Condition of Enticement

[Vita]

Monday, 8/7/06, 154.4 lbs.

bent rows: 65x10, 95x8, 115x5, 120x5, 125x5
db rows (using grip plate): 25x5, 25x8, 25x8, 25x8
bench: 95x10, 115x8, 120x5, 125x5
skulls: 45x10, 45x10, 50x10
calve raises: 275x10, 275x10, 275x10
(holding weight in front, both calve and grip work is aim)
knee raises: 10, 10, 10

[Vita]

Tuesday, 8/8/06, 156.4 lbs.

squats: 65x10, 95x10, 115x8, 135x6, 140x5
single legged split squat: 45x10, 45x10, 65x10
good mornings: 65x10, 70x10, 80x10
bb curls: 65x10, 65x10

[Vita]

thursday, 8/10, 157.2 lbs.

pullups: 10, 8, 8, 4
db pullovers: 15's x12, 12, 12 (don't think i was doing them right (long way on bench instead of perpendicular, will change next week)
mil. press: 65x10, 65x10, 75x8
front raises: 15's x 10, 12's x 10, 10
calve raises (in squat rack): 225x10, 245x10, 265x10 (probably a long way from squatting 225 for reps...)
knee raises: 12, 12, 12


decided working out at home is less than motivating. decided to re-join gym. suprisingly i got to work 50 minutes early, and have time to eat a snack. i think i'm going to like this, as it'll work well year round. and with that, good day...

[Vita]

friday, 8/11, 157.4 lbs.

deads: 135x10, 185x5, 205x5, 225x5, 235x5, 240x5 (PR!)
SLDL: 135 x 10, 10, 10 (PR!) - these should be heavy, but wasn't sure on what to load up, will go up progressively
single leg split squat: 45x10, 45x10, 50x10 (each leg)
dips: 12, 12, 12 (gonna need to add weight)

going to the gym in the morning is the best thing i think i could have done for my health. it doesn't get in the way of anything, and i feel awesome when i'm done! working out in the garage in the morning was less than motivating. i think squatting 225 isn't as far off as i think...

[Vita]

monday, 8/14, 157.6 lbs.

bent rows: 75x10, 100x8, 120x5, 120x5, 120x5, 125x5
db rows: 25x8, 27.5x10, 30x10, 32.5x10
bench: 95x10, 120x8, 135x5, 135x5, 135x5, 135x5
db bench: 30's x10, 10, 10
seated calve raise supersetted into knee raise, no rest between all 6 sets: 180x10, 10, 180x10, 10, 180x10, 10


feeling good. didn't realize how much my loss in weight would translate into lower bench numbers, as i was on the limit of getting the last 3 sets of the bench press for 5 reps, but they went up. i've been trying to use a wider grip than i have been used to, in order to try and focus on the chest more.

made a dextrose/maltodextrin/protein mix, and it's ultra sweet. i'm not sure i'm all about having so much, but i may just buy a bigger water bottle to compensate for it. it was a 40g/40g/20g mix in a 32 oz. gatoraide bottle. makes me cringe to think of the taste, and i've diluted it a few times already...

[Clifford Gillmore]

Wilkomen to the journal land. Nice workouts and lifts so far! What are your goals, stats?

[Vita]

Wilkomen to the journal land. Nice workouts and lifts so far! What are your goals, stats?

he he, this is my 3rd journal, but wanted to start a new one for Built's BGB routine.

i'm 6'0", as of this morning 157.6. i've got a low bodyfat percentage, but i'm not 100% sure. according to what i see people guesstimate via pictures on this site, i can't be above 12%, but i'll take that with a grain of salt.

goals are to be bigger and stronger. always having to prove yourself gets old, and i hope to one day just demand respect by my physical appearance. more importantly, i hope to prevent fights because i'll never back down, and bigger guys always tend to give me **** in bars, and i end up getting in trouble. kind of preventive maintenance...

[Vita]

wednesday, 8/16, 158.2 lbs.

squats: 95x10, 135x8, 155x5, 155x5, 155x5, 155x5
leg press: 180x8, 270x5, 270x6, 270x5, 270x5, 270x5
hypers: 25 in front of face, 10, 10, 10
standing db curls (alternating): 15's x10, 17.5x10, 20x10, 22.5x10, 27.5x20, 25x20


took family to the airport and was up at 4:30 am yesterday, so i moved tuesday to wednesday this week.

dropped my post workout drink concoction to 10g maltodextrin, 10g dextrose in 32 oz water. much better than last time.

