Preparing for 1st Show in 24 Months - MY LOG ON DIET/TRAINING

[Ca$tro]

abbot138 - Firstly thanks for taking time to read the log that i have been keeping...
Just to clarify, I am not on any gear nor am i consuming anywhere around 5000 cals. Man i was told that i should aim to do 15-25 sets per body part, seriously you only do 4 sets? I guess i will have to go back to the drawing board and look at training plans again. I normally do one warm up set then the rest are working sets. I didnt know you could over load the CNS? I guess this is another aspect that i will have to look at - time for a change in diet/cardio/workout regime i suppose out of everything negative comes something positive? I will have a look at new regimes this weekend and post them up in this log...
Thanks for your time and please understand that i am ok with your comments and take them on board i am not some body that turns around and says that i know better because i know i dont and this is a learning curve for me...

[FireGuy]

My post was in no way meant to tell you off, it was meant as you stated later, to light a fire under you. Only you know if you are truly giving 100% to reach your goal. That is part of the beauty of this sport, at the end of the day you are the only one you have to account to. I can handle being beat but I cant handle the thought of being outworked. I can give you pages of advice on diet, cardio and training but none of that will be nearly as valuable as getting you in the right mindset to get to where you want to be. Life will offer up a ton of valid excuses as to why you were not able to give 100% on any certain day. You need to learn to recognize them early and learn to ignore them.

Best of luck going forward, I will pop in now and then and see how things are progressing.

[abbot138]

abbot138 - Firstly thanks for taking time to read the log that i have been keeping...
Just to clarify, I am not on any gear nor am i consuming anywhere around 5000 cals. Man i was told that i should aim to do 15-25 sets per body part, seriously you only do 4 sets? I guess i will have to go back to the drawing board and look at training plans again. I normally do one warm up set then the rest are working sets. I didnt know you could over load the CNS? I guess this is another aspect that i will have to look at - time for a change in diet/cardio/workout regime i suppose out of everything negative comes something positive? I will have a look at new regimes this weekend and post them up in this log...
Thanks for your time and please understand that i am ok with your comments and take them on board i am not some body that turns around and says that i know better because i know i dont and this is a learning curve for me...

Bottom line you have to find what works for you, and high volume does work for some people. But from the few posts I read and the fact that you are cutting, and the fact that you sound exhausted it seems as though you are over training. You dont have to go super low volume, but intensity should always be high and I cant see you maintaining instensity with that many sets.

[leather daddy]

i remember when i was prepping for my show. Was 78kg at the time. lean. Was 2 weeks out. I cracked tho. Withdrew. Those were extremely hard days. Was all natty then to lol,

[Ca$tro]

Thhursday 19th April 2012
Trained back

Front pull downs 3 sets 10 reps
Behind head pull downs 3 sets 10 reps
Front close grip pull downs 3 sets 10 reps
Deadlift 3 sets 60kg 10 reps/100 kg 8 reps/ 140kg 6 reps
Bent over barbell row 60 kg 3 sets of 8 reps on top of a box
Tbar row 3 sets 20/40/60 kg 10 reps each
Seated rows 3 sets 10 reps

30 min cardio/ 645 cals/ 2 miles

Fire guy- thanks for your kick up the preverbial I needed it and have adjusted my thinking about progression... I am trying to alter my mind set and becoming serious about the sport...

Abbot 138- I have already started reading on altering my regime so that it is more productive...

Leather Daddy - natty or not it's hard work, dedication and as fire guy said having the right mind set...

Well appreciate your input lads and I needed it...

[abbot138]

Good...Keep working hard man. Just a real quick critique of this workout. Some suggestions would be: do deads first, cut out the behind the head pulldown and close grip pull down. Deads, pulldowns, barbell row, tbar row, seated row.

