The gauntlet has been thrown, the starters pistol fired, the challenge set and the bulk begun !!!

THE CHALLENGE

To bulk. To build LBM. To gain size. To get big. To widen the shoulders, broaden the chest, fill out the legs, beast up the arms and thicken the back. Whilst gaining as little BF as possible.

THE PICS

To be updated every 2 weeks, front unflexed, front flexed, back and Bi's flexed.

THE WINNER

Hopefully we will both be winners. ;)


So without further ado.............

Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeets get ready to RUMMMBBBLLLEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :tu: :tu: :tu:

Cool !!

Can't wait to see the progress.

I'm sure we won't be disappointed.

:gl:

Hey reno


Great minds think alike.

We both posted a new thread simultaneously. Anyway we can get mine attached to yours?

Reno's Starting stats and pics

(For all those americans out there, 1kg=2.2lbs)

Age: 23
Weight: 70kg
Current BF: 8.2%
Bench: 85kg
Deadlift: 115kg
Squat: 80kg :mad:

Workout routine

I will list each workouts excersizes as i go along. I will be doing a 3 day split of my own version of MAX OT. A three day split will mean 1 body part is rested every 4 weeks. So an example week will look like...

MON - Shoulders and Traps
TUE - Rugby Training (Cardio)
WED - Legs and Abs
THUR - Back and Bi's
FRI - Off day
SAT - Rugby Match (Cardio)
SUN - Light Cardio and stretching - To aid recovery - Rugbys a tough old game you know !

The next week, monday will be chest and tris, wednesday legs and thursday Back and Bi's, with shoulders having a week off and so on. I must always do legs on a wednesday (except for the week off), as i need non-DOMS legs to play/train for rugby. :nod:

Diet: I will not be counting calories specifically. I have done this before and so know what i need to eat without watching every calorie i eat. I would recommend counting cals when you first start a cut or a bulk, to get an idea of what to aim for, but once you have a rough idea, its easier to just go with it. Its inpractical to count cals for the rest of your life.

On gym days i will eat:

Breakfast - 3 egg omlette with cheese and 50g chicken
11 oclock - 150g cottage cheese and cucumber
1 oclock - Baked Potato / mashed sweet potato, 1 tin tuna, cheese and low fat mayo
3.30 - 1 grilled chicken breast and 75g wholemeal brown rice
4.45 - 2 scoops whey and 30g Maltodextrin
WORKOUT
6.35 - 2 scoops whey, 25g Maltodextrin, 25g Dextrose, 200ml Grape Juice, 5g creatine
7.45 - Something with Carbs, protien and veggies
10.00 Weetabix and Milk (For casin and carbs pre bed)

On tuesday and friday, more emphisis will be on Carbs, to aid energy for rugby, and to prevent the intense cardio creating a catabolic state. Oats will replace the omlette for breakfast and my Pre WO shake will be only carbs.

I always take saturday night and sunday day off from diet, and allow myself to eat whatever and drink whatever. Note that i also did this in my cutting phase, and am down to 8% BF. :nod:

General Comments

The difference between this bulk and my last bulk is that this time round im going to eat more and am going to make pre and post WO nutrition a priority. I have no real weight or size measurements to aim for, the mirror is my scales, but i guess 14lbs in 3 months would be nice. I always wanted to weigh in at 12 stone. Ultimatley my overall goal is to be 12 stone, 168lbs, 76kg at 9% BF. That will take some time, but if i can get to 168lbs and stay below 12%BF, ill be made up. I must improve leg strength and size, they have been neglected in the past, and to be honest, i think there is scope for great weight and mass gains there, if they are to be brought up to speed with my other body parts, we shall see. HIIT MAN is going to be a great help, and having someone there with me through this will be a big help. :nod:

Starting pics

Posted over to here from my thread...

Well, After the longest cutting and maintaining session programme in history, I have decided to go for "the bulk".

Thanks to Reno's journal, pics, and private messages I am feeling comfortable about the whole thing. Comfortable? Well yes, having lost 42lbs over the last year and maintaining the weight loss with weights and cardio (running mainly), it's been hard to mentally gear up to the thought of uping the calories and perhaps having to cut back a little on the cardio. Let me tell you a little background before battle commences.

I am 40 years old , male and live in the Midlands, England.
I was 14 stone 1lb last July 2003. that's 197lbs. Not huge as I am 5'10" but I was getting weighty especially around the face and waist.

I went from a 36/37 inch waist to a trim 31" (currently). My chest size is currently 41". So I consider myself trim and have low body fat about 10%. I now weigh 154lbs

I started weight training too back in Aug 03 and build some decent muscle over that time despite cutting (newbie stage I suppose). I have maintained that, although of late I fear a little lean mass has been sacrificed. I have gone through the "are you dying stage? " " you look ill" when I initially lost the weight but that seems to have calmed down. Dressed , I guess I look like any other slim guy, but I am fairly muscley and ripped and I get comments when in a t-shirt or shirts off in the Summer about my muscles. I guess I have been happy with the results so far. I never quite got the six pack popping, probably due to the fact tha abs is my weakness when it comes to exercises, so during the bulk that is one area I intend to work on although the results may not be visible till the next cut.
My biceps are 14" flexed (cold) and my genetic best point is my triceps, they just seem to buldge no matter what, I guess thats a good point as it gives the arms a bigger look.