i think i had more in me for squats, but i've got all the time in the world to increase weight, so i'm taking it slowly. leg presses after squats felt good. i think they'll go a long way to helping me get to squatting 225. i was using as low of foot placement as possible to try and isolate the quads the most. i'll probably feel them tomorrow.

really felt a burn with hypers, especially with the placement of the plate. i'm going to attempt to just keep deads the same this week because my leg days are closer together. i'm also adding good mornings to ham. day in addition to SLDL after deads. so i'm just feeling this out right now.

all in all, i love squats and feel light on my feet after doing them. i can't wait to see my progress after two months of this, since i think it's the best routine for me since i first started to lift weights. the organization of this one suits me well, and i think it'll hold more longevity since i'm pretty well a newb to this.

going on vacation tomorrow after my workout, i can't wait to sit in the hottub on friday night after doing deads in the morning. that'll feel really good...

[Clifford Gillmore]

Nice workout I would be doing front squats or hack squats instead of the leg press and good mornings instead of the back extensions - but I'm not going to preach about what I like

Hope you stay on track during your vacation!

[Vita]

Nice workout I would be doing front squats or hack squats instead of the leg press and good mornings instead of the back extensions - but I'm not going to preach about what I like

Hope you stay on track during your vacation!

thanks bro!

i have front squats in my mind, but i want to strengthen the quads to get my legs up to speed. i think front squats will bring too much of the rest of my body into things for now and i don't want to burn out by going heavy on them. once i feel i'm up to par, it'll basically be all compound movements and unilateral movements (as compound as possible) for me.

i had good mornings there, but swapped them out to the hamstring dominant leg day and figured hypers were a good fit for light hamstring work.

again, thanks for the comment. i'll definitely be on track during vacation because my uncle has been lifting, so i'll have someone to lift with, and even if he gave it up, i'll be able to use his equipment (hoping he's got what i need, which won't be much).

oh, and i re-thought my "goals" and mid-term i'd like to get to 315 squat, 225 bench, and 405 deads. i think that's reasonable, and gives me something to shoot for. i'm not worried about timeframe, but i don't really think i'm TOO far off, and hope to do either of them within a year or two, hopefully not much longer than a year though...

[Vita]

thursday, 8/17, 160.0 lbs.

pullups - 8, 8, 6, 5, 4
pull-downs - 75x10, 87.5x10, 100x10
mil. press - 45x10, 80x5, 85x5, 85x5, 85x5, 85x5
db press (seated) - 20x10, 20x10, 20x10
standing calve raises - 270x10, 270x10, 270x10
sit-ups - bwx30, +4 lbs x 15, x6 lbs x 12


friday, 8/18, weight unknown

deads - 135x10, 190x5, 210x5, 230x5, 240x5, 245x5 (PR!)
SLDL - 145x10, 145x10, 145x10
good mornings - 135x10, 135x10, 135x10 (form feeling better)
sl split squat - 50x10, 50x10, 50x10 (each leg)
skulls - 52x8, 52x10, 52x9


feeling good. at family's house and my uncle has some stuff with creatine and something for energy. i could feel it coming on before i started to work out, and when my forearms were usually feeling sore, they just felt like someone injected them with muscle and they felt like rocks. i'm sure i'll feel it tomorrow, but i could definitely tell the difference, despite my skepticism...

and i'm off to the indiana state fair!

[Vita]

monday, 8/21, 159.4 lbs.

bent rows - 65x10, 125x5, 5, 5, 5, 5
db rows - 30 x 10, 10, 10
bench - 45x10, 135x5, 5, 5, 5, 5
db bench - 32.5 x 10, 10, 10
calve raise - 180x 10, 10, 10 (seated)
inc. sit ups - +5 x 12, +10 x 12, 12

[Vita]

tuesday, 8/22, 162.2 lbs.

squats - 65x10, 160x5, 5, 5, 5, 5
leg press - 290x5, 310x5, 5, 5, 5, 10
hypers - +25 x 12, 12, 12
standing alternating curls - 25x20, 27.5x20, 20


i took much less rest than the last two weeks, and i felt i had much more in reserve for squats, but i'm being conservative and taking my time. the foot position i use on leg press (low) seems to make it harder to do, but the more i did the more pumped i got and had to just put out the last extra 5. will go up even more next week. the hypers burned on the last rep for each, and i'll likely keep them the same until they feel like nothing, and move on to +35. next week i'll do 3 sets of 27.5 for the alternating curls. by the last rep my left arm was struggling a bit, but i made them all with clean form.

waking up early is going well again, and in fact i believe better than ever. i only have to kick the habbit of smoking yet, which seems to be the hardest thing to do in life. i don't think it'll last much longer though, tomorrow is an off day, so i'm going to do some cardio and an ab class, and hopefully that'll be motivation enough to not smoke when i'm done. running usually reveals exactly how terrible my lungs feel when they're pushed for use...