[Ca$tro]

Abbot138 - Thanks for you advice bro, i will try this for sure... What about reps/sets??? I read that for muscle growth less weight more reps and for strength more weight less reps. I am aiming for muscle growth and development as well as aiming to lose the fat by doing the cardio. I understand fasted cardio is better but the only time i can do this is on the weekends...
I just needed some guidance - the only guidance i have is from what i have read... I train alone which is hard at times especially when you need a spot on Squats or on Bench but i manage just fine and dont ahve to rely on others turning up on time... I love training and want to see positive results and only i can achieve them through hard work and some help from people like you, Fire guy and others that have helped in this log with diet and advice...

[Ca$tro]

Friday 20th April 2012
Trained Shoulders

Upright rows 3 sets 12 reps each light weight
Smith Machine Military Press 3 sets 40kg 12-15 reps
Shrugs 3 sets 60kg 15-20 reps
Front Raise 3 sets 10kg each hand 10 reps
Side Raise 3 sets 7.5kg 10 reps each
Reverse Pec Dec 1 set till failure on light weight

30 min cardio / 650 cals / 2.0 miles

I have started to come to terms with losing strength whilst losing weight, i am now aiming for lighter weights and more reps... Diet is going good and i am still researching a new regime for next week...

[abbot138]

Abbot138 - Thanks for you advice bro, i will try this for sure... What about reps/sets??? I read that for muscle growth less weight more reps and for strength more weight less reps. I am aiming for muscle growth and development as well as aiming to lose the fat by doing the cardio. I understand fasted cardio is better but the only time i can do this is on the weekends...
I just needed some guidance - the only guidance i have is from what i have read... I train alone which is hard at times especially when you need a spot on Squats or on Bench but i manage just fine and dont ahve to rely on others turning up on time... I love training and want to see positive results and only i can achieve them through hard work and some help from people like you, Fire guy and others that have helped in this log with diet and advice...

Dont be afraid to ask someone at gym for a spot if you need it. I havent had a training partner in years, that should never hold you back.....As far as your first question, a good basic rule of thumb for growth is to use weights that will allow you to keep good form and stay in the 6-12 (for most exercises) rep range, were your last 1 or 2 reps put you close to or at failure (and sometimes beyond failure which is where a psot comes in)....I dont like the phrase, "less weight, more reps," its a bad way of thinking, leads to lower intensity and aerobic weight lifting, lol. This should be HARD, you should be challenging yourself everyday in there. However, form should NEVER be sacrificed for increasing weight. Strength and muscle growth are NOT mutually exclusive. True we are not powerlifters, but strength increases play an important role in muscle development. You should be making consistent progressive gains in either reps or weight everytime you are at the gym.....Most important thing for cardio is TO DO IT! You will hear a million different theories on cardio, but as long as you are doing it and it isnt having a major negative impact on your lifting, then you are fine......Your goals are quite lofty here, most people dont jsut jump in right away and say, OK, IM GONNA COMPETE! lol. I admire you for it, its good to have lofty goals. But it looks like you need to burn fat and build muscle at the same time, and Recomposition is the HARDEST thing to do in bbing, and takes a long time and a lot of trial and error to perfect.....If you are dead set on cutting right now then you can throw out a lot of what I said about strength increases, bc it jsut aint gonna happen, just do your best to minimize your loss in strength while you are in a calorie deficit. Then once you hit say 12% boday fat or so you can really get to work, and do a nice clean bulk to start growing. This is probably your best bet bc like I said Recomp is very challenging. Good luck.

[abbot138]

Friday 20th April 2012
Trained Shoulders

Upright rows 3 sets 12 reps each light weight
Smith Machine Military Press 3 sets 40kg 12-15 reps
Shrugs 3 sets 60kg 15-20 reps
Front Raise 3 sets 10kg each hand 10 reps
Side Raise 3 sets 7.5kg 10 reps each
Reverse Pec Dec 1 set till failure on light weight

30 min cardio / 650 cals / 2.0 miles

I have started to come to terms with losing strength whilst losing weight, i am now aiming for lighter weights and more reps... Diet is going good and i am still researching a new regime for next week...

