Winter Bulk

[TheMilkMan]

Few things man:

Congrats on the baseball... Are you a righty or lefty? And how hard do you throw? I ask because in high school (pre-injury) I was throwing 86mph and I was always told that 90mph would get my drafted. I'm just curious because I know things are different from lefties and at 19, if you don't have any injuries and you throw hard, you may still want to give baseball a shot. PL/BBing/etc will be here in 2-3 years whereas an opportunity in sports may not be.

Primordial Performance makes a great product. If you're thinking about using anything, go with that for now and jump on the 30% off deal they're running right now. That's a huge savings for you. Thanksgiving time sounds good... It will be a perfect time for you to be able to pack on some mass without worrying too much about fat mass.

I don't think doing cardio is a bad idea at all while bulking for a couple reasons. Doing cardio is good for overall health and it actually sparks my appetite. How long are your cardio sessions?? It takes me about a half hour to burn 400 calories walking on an incline and I'm ~70lbs heavier than you. If you are on the treadmill for more than 30 minutes per session, I'd cut it down to 30 minutes. Good job on keeping the calories high through consistent eating though, it can be tough to eat all the time.

The Box Squats are awesome, I just wanted to make sure you weren't doing them too high and defeating the purpose of the movement.

Just keep it at man. As Jim Wendler says... train hard, be consistent, have a plan, and results will follow.

 

[barnzy7]

Few things man:

Congrats on the baseball... Are you a righty or lefty? And how hard do you throw? I ask because in high school (pre-injury) I was throwing 86mph and I was always told that 90mph would get my drafted. I'm just curious because I know things are different from lefties and at 19, if you don't have any injuries and you throw hard, you may still want to give baseball a shot. PL/BBing/etc will be here in 2-3 years whereas an opportunity in sports may not be.

Primordial Performance makes a great product. If you're thinking about using anything, go with that for now and jump on the 30% off deal they're running right now. That's a huge savings for you. Thanksgiving time sounds good... It will be a perfect time for you to be able to pack on some mass without worrying too much about fat mass.

I don't think doing cardio is a bad idea at all while bulking for a couple reasons. Doing cardio is good for overall health and it actually sparks my appetite. How long are your cardio sessions?? It takes me about a half hour to burn 400 calories walking on an incline and I'm ~70lbs heavier than you. If you are on the treadmill for more than 30 minutes per session, I'd cut it down to 30 minutes. Good job on keeping the calories high through consistent eating though, it can be tough to eat all the time.

The Box Squats are awesome, I just wanted to make sure you weren't doing them too high and defeating the purpose of the movement.

Just keep it at man. As Jim Wendler says... train hard, be consistent, have a plan, and results will follow.

I'm a small righty lol, I get on the mound and basically can hear the laughs, it actually seems to help me though, most people don't expect me to be able to throw as hard as I do. I've been clocked up around 88mph, this year has been a bit tougher though, the added muscle mass is starting to take its strain on my windup, thats my biggest downfall, every delivery is different, Im almost uncomfortable on the mound. So far this year I've been in the mid 80's when Im good and the lower side when I havent been.

If I were to compare myself to anyone it would be barry zito. My curve is around 66-68 so its a huge difference. Slider around 77 and a change about the same.

Humbling experience playing in VA tho I can say that much. I came from mass where I was one of the top pitchers in the league, now Im here and Im just another guy, definitely a big blow to my ego but probably something I needed.

Cardio I do 45 min on a 15.0 incline, 3.5 speed. Burns about 530 calories. You think cutting it back to 30 min and burning around 350 would be better?

Yesterdays workout:

Smith Box Squats- 135x10/155x10/185x8/225x4/275x4/315x3/335x2/395x2....415x3/415x3

Deads 135x10/225x10....315x10/315x10/315x10

DB Rows 30x10/30x10....90x10/95x10/100x10

Rope Crunches 3x20

Extreme Ham and back stretch

I feel like I should switch the DB rows to BB rows, but between the DB rows and weighted pullups I feel like my back has really grown so Im some what reluctant to do so.

 

[barnzy7]

Finished up my last week of the 2nd "cycle" of this routine. These were the last 2 workouts.

Weight: 173lbs

Chest: Bench 135x10/155x10/175x8/195x4/215x2/225x2....245x3/245x3

Dips Bw+45x10/Bw+45x10/Bw+90x10

Pullups Bw+10x10/Bw+20x10/Bw+30x10

Abs 3x20

Extreme Chest Stretch



Legs: Smith Box Squats 135x10/155x10/185x10/225x8/275x4/315x4/335x4/395x2....420x3/420x3

Pull throughs 3x10

DB rows 90x10/95x10/100x10

Abs 3x20

Extreme stretch


Im going to be gone and out of the gym from thursday to tuesday so today just did a run through of all the exercises I will be doing for the next routine. Let me know what you think.

Workout #1

Standing BB shoulder press (main lift)

DB Incline Bench (accessory)

Weighted Pullups (accessory)

Ab Rope Pulls

Extreme shoulder or chest stretch.


