MNZ's Year Long Thread

[MaelstromNZ]

Hello All,

Have been lurking for the last couple of weeks reading, reading, reading... and thought it was time to post. This thread will pull together and track my over-all training plan for the next year. First off just want to give big shout out and thanks to all the knowledgable members out there this site has been a god-send. I've been training on and off for the last ten years sometimes quite seriously but have never hit my potential.

Not for a lack of wanting or trying but mainly because I never had total confidence in what I was doing so was always chopping and changing, theres nothing worse than working out hard and worrying the things you are doing are infact losing you muscle or adding fat. This site has cleared of all of that doubt, helped me formulate a plan and i can't wait to begin a year of solid growth !

Right enough

Here's the skinny...errr 'beefy'

MY goal
By December 31st 2008 I will be at least 200 pounds, with 10% or lower Bodyfat (Fat 20, LBM 180)

Current Stats
33 years old, 187 pounds, 21 % bodyfat (Fat 39, LBM 148)

So for those of you doing the math in the next year I will be adding 30 pounds of muscle and dropping 20 pounds of fat. This is my baseline and I hope to exceed it and I mean to keep everything I gain. I'm planning to use Havoc and Var to help me reach these goals (hence this being in the cycle forum section) Feel free to drop in and check out my progress. I'll soon be posting my training plan, diet etc and be keeping a running commentary on my training.

Peace
MNZ

[dedic8ed1]

Hello All,

Have been lurking for the last couple of weeks reading, reading, reading... and thought it was time to post. This thread will pull together and track my over-all training plan for the next year. First off just want to give big shout out and thanks to all the knowledgable members out there this site has been a god-send. I've been training on and off for the last ten years sometimes quite seriously but have never hit my potential.

Not for a lack of wanting or trying but mainly because I never had total confidence in what I was doing so was always chopping and changing, theres nothing worse than working out hard and worrying the things you are doing are infact losing you muscle or adding fat. This site has cleared of all of that doubt, helped me formulate a plan and i can't wait to begin a year of solid growth !

Right enough

Here's the skinny...errr 'beefy'

MY goal
By December 31st 2008 I will be at least 200 pounds, with 10% or lower Bodyfat (Fat 20, LBM 180)

Current Stats
33 years old, 187 pounds, 21 % bodyfat (Fat 39, LBM 148)

So for those of you doing the math in the next year I will be adding 30 pounds of muscle and dropping 20 pounds of fat. This is my baseline and I hope to exceed it and I mean to keep everything I gain. I'm planning to use Havoc and Var to help me reach these goals (hence this being in the cycle forum section) Feel free to drop in and check out my progress. I'll soon be posting my training plan, diet etc and be keeping a running commentary on my training.

Peace
MNZ

Oh yeah since i'm a noobie I better follow tradition so...

Can somebody please plan out my diet, training and cycle plan and PM it to me ? PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE SOMEONES MISTAKES ? I'll be off posting pithy educational comments in the threads of much more experienced, larger and angrier men

I think you need to read the rules.No asking for sources only source checks,and you'll have to put some time in the board.All the info you need is waiting for you in the forums so do some research and you need to outline you own diet and then members will suggest the right things for you to do.

[MaelstromNZ]

Hi dedic8ed1,

Thanks for the welcome and yeah I was taking the piss in my time here i have observed that asking for someone to plan out your diet, give a source or provide advice to people with much more experience than them are three of the worst noobie msitakes...

Besides which i come from New Zealand so am pretty much screwed for getting anything through customs

Now onto how i'm planning to split up the trainng year, basically i'm quatering it into 4 12 week sections. Starting in Jan it goes somehing like this

Wk 1 to 4 - Lead in / retain gains from last cycle

Train Sun / Mon, Wed / Thurs (usually 4 exercises per bodypart), Cardio done in morning (bike or row) up to 45 minutes in optimal heartbeat range (how many times a week depends of fat % situation week to week)

Wk 1 - Creatine, 8-10 reps range, 3 sets
Wk 2 - Creatine, 6-8 reps range, 4 sets
Wk 3 - Creatine, Cycle Support, 6-8 rep range, 4 sets
Wk 4 - Creatine, Cycle Support, 4-6 rep range, 5 sets

Wk 5 to 8 - Havoc cycle - Training / Cardio same as wk 1 to 4

Wk 5 - Havoc 10 mg, Cycle Support, 4-6 rep range, 5 sets
Wk 6 - Havoc 20 mg, Cycle Support, 6-8 rep range, 4 sets
Wk 7 - Havoc 20 mg, Cycle Support, 6-8 rep range, 4 sets
Wk 8 - Havoc 30 mg, Cycle Support, 8-10 rep range, 3 sets