This is MUCH better! Couple notes, move the press exercise to first, then sides, fronts, rear, uprights, shrugs. Prob dont need 3 sets of upright and front raises after doign press, thats a lot of work for your front delts. 2 sets of each is fine......Good that you have come to terms with losing strength, but dont let your head tell you its time to drop weight, let your body. Dont jsut give in to lifting lighter weight, you should still be going as hard as you can in that 8-12 rep range, if you go in and try a weight that you did the previous week and dont hit the rep range you wanted, THEN and only then drop the weight next time. Your body will lose strength jsut fine on its on, dont let your head get involved too, lol....Hope that made sense.

[Ca$tro]

Abbot 138- again thanks for taking time to read and help out, it's appreciated mate...
In reply, if I need a spot I always ask some one, especially with squats, I like free weight squats and find my legs are strong... I would normally do 60 kg - 10 reps, 100 kg - 8 reps, 140 kg- 5/6 reps then drop the weight and push my self to as many reps I can manage... Now is that over training the cns? I love pushing my self but are you saying reduce the sets opposed to the weight? I don't want to be a power lifter, I aspire to be a good body builder, I want to achieve this goal in life...
I am no longer missing cardio, 7 days from now on may even push the time from 30 mins to 40 mins... I agree that losing fat first is important then building via a clean bulk. Even though I am cutting I have found that my strength has remaind pretty similar to when I was 15 kg heavier, yeah some days I feel weak so I guess those days I will just reduce the weight down and increase the rep range... I think the calorie deficit also has a role to play in losing strength on those days?
My goals are lofty, with everything in life. I like to aim high, my teacher always said that if want to be a millionaire think of being a billionaire and you may hit the million target...

With regard to today's post on shoulders, I would normally start with the press but some body was on the machine and taking there time, I therefore though I would just get warmed up whilst waiting around. Normally i am in the gym at 9am and it is nice and quite and allows use of acces to all machines with no one around...
I do normally aim for 8 reps minimum and then final sets I go lighter and I push my self to 12 reps or more. As a rule how many sets should you do per muscle? I heard 15-25 that's why I would go so high with some muscle groups...
Makes perfect sense to me what Yr saying just a little confused on number of sets, reps are to be kept between 8-12...

Thanks again for your time man... I guess I needed pointing ion the right direction, that's why I keep this log so that I can watch my progression my pit falls and get some mentoring from others on this forum...

[abbot138]

Yes, cut back on total sets. Legs and back are the only body parts that you would have any reason to do 15-25 sets, and even then 25 is just insane (16 plus whatever calves work you do would more like it for legs). Listen to your body while your in there, like i said if your intensity is there then you shouldnt even be able to do that many sets. 8-12 is fine for reps, I was just saying make sure you keep the intensity up and go as heavy as you can while still hitting 8-10 with good form....You're fine man, dont want to over complicate it for you. But make sure you listen to your body and take a week off from lifting when needed.

[Ca$tro]

Todays Log Saturday 21st April 2012

Cardio 45 minutes - 30 mins on treadmill as usual covering 2 miles burning 645 cals followed by a easy paced bike ride...

Abbot 138 - Thanks man, i will keep it to 3 sets 8-12 reps and still lift what i can in that rep range... Its not that its complicated just that everyone has different ways of doing things...

Tomorrows plan is a one hour cardio session...
I found someone in the gym that i want to compete against, i know i can do better than him and he is there every day same time as me...
Workout plan for the following week -
Monday - Legs
Tuesday - Chest
Wednesday - Back
Thursday - Shoulders
Friday - Bi/Tri ( is it better to sperate this workout? so that i work bi on friday then tris on sunday?) that would mean training 7 days... overload i suppose...
Saturday - Abs
Sunday - only cardio

I am researching workout this weekend and will write up what i plan on doing on each day hopefully later tonight...

[abbot138]

No need to split up arms. Small muscle groups.

