Chevelle's [divine] Log

[chevelle2291]

sup man, been meaning to stop in here



couldnt agree with this more. i actually did intermediate 5x5 on my last bulk with a few mods... i messed up because i erred on the side of shoveling food into my mouth.. but the program works. dont worry about easy sets or not getting a pump. it will get HARD by week 10. you're supposed to start low... but IF you can make it 10 weeks without missing a lift, you will have gained a ton of strength and definitely put on some size, guaranteed. i made it 13 weeks without missing a lift or deloading taking my bench from 185x5 & 205x5 to a max bench in the low 300s and max squat in the high 300s.

so in summary, before this gets long winded, any program will work as long as your diet is tuned to your goal.

Hey F=MA, thanks for stoppin' in. I decided to change programs because of what I experienced after 1 day on the WBB BB program. I have to say, I liked it a lot more. I'm not knockin' 5x5, I enjoyed the program when I was on it, but I've decided that it's not what I need for my goals. I definitely want some strength along with size, but hypertrophy is mainly what I'm after, and my body seems to respond to a higher rep/set scheme than 5x5. Plus, I love () high volume workouts. The six sets of squats were hard as hell, but they were also a ton of fun. I was doing a push/pull/legs split before I went on ABBH and I saw a lot of progress with the push/pull split and it was a lot higher volume than 5x5, so I've decided to stick to WBB BB. I also like the frequency of WBB BB better, as I cycle through my workouts once in 5 days, which I think helps a lot with growth for me. The one heavy squat day that I can hit really hard will probably be better for me than the three squat days so that my lower back can recover from the session before I hit it hard again.

I'll still be focusin' on progressing in either weight or reps each session, but it may be more gradual than it would have been with 5x5.

Diet IS something that I'm going to need to get a handle on here soon. The last few days have been crappy with lots of traveling and unhealthy crap like pizza and frozen yogurt. It'll get a lot cleaner and I'll definitely be eating more both this week and when I get home for the summer, so that's when some good gains should be made.

Btw, I still have DOMS in my quads from that squat session.

[fixationdarknes]

I don't like anything about this move. You're making a classic rookie mistake of changing things before they've had a chance to work. I loved your madcow program, it focused on the compound lifts and as long as you yourself focused on progression you would have gained on it just as good as anything else.

To tryout high volume and more failure training at your level is a mistake. Plain out. It takes so little stimulus to build a solid base. Both high volume and frequent failure training should be reserved for a more experienced lifter who knows his body. You will have no idea where the fine line you're flirting with between enough and too much is. And likely have worse gains than on a lower volume routine.

I also agree with this. To an extent it's really about what you want to do. Often times I've been given advice by people I know know what they're talking about, but even though I know they're right I will not follow the advice just because I don't want to and would basically enjoy myself doing it another way *shrug* In the end though, does it matter to you more the results/gains you see or how you feel? I used to feel like I wasn't getting enough volume in using SS. And from what I can see Madcow is very similar to SS, which makes sense because this is the kind of thing that works!

I sort of tweaked SS and am doing back squats less often and de-loading on my deads every other session, but for the most part now am sticking with SS (with Front Squats subbed in on one of the Back Squat days) with some assistance/conditioning exercises. I dunno man, I wish you the best either way. But I do recommend sticking with the lower volume compound-focused mindset. We have fairly similar stats/weight/goals (other than me being a shorty at 5'7" lol) at the moment, and I'd hate to see you go to the dark side

[chevelle2291]

I also agree with this. To an extent it's really about what you want to do. Often times I've been given advice by people I know know what they're talking about, but even though I know they're right I will not follow the advice just because I don't want to and would basically enjoy myself doing it another way *shrug* In the end though, does it matter to you more the results/gains you see or how you feel? I used to feel like I wasn't getting enough volume in using SS. And from what I can see Madcow is very similar to SS, which makes sense because this is the kind of thing that works!

haha, don't worry the program is still mostly compound exercises. I definitely appreciate the feedback but I think I'm going to stick with the WBB program for a while. It's just the kind of program I like: higher volume, shorter rest perids, and heavy weights for higher reps. The split I did at the beginning of the year was very similar to this and I loved it and gained some (not much, about ten pounds, I wasn't counting calories) size on it.