Wk 9 to 12 - PCT

Training - Only Mon, Wed, Fri (shortened to be around 30 minutes to limit cortisol, key compound exercise i've carried over from first 8 weeks to retain strength gains) Cardio as per wk 1 to 4

Wk 9 - Nova 40 mg, Creatine, Cycle Support, Retain, Activate Xtreme, 8 - 10 rep range, 3 sets
Wk 10 - Nova 40 mg, Creatine, Cycle Support, Retain, Activate Xtreme, 8 - 10 rep range, 3 sets
Wk 11 - Nova 20 mg, Creatine, Cycle Support, Retain, Activate Xtreme, 8 - 10 rep range, 3 sets
Wk 12 - Nova 20 mg, Creatine, Cycle Support, Retain, Activate Xtreme, 8 - 10 rep range, 3 sets


Week 13 start at week 1 and repeat cycle, which means i have an 8 week creatine cycle in between each Havoc cycle which is 4 weeks on 8 weeks off.
Depending where i am after the 24 week i will either move into a 12 week cutting cycle or repeat again.

The reason i am cycling my rep ranges is to build strength and then as Havoc kicks in hope to bring that strength through to the higher rep ranges.

All comments / suggestions welcome, will post my diet soon...

[5ifthCitizen]

wow i don't know where to begin. u need to plan out a good diet b4 anything else man. all these supplements and all ur plans for how many reps ur gonna do each week and sets and how many times ur gonna do cardio per week depending on ur bf%!!!!!! forget all of that.

u need to start off by dropping ur bf first. WAY down. focus on a clean diet, low calories and lots of cardio. get it down to the low to mid teens, then you can start thinking about bulking up and planning out a good clean bulking diet and a good workout routine (no need to plan out ur rep/sets on a daily basis lol, its gonna be a day by day thing.)

if u want to lose 20lbs of fat and gain 30lbs of muscle in a year your diet has to be SPOT ON, completely. i doubt it can be done naturally in a year but go for it. u may just want to focus on losing the 20lbs as a priority and gaining 10-15lbs of lean muscle after ur done with that.

good luck

[MaelstromNZ]

Hi 5ifthCitizen,

Thanks for the reply i'm going to look forward to proving you wrong though it should be noted i'm not planning to do this 'naturally' there will be a little help from my pro-hormone friend havoc...

Thats why the supps are important, perhaps overkill but cycle support because havoc is a methyl, PCT - Nova for estrogen blocking, retain for cortisol & activate (tribulus) to boost Testosterone, let me know if my thinking's phucked on this ?

As for my training cycle, yeah i'm a bit anal basically its my version of periodisation to switch it up a bit. For example if we take a staple like squat in week 4 to 5 i'm planning doing 5 sets at 5 to 6 reps (in the strength zone) and then as havoc kicks in week 6 & 7 i'll be moving to 4 sets at 7 to 8 reps (back into hytrophy rep range) hopefully taking the weight I was pushing from week 4 & 5.

Same overall work-load on muscles but the idea is to continually build my strength & weights and bring it into the 9-10 rep range while stopping my body getting used to training. Realise this will change in the gym day to day but its my aiming point week to week.

Maybe i'm overcomplicating it I could just stick in the same rep range and keep on adding weight week in and out, thoughts ?

As for cutting etc, from everything i've read Havoc drops a bit of bodyfat while you're on it, so the plan is a couple bulk-cycles, get my LBM & Metabolisim up and then move into 12 weeks of cutting and then one final bulk after that. How these are combined depends on results at the end of each 12 week period, will adjust as i go along.

That being said i am doing some cutting now to get my bodyfat down as much as possible before my first bulk at end of January. My cut diet is posted below...

[MaelstromNZ]

Cutting Diet

8am - Carbs / Protein - 29.9 P, 56.35 C, 4.4 F, 489 Calories
Protein Serve, 100 mils skim milk, 4 weetbix, 200 grams broccoli / Caul***ower
+ 5 grams Glutamine

11am - Protein / Fat - 47.3 P, 0 C, 20.36 F, 371 Calories
100 grams grilled organic lean steak, 1/2 tin tuna, 10 grams flaxseed oil

130pm - Carbs / Protein - 54.2 P, 54.26 C, 6 F, 512 Calories
200grams grilled organic chicken breast, 200 grams broccoli / Caul***ower, 125 grams brown rice

4pm - Protein / Fat - 47.3 P, 0 C, 20.36 F, 371 Calories
100 grams grilled organic lean steak, 1/2 tin tuna, 10 grams flaxseed oil