[Ca$tro]

New Training Plan 3 sets each, exercise reps are listed below….

LEGS –
Leg Extensions 12/10/8 or is 12/10/6/6 better?
Squats 12/10/8
Leg Press 12/10/8
Calf Raise on Smith Machine 12/10/8
Seated Calf Raise 12/10/8
Standing Calf raise 12/10/8
Hamstring Curls 12/10/8

CHEST –
Bench Press 12/10/8
Incline Bench or Dumbells 12/10/8
Decline Bench 12/10/8
Flat Flyes 12/10/10
Cable X-Over 12/10/10
Other Exercises – Pec Dec/Pull Overs/????

BACK –
DeadLift 12/10/8
Pull down 12/10/10
Bent over Row Barbell 12/10/8
T-Bar Row 12/10/8
Seated Row 12/10/10
Dumbell Row???

SHOULDERS –
Military Press 12/10/8
Side Raise 12/10/10
Front Raise 12/10/10
Upright Row 12/10/10
Shrugs Barbell 12/10/10

TRI/BICEP –
Close Grip Bench Press 12/10/8
Skull Crusher 12/10/10
Straight Bar Pull Downs 12/10/8
Barbell Curls 12/10/8
Preacher Curls 12/10/8
Dumbell Curls 12/10/8
Concentration Curls 12/10/8


ABS –
Rope Crunches 10/10/10
Sit Ups 10/10/10
Hanging Leg Raise 10/10/10
Lying Leg Raise 10/10/10


So ok i know this is not perfect yet it is in a working progression mode, i know its similar to what i have been doing previously but with a significant reduction in sets performed. What changes do you suggest to make to this plan?? I am at my nephews birthday party, aftre which i have dedicated this afternoon watching some dorian yates training videoe to get ideas for my plan...
I also know that the reps my change ie, if i have 10 written on paper but feel that i can push an extra couple then why not... some days it may the opposite...
Well let me know what you think please

[Ca$tro]

Monday 23rd April
Trained legs

Leg extensions - first set warm up 12 reps light weight, 10 reps medium weight, 8 reps heavy, 8 reps heavy
Squats - 60 kg 12 reps, 100 kg 8 reps x3, 60 kg 15 reps
Leg press - 160 kg 12 reps, 240 kg 10 reps, 320 kg 8 reps, 320 kg 7 reps, 120 kg 15 reps
Calf raise on leg press machine - 160 kg 3 sets of 12 reps
Seated calf raise - 20 kg 12 reps, 40 kg 12 reps, 60 kg 8 reps x2
Standing calf raise - 12 reps light weight, 8 reps max weight x2
Hamstring curls - 12 reps light, 10 reps heavy x2

Cardio 30 mins - 20 mins walking, 5 minutes jogging, 5 minute walking and jogging, 2.2 miles, 595 cals...

Felt good today lifted good weights today, didn't max the weight, still went reasonably heavy but pushing more reps out...
Clean diet...

[abbot138]

New Training Plan 3 sets each, exercise reps are listed below….

LEGS –
Leg Extensions 12/10/8 or is 12/10/6/6 better?
Squats 12/10/8
Leg Press 12/10/8
Calf Raise on Smith Machine 12/10/8
Seated Calf Raise 12/10/8
Standing Calf raise 12/10/8
Hamstring Curls 12/10/8

the first option for ext is fine. Add another Ham exercise.

CHEST –
Bench Press 12/10/8
Incline Bench or Dumbells 12/10/8
Decline Bench 12/10/8
Flat Flyes 12/10/10
Cable X-Over 12/10/10
Other Exercises – Pec Dec/Pull Overs/????

No need for flat flyes and cables, pick one

BACK –
DeadLift 12/10/8
Pull down 12/10/10
Bent over Row Barbell 12/10/8
T-Bar Row 12/10/8
Seated Row 12/10/10
Dumbell Row???

Looks good.