You also have to know that I'm not a completely beginner lifter (I know you didn't say this, I'm just clearing my weightlifting background up). When I was in high school, I was doing a ridiculously high volume program that called for eight straight work sets of squats as well as leg presses, curls, and extensions on legs day, all while on a severe deficit. I mean, I have a few years experience weight lifting, I just never grew because I was afraid to get fat (former fat kid) and never really ate much above 2,500 calories. Right as I was turning around and starting to gain size (10 lbs on a push/pull/legs split) sophomore year, I started racing road bikes, which turned me back into a stick.

This program is also not some program I made up on my own. It's a program from WBB, written by Ron Harris who really knows his stuff when it comes to bodybuilding. It's a program that just fits my goals more; I want to look like a bodybuilder, so I should probably do a program designed to do just that. To be honest, I was going to do this program right after ABBH but I kind of allowed myself to be persuaded to do 5x5 instead. I'm just happier doing this program and I don't see how I'm not going to gain muscle as well as strength on this program if I eat right, sleep, and progressively increase the weights or reps every session. I have a goal in mind to gain about 10-15 pounds of mostly muscle by September and I think I can do it if I stick to this program.

I apologize if I sound defensive (hell, I think I do), but when it comes to weightlifting and gaining muscle I think there's many ways to skin the same cat. In the end, I think it all comes down to intensity and progression. If you have those, it doesn't matter what program you're on (within reason).

I have to admit though fix, I'd pop in your journal every once in a while just to see what lifts you were getting stronger than me at to pump myself up for my next 5x5 session haha.

Oh, and in other news, I found some serious stretch marks on my quads today as well as a vein I hadn't noticed before.

Edit: I should also add that I'm not REALLY going to be going to muscular failure on these lifts. Near failure, yes, but not true muscular failure. Also, in comparison to what Behemoth or others do, this program really isn't that high of volume at all. Higher than 5x5 but not much higher than say 5/3/1 with bodybuilding-oriented accessory lifts.

[chevelle2291]

Workout entry for May 10, 2010

Upper Body Workout

Weighted Chinups
10#x10x10x10x8x6

Incline Dumbbell Press
40# DBsx10x10x10x8

Barbell Row--poor ROM, hams and lower back still sore
95#x8x10x10x12

Seated Dumbbell Military Press
35# dbsx10x10x8x7

Incline Alternate Dumbbell Hammer Curl SS with triceps extensions (was running short on time)
20#dbsx10x9x6.5x8

Seated Triceps Dumbbell Extension--poor ROM, back and shoulders exhausted
35#(1DB)x10x10x10x10

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Notes: Pretty good workout today. I took some of the weights a little easy (Military Press, Barbell Row) because I didn't feel like I was in the zone when I started lifting. This is likely due to lack of sleep, traveling, lack of calories, etc. I know that I'll definitely need to start eating more if I'm pre-workout with this routine than I needed to with 5x5. I'm also probably going to start drinking a carb/electrolyte drink during my workout to help keep my energy levels high. I should be able to blast through either higher weight or higher reps on most of these exercises next time around because I'll be better rested and have more food in me. Overall, however, I'm not disappointed.

Legs and lower back are still sore from squats. Lower back is sore in a good way. I definitely like having one really hard legs day where I can really 'em hard and then let them rest for a while. I have high-rep deadlifts comin' up in two days, so I'm going to try and get as much sleep as I can today and tomorrow. I also have bumped up my glucosamine and fish oil dosages to see if that helps.

I'm shootin' for 3,500 calories today, with protein in the 250 gram range, carbs in the 350-400 range, and fats in the 80-100 gram range.

Also, I've decided to stop doing high-intensity cardio on off days. I'm going to still do an abs circuit on off days, but I'll be trading the sprints for LISS cardio. I may do tabatas every once in a while, but for now 30 minutes of LISS cardio is the game plan.

[Behemoth]

All looks good Ryan. You know your fundamentals, you're hungry for it, now lets see it... be a champ dude.

I really like you dropping the high intensity cardio. That's a very good move.

[fixationdarknes]

It's a program that just fits my goals more; I want to look like a bodybuilder, so I should probably do a program designed to do just that.

Well, I'd say it's more along the lines of: if you want to look like a bodybuilder, eat like a bodybuilder, regardless of what program you are doing. In the end, you could probably make gains lifting logs out in the woods as long as your diet was in order

You seem pretty set on this, and as you've already started I won't keep pestering you about it (I'll always be supporting you 100% though, just with differing views hah). Perhaps we will join forces one day again

And I'm glad to see that you have a well thought-out plan. It seems solid enough. Good luck man!