7pm - PWO - Carbs / Protein - 48 P, 75.8 C, 1.6 F, 536 Calories
2 servings (48 grams) hydro Whey Protein, 80 grams Dex
+ 5 grams glutmaine, multivitamin

8pm - PPWO - Carbs / Protein - 54.2 P, 54.26 C, 6 F, 512 Calories
200grams grilled organic chicken breast, 200 grams broccoli / Caul***ower, 125 grams brown rice

10pm - Protein - 28 P, 9.72 C, 5.58 F, 213 Calories
180 grams low fat cottage cheese


Overall this gives me 3007 calories
328 grams protein (1316 calories 43%)
250 grams carbs (1002 calories 33 %)
64 grams Fat (579 calories 19%)


Non training days I drop PWO which drops me down to 2494 calories
278 grams protein (1113 calories 44%)
177 grams carbs (708 calories 28 %)
63 grams Fat (573 calories 19%)

1 cheat meal a week, verggies can be switched up other fibrous types as can meat servings to some other comparable protein source. Realise the above might be a bit high calorie wise, this is my second week and i'm calobrating it for my body will drop depending on weigh in results this Sunday.

One thing i am doing is i'm sipping half my PWO shake while i'm working out (24 grams P, 40 grams dex) along with lots of water and then having other post workout anybody else do this ? Good or bad idea ?

[fast]

Good Luck mate Stay focused !

[MaelstromNZ]

Hi Fast,

Thanks for the encouragment, i'll definitely keep my eye on the prize, easy to stay motivated around here.

Into the second week of eating clean following the above cut-diet. Nearly freaked last friday at my first weigh in when my scale told me i had lost 3.4 pounds of LBM and added half a pound of fat. Previously that would have resulted me in changing everything i was doing but did some reading on the boards and realised you drop a lot of water first week of a low carb diet which would give the above results (my electric scales measure bodyfat using water in body)

Will see how i go this weeks weigh-in as the first test of diet and workout. Have also cut back my work-outs and given myself more rest days as suspect i was over-training.

My chest workout monday consisted of heavy dips, Inclyne DB Press and Flyes to finish.

It still feels destroyed two days later...its a good feeling

[MaelstromNZ]

2 week weight in this morning not much of a change i'm afraid only 1/4 of a pound of fat down though I did gain half a pound of muscle.

Expected this though calibrating my BMR so am adjusting my diet accordingly dropping my carbs by about 400 a day and adding an additional cardio in morning.

I'm cutting through to the end of January until I start my bulk cycles as listed above. Also changing my exercises this week to keep the training cycle fresh. Attached a photo from the start and 2 weeks in

Cheat meal this evening, Pizza yum !

[MaelstromNZ]

Another week clean eating, weigh in his morning down 2 pounds of fat up a 1/4 a pound of muscle

Seems the adjustment to calories worked, have another week ahead then have xmas and new years with fam & friends, not quite sure how i'll handle that 2 week period as yet...

Only problem with cutting and low carbs is I feel flat and small, grrrr I HATE that feeling haha

[MaelstromNZ]

Hi All,

Another week down in which i upped my diet by a couple of hundred calories mainly in low GI carbs in my midday meal because i was lacking energy at the gym. Weigh in on tuesday had me down another 1.6 pound of fat but also .84 pound of muscle. Am not too concerned however as gained LBM over the previous couple of weeks.

So over the past 4 weeks combined have dropped 2% bodyfat which equates to 4 pound of fat & 1/2 a pound of lean muscle putting me right in the zone of where i want to be. Have learnt a shitload going through this cut-cycle will pull together into a longer post as well as a final photo just before my christmas break.

Oh and my havoc & pct stuff has all arrived so am ready and amped for my first pro-hormone cycle starting at the end of Jan, oh and justifying this thread being in this forum *grin*

[MaelstromNZ]

Bro's

Well just completed my first week back on my cutting diet after my ten day break over xmas and new years where I was pretty undisciplined what with the roasts and hams and pudding's from the folks and then the constant alcohol away camping with my friends combined with zero training.

I was shocked to find that i had put on 5 pound in about 3 days but realise it was the water weight going back on with the huge increase in carbs. After this first week back on low carbs I dropped 3 1/2 pound so the damage from the break was about 1 1/2 pounds of bodyfat gained.

Learnt a lot however about how to handle these type of situations going forward. Now the fun part starts a whole year of hard training & diet - can't wait! 2 more weeks of cutting then will move into my first 12 week cycle as layed out in an earlier post

Have attached a photo of where i started out and where i was just before xmas to show the progress over my first attempt at cutting (sorry about the poor quality of second photo) will post one final photo in two weeks when this cutting cycle finishes.

Peace,
MNZ