SHOULDERS –
Military Press 12/10/8
Side Raise 12/10/10
Front Raise 12/10/10
Upright Row 12/10/10
Shrugs Barbell 12/10/10

Looks good.


TRI/BICEP –
Close Grip Bench Press 12/10/8
Skull Crusher 12/10/10
Straight Bar Pull Downs 12/10/8
Barbell Curls 12/10/8
Preacher Curls 12/10/8
Dumbell Curls 12/10/8
Concentration Curls 12/10/8

Still too much bi, small muscle, ditch the concentration curls.

ABS –
Rope Crunches 10/10/10
Sit Ups 10/10/10
Hanging Leg Raise 10/10/10
Lying Leg Raise 10/10/10


So ok i know this is not perfect yet it is in a working progression mode, i know its similar to what i have been doing previously but with a significant reduction in sets performed. What changes do you suggest to make to this plan?? I am at my nephews birthday party, aftre which i have dedicated this afternoon watching some dorian yates training videoe to get ideas for my plan...
I also know that the reps my change ie, if i have 10 written on paper but feel that i can push an extra couple then why not... some days it may the opposite...
Well let me know what you think please

Keep in mind that Dorian's style is WAYYYYYY Low volume, as low as it gets, and it more suited for an experienced body builder, who is pushing heavier weight. You could use the above volume and make significant strength and lean mass gains without overtraining.

[kelkel]

I'll chime in. Agree with Abbott and I'll add the following:

Err on the side of higher reps for extensions. If not, make sure you control the movement as it's an easy tendon to irritate.
Consider doing calves first in your leg work when they're fresh. It'll warm you up for heavy legs and will not tire you out. Then when done legs you don't have that "Oh god, now I have to do calves" moment.

Substitute some incline flyes for flats. Maybe alternate workouts.
Don't think you really need all three rows, B/O, T's & Seated in the same workout. Pick two.
Try adding deads at the end of your back work sometimes. You'll like the feel. You can start heavier and do less sets also.
Substitute some bent-over laterals for upright rows on occasion.
Do you really need that much ab work.

Just some thoughts!

Like Abbott said, ditch the concentration curls.....quickly

[Ca$tro]

Tuesday 24th April 2012

Today i have completed a 45 minute session of Cardio and did no weights. I was totally shattered after being up till 4 am with my 1yr old daughter who was un well. Being this tired i thought i would just get cardio done today and then back to the weights tomorrow...
30 mins/incline 15.0/speed 4.0/cals 645 followed by 15 minutes on the bike. My T-Shirt was drenched...

Abbot 138 - Thnaks mate... i will ditch the cable x overs and the concentration curls this week... I will find another Hamstring Exercise... I know DYates system is way advanced for me to use but it was just to grasp the concept that we had been discussing, lower volume. I appreciate your time input and advice mate...

KelKel- So what your saying is keep to lower reps on extensions? I will try doing calves first, i never did them first because i would rather exhaust my self on the harder exercises such as Squats/Leg Press then leave the easy exercises till last such as calves...
I will vary each work out so that i fit in flat flyes one week and then incline flyes the following week. Or am i ok to do 2 sets flat then 2 sets incline??
With Back which two rows do you suggest? I like my bent over rows and t bar rows... My Back and Legs are the strong parts on me. I tend to struggle with chest and Shoulders. with regards to bent over latererals i saw some body doing them in the gym today on the cable xover machine, i have never tried them but i will this week.
How much Ab work out is standard, like i said earlier i aint seen my abs in years...
Thanks again for your input people. I need to get this mind-muscle connection that everyone is talking to me about, anyone know where to find it??? I know when i find this connection i will change my whole mental attitude towards being a body builder...

[kelkel]

No, moderate to higher reps on extension. Control them. Exactly what your said is why most peoples calves suffer. "I'd rather exhaust myself on squats, etc first.) You wouldn't say that about chest work would you? Most people competing have decent thighs but if you go in with good calves too then you will be leaps and bounds ahead of them. Give it a try and when your done your quads/hams and you then don't have to do calves your gonna like it. You will see how they warm you up for heavy leg work also.

