I can't say how wonderful forums like this truly are. I am new to the forums and wanted to make my first post for everyone to get to know me a little bit.

I am a 21 year old male, I like to think I am 5'8" and last weigh in was 155lbs. I grew up always being a heavy set kid and by my second year of high school I was up to 220lbs. Unfortunately I took a very unhealthy approach to lose my weight by abusing extacy. By the grace of god I am in recovery now and have 6 months clean from all drugs and alcohol. I recently quit smoking cigarettes with the help of Chantix and have been smoke free for 3 weeks now.

My new years resolution (really just another change in my life style) has been to workout 3 times a week. So far I have stuck with it and I believe I am already seeing some progress.

I come here to share my routine, diet and progress with you all in hopes that there might be some suggestions to maximize my results.

After reading a couple posts (the sticky on bulking), here is my body type and basal rate:
Mesomorph
It says to maintain my weight I need 2629 cal/day.

Just yesterday I started my log and took some pics:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj59/so0dz/Photo_012308_004.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj59/so0dz/Photo_012308_003.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj59/so0dz/Photo_012308_006.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj59/so0dz/Photo_012308_005.jpg

I workout at a local gym that is free and the weights are not the best, nor do I have too many machines to choose from (althought I limit my machine use, I prefer free weights). Tomorrow I will be going and will try to take a picture of what I'm working with.

My routine is as follows:

10-15 minutes of stretching.
1x100 crunches
Leg raises

Bench Press
1x12 @ 105lb
1x12 @ 105lb
1x10 @ 105lb

Fly Machine
1x12 @ 60lb
1x12 @ 60lb
1x12 @ 60lb

EZ-Bar Curl
1x12 @ 30lb
1x12 @ 30lb
1x12 @ 30lb

EZ-Bar Tricep Pull Down
1x12 @ 30lb
1x12 @ 30lb
1x10 @ 30lb

EZ-Bar Upright Row
1x12 @ 30lb
1x12 @ 30lb
1x12 @ 30lb

EZ-Bar Shoulder Shrug
1x25 @ 30lb
1x25 @ 30lb
1x25 @ 30lb

20min of cardio on treadmill PWO

There are a couple of other exercises I do that I don't know the names of and can't find.

I eat every 2-3 hours (sometimes a hour and a half), I eat 1.5x my bodyweight in grams of protein (225-250g) and keep the carbs to whole grain breads and vegetables. I am a chef so it is hard for me to count calories and grams of everything I eat due to the fact I eat at work. Here is what a typical day looks like:

9am Breakfast:
2 eggs
2 pieces whole grain wheat bread with 2 tbsp peanut butter
1 piece fruit
8oz skim milk

11-11:30am:
4-6oz chicken salad on pita bread

1pm
4-5oz chicken with hummus and vegetables (cucumbers, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, 5 of each)

3-3:30pm
Salad (light on the dressing of course) with a whole chicken breast (8oz)

6pm:
Grilled tilapia with steamed vegetables (green beans, squash, tomatoes)
8oz fruit juice

8pm:
5oz steak meat
1oz sauteed onions and mushrooms

Everyday I try to eat something different than the day before to give my body a change and the times are not always perfect but eating is my number one priority when not working out. I might be drinking too much water (ha!).

I always eat within 30 min of my workout and usually that is a couple of protein bars with water and an apple or some fruit.

I am on week 4 currently and am hoping to hop up 20lbs across the board next week pending I can finish my 3rd set with ease.

Sorry for such a long post, I am looking for any suggestions or whatever you may have to say. Thanks for being here fellas, the support is much appreciated!

Larry

I am a chef so it is hard for me to count calories and grams of everything I eat due to the fact I eat at work.

Wouldn't that make it easier? You actually know what is in all of your food whereas those of us who might eat at your restaurant do not.

I am looking for any suggestions or whatever you may have to say.

Here's what I'm thinking...

First, there are a lot of movements absent in your workout. I'd like to see you include a vertical press (military press, shoulder press, whatever) to complement the horizontal benchpress. And the upright rows are good pulling movement, but you might want a vertical movement as well (pull-ups, lat pull-down). Most importantly, start with some lower-body movements like squats, lunges, and some kind of deadlift. Those will accelerate your overall progress more than anything, and from an athletic perspective they are critical.

One last thing: It's good that you are doing some "cardio", but give it a real purpose. This is a recent pet-peeve of mine, I guess. You don't lift just for the sake of lifting; you do it to get stronger in your lifts. It should be the same for running/swimming/stair-climbing/etc. in my opinion. Do whatever exercise you are doing with the intent of getting better at it, not just for the sake of killing time and calories. It keeps it more interesting and ultimately more productive, I think. It's no different from any other movement (like benchpress) except that you are going to do a few thousand reps instead of just 8-12.

Tim

Congrats on the decision to change & welcome to the forums!

Big congrats for all the changes you've made already! One thing I would recommend is to try and find yourself a healthy routine you can settle into for life. Your current routine seems difficult to maintain. And I agree with Tim, you need to balance out your lifting a bit. I wouldn't worry about the arm isolation lifts (curls and pull downs), you would really be better off focusing on all the big compounds.

A routine that I started with, and go back to occasionally is basically like this:

Bench press
Pull ups
deadlifts
squats

chinups
DB presses
dips
situps


Plus ~ I really don't think you need that much protein, but it's your call. A lot of people on here are nuts about protein, but I've been doing fine on much less protein than is recommended. I'm cutting at the moment, however.