[Vita]

thursday, 8/24, 161.0 lbs.

pull-ups - 10, 10, 10 (need to add weight next week)
pull-downs - 100 x 10, 10, 10
mil. press - 45x10, 90 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
seated db press - 22.5x10, 10, 10
seated calve raise - 190x10, 10, 10
inc. sit-ups - +10 x 12, 12, 12


pullups felt great, each set was like nothing. these are supposed to be heavy at 5x5 or so, so i'm going to add 25 and do 5x5 next week.

pull-downs were good, i'll take it up to the next plate next week.

mil. press was good. i think i took too little rest between sets, and barely squeezed out the last reps on the last two sets. i'm going to leave them at 90 next week.

seated db press was good, by the end of each set i was wearing down. i'm going to up these to 25 next week since i'm not upping the mil. press.

calve raises and sit-ups were good as well. gonna keep going up on these until i can't hit 10 and 12 reps.

feeling good so far, i've been going up in weight for everything, and tomorrow will be the end of my 3rd week with BGB.

school starts on 9/6, and i'm unsure of how i'm going to get my dinners in as i'm going to have to go straight from work to school. i guess i'll have to get creative...

[Vita]

friday, 8/25, 161.4 lbs.

deads - 135x10, 225 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
SLDL - 165 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
good mornings - 145x10, 10, 10
SL Split squat - 65x10, 10, 10
dips - +25 x 12, 12, 12


this was a brutal day for me.

deads felt good, but grip was falling short towards the end, had to re-set on the last few reps of the last set.

SLDLs were good, they'll definitely be going up next week.

good mornings were also good, and will go up. i'm trying to find the point for 5x5 here, but focusing on form now.

the split squats tore me up, but i got all i aimed for, and will go up to 70 next week.

dips. this was my first time ever adding weight. i liked it, but i'll stick with +25 for a few weeks until they feel like nothing.

all in all, i was on the verge of sickness. the entire workout took me less than an hour, and i kept rest to a minimum. my stretch afterwards was slowed down by my fatigue, and it was all i could do to keep my breathing normalized.

3 weeks down, and i'm nearly to my maintenance weight during high school and the years after, minus some bodyfat. i think i've determined maintenance with my diet now, and will double my protein and milk pre-bed shake for now. i'm going to have to get creative with school coming on.


i've established and have maintained a daily routine now, and it is as follows:

5am wake up, shower, etc., eat bowl of oats with raisins in milk, honey optional. protein shake in milk with 1 scoop protein.
5:45 leave for bus, catch bus and be to gym by 6:45

6:45-7:00 am, workout begins
7:45-8:00, workout ends, drink 32 oz water with 20 g. dextrose, 20 g. maltodextrin.
8:30, eat orange
10-11:00 am, eat apple
12:00 pm - eat 2 hard salomi sandwiches, big fat handful of baby carrots, 2 string cheeses
3 & 4 pm, eat 1 of 2 granola bars (hard crunchy good ones). this is my treat for the day.
5:00 pm, leave work for bus, be home by 6:00
6:00-7:00 pm, eat dinner
9-10 pm, drink milk and protein shake, double size of morning (2 scoops, or 40 g protein via whey, 3-4 cups milk (not getting scientific here)

maintaining this for 4 of 7 days each week has brought me up 7 lbs and i've got a feeling i'll stay around this weight, if not gain a few more pounds due to doubling my night snack/shake. i'll try and maintain this while school starts, substituting my dinner for my granola bars, so i'll eat them in school, and bring a prepped dinner to work for pre-bus consumption. hopefully that'll work out well. i'll see how that works for a while and if i do maintain for a few weeks, i'll manipulate my pre-bed meal for more calories. i figure it's time for pictures, and i'll post some up tonight. good day.

[Vita]

i just had a surge of emotion about being excited to finally add weight to pull-ups. i'll be doing pullups with 45s before i know it!

on a personal note, i've been accepted to school, and should graduate with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, and be able to sit for the patent bar exam before i'm 30. it's going to be a long HARD road, and i'm only 24 now...

[Vita]

monday, 8/28, 162 lbs.

bent rows - 75x10, 130x5, 5, 5, 5, 5
db rows - 32.5x 10, 10, 10
bench 45x10, 140x5, 5, 5, 5, 5
db bench - 35x10, 10, 10
calve raise - 200x10, 10, 10
inc. sit ups - +12 x 15, 12, 12

i think i'm going to leave the rows where they're at next week. form wasn't where i wanted it to be, though it wasn't too bad. i'm pretty happy that they're approaching my bench numbers.

just slipping by with bench, but they all went up. db bench felt good.

calve raises will stay, and i'll up the sit-ups next week again.

looking forward to squats. i'm going to up them to 170 (+10 lbs.) since they felt so good last week.