Sure you can do that with flyes. Just vary it to keep your body off guard a bit. If you do the same thing all the time you'll get the same results and nothing more. With back if you prefer a certain two exercises and are getting good results for the time being then by all means keep it up. Just keep in mind the more angles you work a muscle from the better overall development you will have. So, change it up. I prefer doing bent over laterals over the end of a bench at about a 35 degree angle. Straddle it with your chest on the top of the pad and your feet on the ground. Works for me. It's a small muscle to target so control it.

You have to judge how much ab work you need. You'll see them when the fat is gone.

[Ca$tro]

KelKel - I will defo start the next legs workout with calves, no harm in trying and change is always good. I will also vary the Flyes to one week flat then the next on incline. With regards to back i will vary the the workout so that have two different types of rowing exercises every week... With back i here the key exercise is pull ups/chin ups, i tried this and could not manage one rep on a wide grip. reverse grip i got a couple out...

Any thoughts on this mind-muscle connection?

[kelkel]

On chins just keep a moderate grip. Go to wide and you lose your range of motion. If your having trouble getting a decent amount of reps per set here's an old school thought: Just pick out how many reps you want to do that workout (keep it reasonable) and get it done no matter how many sets it takes. I repeat, keep it reasonable.

No real thoughts on mind-muscle thing other than the obvious..

[Ca$tro]

Wednesday 25th April 2012
Trained Chest

Bench Press - Warm up with bar/ 60kg 12 reps/ 70kg 10 reps/ 70kg 8 reps
Incline Bench Press - 50kg 12 reps/ 60kg 8 reps/ 60kg 8 reps
Decline Bench Press - 50kg 12 reps/ 60kg 10 reps/ 70kg 5 reps couldnt get 8 out so dropped weigth to 50 kg and finished set off.
Incline Flyes - 12.5kg 12 reps/ 15kg 10 reps/ 17.5kg 5 reps then dropped down to 15 kg for the remainder of the set

Cardio 30 mins/ incline 15/ speed 4/ cals 650...
So today i was concentrating more on getting my sets completed then pushing heavy weights, i went about as heavy as i could, just having one of those days... Still felt good to change the workout around a bit and i found my self pushing more weight on Decline then i would have done previously...

KelKel - I guess reasonable for me to try would be three at the moment and then to gradually incrase from there...

[kelkel]

If that works for you, sure. Just pick the total number reps for the day and do however many sets it takes you to achieve it. You will see progress that way...

[Ca$tro]

Thursday 26th April 2012
Trained Back

Started with pull downs behind neck 3 sets - 12 reps/10 reps/8 reps getting heavier each set
TBar Rows 3 sets - 40kg 12 reps/60kg 10 reps/80kg 8 reps
Bent Over Barbell Rows 3 sets - 50kg 12 reps/ 60kg 10 reps/ 70kg 8 reps
Dead Lift 3 sets - 60kg 12 reps/ 100kg 10 reps/ 140kg 5 reps tried to get 8 but ran out of steam so immediately dropped it to 100kg the did the remaining three reps

Cardio 30mins/650cals/incline 15/speed 4mph/2 miles...
Diet is good
Weight standing around 91kg last night before bed

Couple of Q's -
When doing Pull downs is it better in front or behind neck? Close Grip or Wide Grip or even Reverse Grip?
Dead Lift i keep my legs straight, take bar all the way to the floor touching the floor then back up, not ramming it into the floor. Now is it better to ake the bar just below the knees before coming back up? or is it better to go all the way to the floor??

[kelkel]

I would do your pull downs in front. Grip is up to you. Experiment and see how it feels.
That is a stiff leg deadlift which is geared for your hamstrings. Do traditional deads. YouTube it. Great exercise if done correctly.