Workout #2

Smith Box squats OR front squats (Main)

Deadlifts OR Cleans (accessory)

DB or BB Rows (accessory)

Ab Rope Pulls

Extreme stretch


I can't decide what I want to do on leg day as you can see. Anyone have an suggestions?

On off days still doing 30-40 min cardio

 

[Dlove]

Your workouts are spot on bigdog. Thanx for tyhe feedback in my journal I think with the crashed level just coming back to normal I am expecting to much. Keep it up dude your lifts and routine look better every week.

 

[Dlove]

For your ? on leg day I have been a little off protocol and not doing the BB Rows since I am pulling Dl's again. I dont know how you mange with deadlifts after squats you must have great recovery skills cause I would be toast after that. I am actually liking hitting legs more just doing say some lat pulldowns to stretch the back after squats and then more direct accesory work like quad extensions or hammy curl and even hip abductor, lol,. I know that sounds silly but the hip abduction seems to be effective for me. Just some food for thought as Mike says.

 

[barnzy7]

Yeah the DL do kill me after squats but I feel like I get a better workout then doing pullthroughs etc. I might try ham curls and leg ext though.

Wed Workout

Standing BB Shoulder Press 45x10/65x10/85x10/105x8/125x4...135x5/135x5

DB Incline 2 warmups....70x10/80x10/90x10

Pullups 2 warmups...BW+10x10/BW+20x10/BW+30x10

Abs 3x20

Extreme Chest stretches

Shoulder press has never been my strong point so looking forward to improving it, hopefully will help my chest and overall size develop as well.

 

[barnzy7]

I think on some of my lifts Ive been trying to go too heavy and go up every session. Being natural and already feeling strong for my size think its going to be a much slower process gaining strength than I wanted.

So I backed off the weight a little and Im going to make sure I do perfect form and increase in incremenets of 2.5 or 5 as I feel I can do.

Yesterdays Workout

Standing BB Shoulder Press 5 warmups...135x5/135x5

DB Incline chest press 2 warmups...75x10/80x10/90x10

Pullups 2 warmups lat pull 170...BW+10x10/BW+20x10/BWx12

Abs 3x20

Extreme chest stretch 45x60/45x60/35x60(Incline)

I have been throwing in some forearm work, and some calf work when I can. I think those two areas may lack a little, especially my calves, and could be a big factor in allowing me to move around more weight.

 

[TheMilkMan]

I think on some of my lifts Ive been trying to go too heavy and go up every session. Being natural and already feeling strong for my size think its going to be a much slower process gaining strength than I wanted.

So I backed off the weight a little and Im going to make sure I do perfect form and increase in incremenets of 2.5 or 5 as I feel I can do.

Yesterdays Workout

Standing BB Shoulder Press 5 warmups...135x5/135x5

DB Incline chest press 2 warmups...75x10/80x10/90x10

Pullups 2 warmups lat pull 170...BW+10x10/BW+20x10/BWx12

Abs 3x20

Extreme chest stretch 45x60/45x60/35x60(Incline)

I have been throwing in some forearm work, and some calf work when I can. I think those two areas may lack a little, especially my calves, and could be a big factor in allowing me to move around more weight.

That workout looks awesome!!!!

Don't be afraid to go for PR's, just make sure you limit yourself to pushing for a PR once a workout. If you go for a PR, back off the rest of the training for the day and use it to fill out weak points.

Being natty is really really tough. I have been very lucky and successful using the 5/3/1 program as of right now, but it's very easy to burn out. Remember one more thing... Don't be afraid of the de-load week. I used to be so scared of de-loading and now I realize how important it actually is.

 

[barnzy7]

Yeah, thats true I havent gone for any really big PR's in a while. I mean Im going up in weight and what not but nothing that has amazed me yet. I think Ill give myself 2 more weeks of heavy lifting, do a week where I try to set some PR's, then a nice deload week before school starts so I can get back at it after I get moved in.

Todays workout

Smith Box Squats: 6 warmups...390x5/390x5

Super Set leg ext and ham curls 3x10 both...worked up to 210 for leg ext, 150 for ham curls

DB Rows 2 warmups...100x10/100x10/100x10

Had to hurry so didnt get in any extreme stretches or ab work.

 

[barnzy7]

Leg Day

Smith Box Squats- 7 warmups...405x5/405x5

Super set leg ext/ham curls...rackedx3x10

DB's only went up to 75 so used the row machine using only 1 arm instead of 2. 110x10/130x10/150x10

I didnt get to do abs or anything else, right after this set I got wicked hot, pale, and had to go and pull a stool up to the toilet waiting to throw up.

Im not really sure whats wrong, this is the worst it has happend but for a couple weeks I have been getting nauseous during my workouts. Any suggestions or ideas?

I used a shitty protein to make a shake about 30 min before workout today, I had to choke it down so I think that may have been why it was the worst so far, but I still dont understand why I am feeling sick during workouts.

 

[barnzy7]

Got a good pump but lifts were way down. I havent benched in about a month in a half maybe a little more so Im sure Ill get back to it soon.

