kinda crazy this am. i guess it's because alot of cats had off work today.

i just kind of skipped around and lifted. tried to superset most everything after squats.

here's how it went down:

12/23/05 - HST/Random Effort

Inc Bench: 175 x 5, 205 x 5

Squats: 225 x 5, 255 x 3(box), 225 x 5(box)

DB Shoulder Press: 70s x 5

DB Curls: 50s x 5

OH DB Tri Press: 85 x 8

Side DB Raises: 45s x 8

Dips: +45 x 5, +55 x 5, +65 x 5

UH Lat Pulls: 200 x 5, 200 x 5

DB Curls: 50s x 8

no weight today, too much junk food this week.

will monitor weight again after the holiday

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all my wbb peeps!!!

[Coke]

Nice random stuff Alan...enjoy the holidays man.

[Roark]

alright, back at it

man, i feel dsigusting after all the food i ate over the weekend

i'm starting a 15-10-8-5-3 HST cycle

either i overestimated my strength on the 15 reps or my cardio is really lacking, most likely the latter

i had to cut my workout short due to being worn out

using a box(bench) for squats to help maintain a consistent depth

due to my height, the bench allows for a slightly below parallel depth

12/27/05 - HST/15 reps/Sub-Maximal Effort

Box Squats: 185 x 15

SLDL: 185 x 15

Inc Bench: 135 x 15

BB Rows: 135 x 15

DB Shoulder Press: 50s x 15

UH Lat Pull: 150 x 15

and that's all i had folks

my nutrition has been in the crapper for the past week

hopefully workouts will improve as i get back into my daily routine

[Coke]

Good deal man, getting the groove going again before the new year starts.

[Roark]

did a 10-rep ME today, going to do a 5-rep ME on Sat.

been thinking very hard about how to approach lifting for the new year

i believe it's time to stop cutting

the excitement of making gains in the gym has been gone for too long for me

i'm ready to get stronger again

i think i've got the diet aspect down pat, time to use that for gaining rather than losing

i think i can minimize fat gain this time around

look for new things next week

finishing up this week with ME days

felt good this morning

12/29/05 - HST/10 reps/Maximum Effort

Squats: 225 x 10

SLDL: 225 x 10

Inc Bench: 175 x 10

BB Rows: 165 x 10

DB Shoulder Press: 65s x 10

UH Lat Pull: 180 x 10

OH DB Tri Press: 85 x 10

Side DB Lat Raises: 40s x 10

Seat Calf Raises: 115 x 10

WEIGHT: 198.75

losing that holiady weight

good things

[Coke]

Seeing you hungry again for strength and size this way rocks...bound to make headway with them plans Alan.

[Roark]

you're right cocoa

i'm ready to get some strength back

i plan on bulking for at least 3 months then try to cut up a bit for summer

i think i may start a new journal for the new year so keep your eyes peeled

i'm also trying to get a username change, but i haven't heard back from the mod yet, we'll see

felt pretty good this am

12/31/05 - HST/5 reps

Squats: 245 x 5

SLDL: 275 x 5

Inc Bench: 195 x 5

BB Rows: 185 x 5

DB Shoulder Press: 75s x 5

UH Lat Pull: 200 x 5

OH DB Tri Press: 95 x 5

BB Curls: 50s x 5

WEIGHT: 198.5

to those who have stopped by the journal this year, thank you very much

i think this has been my best year working out as far as consistency and quality

big things in '06

have a happy new year my friends

and on that note:

here's the final product of my cut

[f=ma]

looking trim and furry bro.. very nice work on the cut. i have made no progress lately and after my vacation, i might be 205+ lol

happy new year and keep it up!

[Coke]

You've clearly dropped some weight and leaned out in the pic...wish you the best with those goals.

[f=ma]

happy new year bro!