[Ca$tro]

Kelkel - ok I will do pull downs to the front... I have you tuned deadlift and they look easier then the straight legged lift but I think it will take time to get form right...
With regards to shoulders military press i normally do front press followed by behind head press... Should I knock out the behind head press?
Thank you for your time mate...

[Far from massive]

Hay all good to see you are still at it. I agree with everything thats been posted so far, But and maybe I missed it I did not see if you are separating cardio sessions from workout sessions? If you have the ability ( time etc) to do this its always beneficial, also I can be very important to protect yourself from injury, that is just like you want to do sqauts and other excersizes that require form to protect onself from injury first before any other major work to ensure fatique levels are low, the same applies to cardio, so if you can not do an AM/PM split on cardio then try not to do cardio on days when you are doing heavy excersizes that require form to prevent injury.

Keep up the good work,

FFM

[Far from massive]

PS,

Just my 2 cents but I would be very careful or eliminate behind the neck presses ( preferably the later) as a shoulder injury takes ages to heal and can really fvk up your progress. By doing other work for the shoulders you will yield almost the same results with 1/10 th the injury potential.

[Scabtree]

Really interesting thread; It's great to see progression on a goal that you have set for yourself... keep up the good, hard work. Like Zig Ziglar says "the harder you are on yourself, the easier life will be on you".

Also learning a lot myself which I appreciate and will apply.

[kelkel]

PS,

Just my 2 cents but I would be very careful or eliminate behind the neck presses ( preferably the later) as a shoulder injury takes ages to heal and can really fvk up your progress. By doing other work for the shoulders you will yield almost the same results with 1/10 th the injury potential.

FFM is on the money with above advice, as per usual!

[Ca$tro]

Friday 27th April
Trained Shoulders

Military press on smith machine - warm up with bar 15 reps/ 1 st set 50 kg 12 reps/ 50 kg 10 reps/ 60 kg 5 reps dropped to 50 kg to complete set another 3 reps.
Side raises dumbbells - 7.5 kg 12 reps/ 7.5 kg 10 reps / 10 kg 8 reps
Front raises dumbbells - 7.5 kg 12 reps/ 7.5 kg 10 reps / 10 kg 8 reps
Reverse pec dec - 3 sets 12/10/8 increasing weight on each
Barbell shrugs - 60 kg 12 reps/ 80 kg 10 reps/ 100 kg 8 reps
Upright rows - 3 sets 12/10/8 reps increasing weight on each. Barbells come with fixed weights.

Cardio - 30 mins/ 2 miles / 650 cals / incline 15/ speed 4.0 mph

So ok today I went lighter than normal but concentrated on getting my form right and squeezing the muscles. I meant to do upright rows before the barbell shrugs but I kind of forgot, so did them at the end.
Someone at the gym suggested when doing front raises keep palms facing each other rather than facing to the ground? Is this better? Same person suggests that upright rows should not go all the way down but only half way down then back up?

FarfromMasive - thanks for your post And advice mate... My cardio is done straight after the weights, it's the only time I get to do cardio due to other commitments such as work... I feel ok doing cardio on most days just after legs I feel the fatigue at times not always, I totally agree with you that it is best to avoid injury in any possible way. Sometimes I feel the cardio after legs helps as it gets the blood circulating back into them again. I definitely could not jog/run after legs.
I have eliminated the behind neck press as you advise... Thank you again big man

Scabtree - thanks for the influence mate... Who is Zig Ziglar?

Kelkel - is that your arm? Man that's a vascular arm...

All advise is appreciated and taken 100% seriously. I am willing to change things to progress and I know you guys are at a more advanced stage than me so I am grateful for your input... Your all my mentors

FireGuy - make sure you keep an eye on this log mate...

[kelkel]

Yes. I seem to get more veiny as I get older. Weird.

[Ca$tro]

Kelkel- your doing well to have arms like that mate... What's the secret???