BB Bench Barx20/135x10/155x8/175x6/195x4/215x2/225x3/205x5

Standing DB Military Press 2 warmups..50x10/50x8/40x10

Wide Grip Pullups..2 warmups lat pull..BWx10/BWx10/BWx10

Abs 3x20

Extreme stretch 45x60(Flat)/35x60(Incline)

BB Wrist Curls Barx20x2

 

[barnzy7]

I have only had gyms with smith machines for about the last 5 months, today I got back to where I can use a squat rack. I could have done more weight because for the most part it felt relatively easy going up, but I just have to get used to the feel again. I guess I never realized how much easier smith machine squats are. You can only go vertical. Its going to take me a little to get used to the balance again, but got a great pump and was pleased with the weights for now.

Box Squats barx10/135x10/185x6/225x6/275x4...295x5/295x5

Super set leg ext/ham curls/calf raises...175/120/195x10..190/130/235x10..205/140/265x10

DB Rows 1 warmup..100x10/100x10/100x10

Abs 3x20

BB wrist curls 20x10/20x10

Extreme back and ham stretch

 

[barnzy7]

Another tough chest day at the gym, its taking me a while to get bench back up, frustrating as anything.

BB Flat 135x10/155x8/175x6/195x4/215x2/225x5/225x3...just hit a wall the last set.

standing DB shoulder warmups then...50x10/50x10/50x10

Pull ups 2 warmups..BWx10/BWx10/BWx10

No abs, still sore from yesterday

Wrist curls BBx10x3

Extreme stretch 40x60(Flat)/35x60(Incline)

Any suggestions or thoughts Id love to hear them.

 

[barnzy7]

Last week I was just kinda testing weights to see where to pick up from.

Friday:

Box Squats: Barx10/135x10/185x10/225x6/275x4/295x5/295x5

Ham curls/Leg Ext/ Calf raises...3x10..superset

DB rows 100x10/100x10/100x10

Abs 3x20

Extreme Stretch


Gym was closed for weekend.

Today:

Finally starting to be able to get back into benching strength is much better than last 2 times.

BB Flat 135x10/155x8/175x6/195x4/205x4/225x5/225x5

Incline DB (Complete range of motion, basically let the DB's down as far as my rom would allow) 70x10/70x9/70x8

Pulls ups BWx10/BWx10/BWx10

Abs 3x20

BB Wrist curls 2x20

Extreme chest stretch 45x60(flat)/35x60(incline)

 

[barnzy7]

ATG squats barx10/135x10/185x10/225x6/245x6/265x5

Stiff leg deads on a box. 135x10/225x10/225x10

Calf sled 215x10/235x10/255x10

BB Rows 135x10/185x10/205x10

Abs 3x20

BB wrist curls


Just thought Id switch it up a little today

 

[barnzy7]

Had a late night so was tired at the gym but got a decent workout.

BB Flat Bench 135x10/155x10/175x10/195x6/205x2/225x5/225x5

Standing DB Press 50x10/50x10/50x10

Pull Ups BWx10/BWx10/BWx10

Abs 3x20

Extreme stretch 45x60, 35x60

Wrist Curls

 

[barnzy7]

After doing squats ATG last time I think I will be doing that everytime from now on. I was so sore and they tire me out a lot more. After doing them I feel like I was selling myself short before, so I will do these from now on even if it means I have to start at lower weight again.

ATG Squats 135x10/155x10/185x6/225x4/245x3..275x5/275x5

Hammer Strength Leg Press 6platesx10/6x10/6x10

Upright Row 2 platesx10/3x10/3x10 Superset with calf sled 215x10/235x10/255x10

Abs 3x20


Think Im starting to figure everything out, Im going to change my accessory work up every workout.

 

[barnzy7]

Weighed 180 today...since I stopped cutting for the summer Ive gone from 168-180. Happy with the results so far but havent seen really any strength gains as far as chest goes. Not going to complain too much but I would say out of the 12lbs Ive gained its probably been about 6-6 or 7-5 muscle to fat.

BB Flat Bench Barx12/135x10/155x8/175x6/195x4/ 225x5/225x5

Shoulder Machine Press 2 warmups then 3 set of 10

Pull ups BWx10/BWx10/BWx10

Abs 3x10

Wrist curls 2x10/ reverse curls 2x10

Extreme Stretch 45x60/35x70

 

[barnzy7]

Light cardio yesterday.

Today:

Squats barx10/130x10/185x8/225x6/245x4/280x5/280x5

Leg ext/ham curls/calf raises 3x10/3x10/3x10

DB Rows 100x10/100x10/100x10

Abs 3x20

Forearm work

 

[barnzy7]

BB Flat Bench Barx20/135x10/155x8/175x6/195x4/215x2/230x5/230x5(last 2 reps needed spotter helped)

Flat DB Bench 2 warmups/70x10/80x9/70x9

Wide Grip Pull Ups BWx10/BWx10/BWx10

Abs 3x20

Extreme Chest Stretchx 2

Didnt have a great workout today but its all good.