I really like you dropping the high intensity cardio. That's a very good move.

To be honest I am a supporter of high intensity cardio, as long as the volume is kept short enough. I'd rather just force myself to eat more. In the end you'll still gain the weight, but along the way you'll benefit from improved nutrient partitioning and likely a lower body % comparatively.

That being said, I've never been the biggest/quickest bulker around, so you should probably listen to Behemoth lol.

[Behemoth]

I have a goal in mind to gain about 10-15 pounds of mostly muscle by September and I think I can do it if I stick to this program

In all reality you'll be lucky for 4lbs by then. Not that that wouldn't be impressive... it would be. Simply that 4lbs of true muscle in 4 months is more than most realize. I'm going to sound controversial to a lot of others and nobdoy wants to believe this... but coming from someone whose bulked and cut 8 times now, I know that when I gain 5, 10, 30lbs etc just what composition of that is actually muscle next time I cut. I gained 45lbs last bulk and would be ecstatic if an ounce over 5lbs was actually muscle once this fat is shed.


Truth is most people have no concept of what 2, 3, 5 or 10lbs of actual dry muscle is... a ****ton. But that doesn't mean that what you visually picture 10-15lbs of muscle to be cannot be achieved by setpember. I very much believe you can pull that off if you bust your ass bro. And the truth of the matter is it doesn't even matter what % composition is muscle, water, glycogen, fat or whathaveyou... as long as you achieved that body change that you're picturing. And I think you will.

Now go eat my friend!!

[chevelle2291]

In all reality you'll be lucky for 4lbs by then. Not that that wouldn't be impressive... it would be. Simply that 4lbs of true muscle in 4 months is more than most realize. I'm going to sound controversial to a lot of others and nobdoy wants to believe this... but coming from someone whose bulked and cut 8 times now, I know that when I gain 5, 10, 30lbs etc just what composition of that is actually muscle next time I cut. I gained 45lbs last bulk and would be ecstatic if an ounce over 5lbs was actually muscle once this fat is shed.


Truth is most people have no concept of what 2, 3, 5 or 10lbs of actual dry muscle is... a ****ton. But that doesn't mean that what you visually picture 10-15lbs of muscle to be cannot be achieved by setpember. I very much believe you can pull that off if you bust your ass bro. And the truth of the matter is it doesn't even matter what % composition is muscle, water, glycogen, fat or whathaveyou... as long as you achieved that body change that you're picturing. And I think you will.

Now go eat my friend!!

Haha I knew you were going to post something similar to this. What you are saying is true. I think I've read in some other places that the human body, in PERFECT circumstances, can only gain 20 lbs of muscle, and that's if the person is brand new to weight training. When I said 10-15 lbs, I meant 10-15 lbs composed of dry muscle, glycogen, water, and fat. As long as I get bigger all around and stay at or a little above my current body fat percentage I'll be happy.

[Behemoth]

Haha I knew you were going to post something similar to this. What you are saying is true. I think I've read in some other places that the human body, in PERFECT circumstances, can only gain 20 lbs of muscle, and that's if the person is brand new to weight training. When I said 10-15 lbs, I meant 10-15 lbs composed of dry muscle, glycogen, water, and fat. As long as I get bigger all around and stay at or a little above my current body fat percentage I'll be happy.

Ya, I was actually pretty sure you know that. I think we had this discussion before ... just kind of a pet peeve when you see some of these new guys coming around claiming the 40lbs they gained on a bulk were mostly muscle.

The human body can gain way more than 20lbs of muscle.... I think there's walking proof in every gym you go to? Did you mean in a year? Maybe, a person with literally the best imagineable genetics under a training and diet regime that was immaculate for him could gain 20 true pounds his first year. We're all different... maybe when we get you dialed in you'll be an exception? Lets find out...!!

[chevelle2291]

Ya, I was actually pretty sure you know that. I think we had this discussion before ... just kind of a pet peeve when you see some of these new guys coming around claiming the 40lbs they gained on a bulk were mostly muscle.

The human body can gain way more than 20lbs of muscle.... I think there's walking proof in every gym you go to? Did you mean in a year? Maybe, a person with literally the best imagineable genetics under a training and diet regime that was immaculate for him could gain 20 true pounds his first year. We're all different... maybe when we get you dialed in you'll be an exception? Lets find out...!!