[Vita]

tuesday - 8/29 - 161.8 lbs.

squats - 65x10, 170x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
leg press - 320x5, 5, 5, 3 (went too low), 10
hypers - +25 x 12, 12, 12
standing db alternating curls - 27.5x 20, 20, 18

squats felt good, they'll go up next week. i'll up leg press a bit next week too. hypers were good. i'm going to up them to +35 and start by aiming for 3x8 and work up from there.

standing curls were ok. i should have given myself a bit more rest between sets and i think i would have completed all reps. next week i'm going to toss in preacher curls before them, and maybe down the weight some for the db curls since i've got extra time. entire workout and stretch done in under an hour.

[Vita]

tuesday, 9/5, 159.9 lbs.

missed thursday and friday due to entrance testing at school and having to go to the bookstore before work. got myself plenty of rest over the weekend.

pullups supersetted with dips
14, 26
5, 15 (no rest between sets)

inc. sit-ups - 35

run 3 miles on treadmill

no rest between anything, i was in and out, and heart was pumping. just needed to get in the gym, and i want to do some cardio this week to get my heart pumping good. i'm going to get back to the BGB routine next week, with rowing and running for cardio on wednesday. this week i want to push my heart a bit. i have a feeling i'll push my numbers up pretty good on all my lifts next week.

[Vita]

feels like forever since i've been here...

school started, i'm on week 3. didn't realize how fast it'd all come down on me, so lifting had to take a backseat to getting into the swing of things for school. i've already written ~20 pages of papers on top of reading and math homework. math is my new best friend since i'm going into mechanical engineereing...

i've made it to the gym a few times in these weeks, i just haven't taken the time to come here and post up my lifts. they've fallen a bit, but not much.

i think i've got a hold of what needs to be done for school and have established a schedule that will allow me to stick with lifting as well. i've missed the gym more than ever, and can feel the difference not lifting has made on my mental and energy states lately.

i'm sticking to the baby-got back program, and have re-organized it as follows:

A
bent rows
db rows
bench
inc. db bench
calves
abs

B
squats
leg press
SLDL
preacher curls
db curls

C
Run

D
pullups
straight arm pull downs (cable)
bent over side laterals
mil. Press
standing side laterals
calves
abs

E
deads
good mornings
hypers
SL Squats
dips
cable press-downs


i'm going to avoid the 5x5 for the main stuff, and kind of feel it out for ramp-up sets between 5-8 for the main lifts, and 8-10 for the secondary stuff. abs and calves will be whatever i feel like doing at the time. i see no need to stick to a die hard routine as long as i work them on schedule, and try and work them heavy.

my goal is to gain 20 lbs by the christmas party for work and before i see my family again. i've fallen back down to ~155 give or take, but it's not much of a difference, i've only really burned off the fat i've gained since i started the BGB. it's gonna pour back on...

[natediesel]

Just curious why you plan to avoid the 5x5s for the main lifts. I'm doin bgb too.

[Vita]

Just curious why you plan to avoid the 5x5s for the main lifts. I'm doin bgb too.

there's nothing wrong with doing them, but i feel that i'd be better off with ramping up the sets. i can get the weight up higher that way, and personally feel that i'll get stronger faster by lifting heavier weights as opposed to more sets of lower weight.

i'll switch up between using 5x5 and not using it, i'm not using it for a while and will see how it works for me.

your best bet is to see what you like best, and go from there. the best part of the BGB routine is the ability to manipulate it within it's own context and still have the well rounded program at the base.

disclaimer: there's nothing to back this up scientifically, but i think simply lifting something that's heavier will allow me to keep lifting things that are heavier and that one day i'll lift the heaviest weights that i'll ever lift...

[Vita]

who am i kidding, the 5x5 on certain lifts just seems ideal...

pullups: bw+25 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 4
straight arm pulldowns: 100x10, 10, 9
bent over side laterals: 5's x 10, 8's x 10, 10
mil. press: 70x5, 7, 5, 6, 5 (i'm a spaz and just kept going, should have gone heavier)
standing side laterals: 10's x 10, 10, 10
calve raises (seated): 90x17, 15
decline situps: +25x10, 10, 8 (massive failure on the last set)


felt good, feel good...

[mickyjune26]

Good core lifts. Keep it up!

[Vita]

Good core lifts. Keep it up!

thanks bro! this is just the beginning!