[Ca$tro]

Saturday 28th April 2012
Trained Bi/Tri

Started with Close Grip Bench Press 3 sets - 12 reps 60kg/ 10 reps 60 kg/ 8 reps 60kg - man i was feeling weak today
Skull Crusher 3 sets - 20kg 12 reps/ 30kg 10 reps/ 30kg 8 reps
Straight bar pull downs 3 sets - ioncreased weight each set reps 12/10/8

Barbell Curls - 3sets but light weight concentrating on squeezing the muscle. 12 reps 10kg/10 reps15kg/ 8 reps 15kg
Preacher Curls 3 sets - tried this with a stright bar again squeezing the muscle at peak. rep - 12/10/8 but stook to one weight
Dumbbell curls - 3 sets - 7.5kg 12 reps/ 10kg 10reps/ 15kg 8 reps

Cardio 30 mins/ 2miles/ 650 cals

Right i am so lost in the gym at the moment i could do with some help or point me in the right direction please... I used to lift heavier weights do similar reps and more sets which i thought was good but after discussing this with you guys (abbot) i think this is more of a power lifting technique. Now this week i have gone lighter less weight, less sets, similarish reps and concentrated more on form and squeezing the muscle.
Am i right in thinking that the latter will yeild me better results and that i will gain more muscle this way? I now understand there is a difference netween bodyBuilding and Powerlifting, i see some guys in the gym picking up huge amounts of weight but they have no definition, ie,there shoulders may look big but arms look smaller than mine? How do i go about sculpting the body? I am planning on doing the same as this week, concentrating on form and squeezing the muscle at peak but going heavier in weight this week... I know my question might seem dumb...

[Ca$tro]

Just reading on training routines and came across arnies training routine. Man he did a lot of work in a day...
If you get time check this out http://www.squidoo.com/arnold-workout
I know it is not feasible for me to try this but should be aiming for something similar???

[kelkel]

Kelkel- your doing well to have arms like that mate... What's the secret???

Thanks man. Just been doing it all my life and refuse to grow up (over 50 now.) Eat relatively clean, train hard, all the time. Still love it after all these years!

[Ca$tro]

Sunday 29th April 2012
Only cardio today. Managed 45 mins today, 15 mins treadmill,15 mins cycle, 15 min cross trainer.

This weeks plan is to get to 90kg Mark. I am thinking of doing 45 mins cardio instead of 30 mins after workouts. Need to start pushing my self further to avoid hitting a brick wall and taking it easy and steady.

Monday legs
Tuesday chest
Wednesday back
Thursday shoulders
Friday arms
Sat abs and 1 hour cardio
Sun no weights and 1 hour cardio.

[Ca$tro]

Monday 30th April 2012
Trained Legs

Seated Calf Raise 3 sets - 40kg 12 reps/60kg 10 reps/ 70kg 8 reps
Standing calf raise 3 sets - medium weight 12 reps/ heavy 10 reps/ heavier 8 reps (no markings on weights)
Calf Raise on Leg Press Machine 3 sets - 120kg 12 reps/ 160kg 10 reps/ 180kg 8 reps
Squats 3 sets - 60kg 12 reps/ 100kg 10 reps/ 140kg 8 reps
Leg Press 3 sets - 160kg 12 reps/ 240kg 10 reps/ 320kg 8 reps
Leg Extensions 3 sets - 12/10/8 reps going heavier on each set
Hamstring Curls 3 sets - 12/10/8 reps again going heavier each set

Cardio 43 mins - 850 cals approx 3 miles

Right today i had a brilliant day of legs training. Reduced number of sets compared to before but felt strong today. lifted more weight for more reps and concentrated on form too... Only thing i need is another Hamstring exercise to add in to the mix.
Much thanks to Abbot 138 and KelKel for helping with changing and rectifying the training routine...
So far so good

[kelkel]

If you don't have access to other hamstring machines you can always do stiff-leg deadlifts. It's a controlled exercise that specifically targets the hams. Use google again and I'd bet you'll find some video's on it. Heavy weight not necessary. Moderate weight under control and focus on hams.