Yes, and yes. I highly doubt I'm the exception lol.

[f=ma]

good looking w/o man, keep it up

[chevelle2291]

All looks good Ryan. You know your fundamentals, you're hungry for it, now lets see it... be a champ dude.

I really like you dropping the high intensity cardio. That's a very good move.

I didn't catch this post before. Yea, I felt like it was time to put cardio on the back burner. If and when I need to cut, I'll bring back the high intensity stuff, but it's just not the right time for it.

[Behemoth]

I didn't catch this post before. Yea, I felt like it was time to put cardio on the back burner. If and when I need to cut, I'll bring back the high intensity stuff, but it's just not the right time for it.

Good. But don't bring it back because you see a little gain. Accept it. If youre wishy washy you'll get nowhere, set goals and follow through with them. That being said. What are you official short term goals? I know you said 10-15 by september. I think giving yourself a tangible goal (like 180lbs) by the end of september would be a good thing for you to do

[chevelle2291]

Good. But don't bring it back because you see a little gain. Accept it. If youre wishy washy you'll get nowhere, set goals and follow through with them. That being said. What are you official short term goals? I know you said 10-15 by september. I think giving yourself a tangible goal (like 180lbs) by the end of september would be a good thing for you to do

Not bringing it back if I see fat gain will be tough, but I'll deal with it. I'm still going to be doing 30 mins of LISS after my abs session on off days. What I was debating is whether or not to do that cardio in the morning, in a glycogen depleted state. We're talking walking outdoors for 30 mins here, not anything really strenous. Maybe take some BCAA's during it?

I was just thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in the short term when I read this post. I'm thinkin' I want to gain 10 lbs by the end of september. So, I want to weigh in at 170 consistently by September 15. In terms of strength gains, I want to see 200#x20 on squats by Sep. 15. That's gonna be a pain in the ass to get done, but I'm going to do it, damnit. . I also want to deadlift 300#x10 by September 15, military press 135#x10 by the same date, and Bench 200x10 by September 15. Even though I've switched programs, I'm still focused on getting stronger, just in a higher rep range .

[chevelle2291]

good looking w/o man, keep it up

Thanks F. Appreciate it.

[chevelle2291]

Diet for Monday, May 10, 2010

Pretty happy with my diet for yesterday. I would have liked to have gotten a little more protein in instead of that many carbs, but I'm not going to sweat it. Plus, in a few days time I'll be home for the summer and diet manipulation will be much easier. I can't wait to start eating whole wheat bread, bagels, pasta, etc. again. I hate all this enriched crap they have at school. I wouldn't be surprised if I lean up once I get home and still gain muscle.

I'm not sure if I'm going to do cardio today. Today is pretty hectic with finals and it isn't as if I really NEED it, so I may skip it for today. I'll decide later on.

Tomorrow is going to be another upper day with pressing and deadlifts, so I'm going to try and get some good rest tonight.


edit: also, a.m. weight was 158.8 today.

[chevelle2291]

Workout Log for Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Cardio+abs
20 mins LISS (walking around track)
ab circuit
suitcase crunches 10#x3x15
knee raises 3x15
decline crunches 20#3x15
Lying Oblique Twists 25#x3x15

Back is feeling pretty damn good these days. I took it easy on the weights for the ab exercises though just in case. I wanted to do 30 mins of LISS instead of 20, but I had to get going to go see Iron Man 2 (which was pretty awesome btw).

Diet for Tuesday is also posted below. Not too bad. I can't wait to get home so that I can better manipulate my diet. I'm definitely going to be cutting down the carbs and increasing protein. I want to consistently get 300 grams protein, 300 grams carbs, and the rest of my calorie breakdown be fat. This'll be easier to do once I get home and have control over food prep. I'm definitely NOT looking forward to my mom telling me how crazy I am with my dieting. She hates it when I track calories, etc....

I"m starting to get better at figuring out my macros on the fly and also figuring what foods will help fill in the gaps that I have in my diet. It's amazing how much more you understand about food once you actually start paying attention to it.

[Mark!]

See? It gets easier with all the dieting and figuring things out on the fly, haha. Nice looking workout bud.

[chevelle2291]

Am Weight for Wed, May 12, 2010: 159.6

Still have some DOMS in my lats, biceps from my last workout. I missed the hours for my school weight room today because I slept forever. The rest was probably needed as I haven't gotten much sleep lately. I've decided to borrow a friend's car and driver over to this gym in Des Moines. If anyone bitches at me for deadlifting or using chalk I'm gonna smack 'em.

[fixationdarknes]

I had to get going to go see Iron Man 2 (which was pretty awesome btw).

Sweet. I saw it yesterday too. Scarlett Johansson

I actually thought the first one was overall a better directed movie, but Robert Downey Jr. is just such a good actor for this role that it was awesome anyway. And I thought once the second half of the movie rolled around it got a bit better as well.

Am Weight for Wed, May 12, 2010: 159.6

Nice, you have me beat by 2.5 lbs right now haha.

If anyone bitches at me for deadlifting or using chalk I'm gonna smack 'em.

I know exactly what you mean. I just deadlift barefoot and with chalk at my gym which I know my gym doesn't technically allow either of those. But **** them lol.

Things are looking good man, keep up the progress.

[chevelle2291]

Workout Log for Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Upper Day
short dynamic warm-up

Barbell Bench
160#x10x10x6x6.5

Deadlift
185#x10x10x10x10

Standing Military
85#x10x10x6x6

Barbell Curl
55#x10x10x8x6

Weighted Dip
BW+25#x12x9x6x6

Not a bad workout. Progressed in reps in all lifts I believe. Once I'm able to do 4x10 across for a weight I'll be adding weight. Back felt good during deadlifts, although it still feels tight when I stretch out my left hamstring. Going to take it easy on the weight for deadlift for a while.

Worked out at a Gold's Gym today. They had a 7-day free membership that I picked up so I could workout before I head home on Friday. I don't know what I think of the place. Their plates really suck; they aren't round all over so when I'm doing deadlifts the bar would hitch on the little edges and stop me from doing my lift. . They also only have two squat racks with non-adjustable stops, which I thought was kinda dumb. There were also no dedicated pull-up bars, or dip bars, etc. The bench press also didn't have a very high rack setting, so I couldn't get really tight when I lifted the bar off the rack, which probably messed with my strength on the lift a bit. I doubt I'd ever actually join the gym.

I really need to work on my pre-workout nutrition. I just don't think I'm eating enough before my workouts. When I get home, I'm going to start using some CLIF energy powder during my workouts (left over from my bike racing days) to see if that helps with energy levels.

Tomorrow will be a day of cardio+abs. Then leg day back at my home gym.

[chevelle2291]

Sweet. I saw it yesterday too. Scarlett Johansson

I actually thought the first one was overall a better directed movie, but Robert Downey Jr. is just such a good actor for this role that it was awesome anyway. And I thought once the second half of the movie rolled around it got a bit better as well.

Nice, you have me beat by 2.5 lbs right now haha.

I know exactly what you mean. I just deadlift barefoot and with chalk at my gym which I know my gym doesn't technically allow either of those. But **** them lol.

Things are looking good man, keep up the progress.

Thanks fix. Yea, I'm not usually a huge fan of Scarlett, but she was f'ing hot in that movie. When she was getting undressed in the back of the Audi I was like "Oh ****" haha. Girlfriend wasn't happy about that.
I think the first one was a better film too, but the second one was probably more enjoyable.

Gold's didn't give me any crap for deadlifting and using chalk, which made me happy. My weight has also slowly been rising. I'm actuallly surprised by that number because I woke up really late today and was pretty dehydrated when I weighed in.

[f=ma]

whew that is volume... 4x10 across is a ton.

[chevelle2291]

whew that is volume... 4x10 across is a ton.

Yea, tell me about it haha. Definitely makes you feel it the next day. I like the amount of volume, though. I always feel great coming out of the gym.

[Behemoth]

Great workout bro.

What's your preworkout nutrition look like and how far before your workout?

I was taking in a very small meal when I got home from work 4:30 (2 hours preworkout), then a medium one at 5:30 (one hour preworkout) then lifting at about 6:30. Berto had me combine the two and eat just eat one larger meal at 4:30 (2 hours before I lift) and my workouts have been tremendous since. I used to think it critical to consume something 30-45 minutes preworkout, but I've responded much better to a longer lapse for the food to digest in me.. Although if I were bulking I'd probably eat the bigger meal at 4:30 and still eat a small something right before I lift.