So although lookin lean and mean, Its time to put some mass on.

So the weights are getting heavier, the calories are going up and now its up to me to make this work.

Reno (a great inspiration), is going to join me. We are going for a 3 months bulk. Not so much as a competition or a challenge, more of some one to help on the way, a support and encouragement.Goals?
Well everyone needs goals to aim for, having never been in this situation before I am not sure where to aim, but I would like to acheive the following.

Possible 14lbs in weight. mostly lean mass of course!
Extra inch on the arms and chest ( I dont know how easy that will be, but I seem to be an easy gainer)
Strengthen and build Abs , so when the next cut comes, there will be something to show off, come next Summer. Ok I plan to sort out posting some pics, list my diet, and weights routine, which I will post tomorrow.

So reno its over to you


HIIT MAN

PS I am more than happy to hear any comments, suggestions, critisism to help me on the way.

HIIT,

Clear your inbox mate. ;)

Monday 4th Oct Review

The bulk has begun ! Day one baby. Prepped all my food Sunday night, and yesterday went very well. Obviously no gains yet, but i ate when i should have ate, and had a great shoulders / traps workout. Was lifting everything pre-holiday, which was 2 weeks ago, so am glad i havent lost any strength in that time, but my reps were slightly down, so have lost some stamina. Still, it was between the 4-6 rep range, so its all good.

Diet: As set at start. 7.45 evening meal was 4 spicy chicken wings. No grape juice PWO. Extra creatine at breakfast, pre workout and after evening meal (Loading phase)

Workout: Warmup then

Military press 3*5
Arnold Press 3*6
Reverse standing flys 3*6
Side Lateral raises 3*8
Dumbell Shrugs 3*6
EZ Barbell Shurgs 3*6

Felt good. Eaten well. Day 1 can only be described as a success. :tu:

After discussing this bulk challenge with Reno, I have been graciously welcomed to join. So count me in guys!

I started dieting/working out this past February. At that time I weighed about 114kg (250 lbs.). Today I am 72kg (158 lbs.). I feel that my weight loss has been a huge success, however I am now tired of hearing the comments that I should stop losing weight. My goal was to get ripped (see my abs). But people have now started saying that I look sick and scrawny. I really don’t want that look (even though I don’t think I look like that). Still, I don’t want other people thinking it.

I had already decided to begin a clean bulk through the end of the year, then I saw this challenge, and I was really hoping to get in on it. So thanks for including me.

I will post my pictures and other details later today. But for now, this is where I am:

Age: 37
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 72kg (158 lbs.)
BF%: 15-16%?

Goal: You guys both said you would like to gain 14 lbs. I don’t think I will gain that much, since I will be keeping my fat gain to zero. So my guess would be a gain of 8 to 10 lbs.

I am PUMPED to hit the weights REALLY hard over the next few months. I need a week or so to get back into my lifting routine, and probably most of October to repair whatever damage I did to my metabolism over the last 8 months (if I can in fact repair it).

:gl:

Welcome aboard the BULK TRAIN !!!!

Next stop. Muscletown. ;)

Welcome aboard the BULK TRAIN !!!!

Next stop. Muscletown. ;)

Muscletown it is!

Anywhere but Scrawnyville is fine with me!

Thomas

My diet for this bulk will eventually be very similar to Reno's. However, as I said, I will be slowly adding calories so I don't just pack on tons of fat. I will post updates as time goes on how I am changing my diet.

My workout routine will be a 3-day split (MWF) and medium intesity cardio at least 2 of the other 4 days. I will be following some of the MAX OT principles, but I found to follow it strictly leaves me burned out very quickly. I think I will begin with a routine that I really felt good on in the past, which is:

Mon: Back, biceps, forearms (Bonus - abs)
Wed: Chest, shoulders, triceps (Bonus - biceps)
Fri: Legs, calves, abs (Bonus - chest)

By 'bonus' I mean that it is the second time I am hitting that muscle group within a week. Abs, bicpes, and chest are the areas I have difficulty developing, but I feel I can hit these areas twice without overdoing it. I will start there and tweak as I go along.

Here are my starting pics:

Oh, and before anyone says anything, I realize I could use a tan, and I need to rid myself of some body hair. I can't do much about the tan (as summer is officially over here now) but I am thinking about shaving. I am just afraid I will have to shave several times a week, and that seems like such a hassle. :rolleyes:

Oh, and before anyone says anything, I realize I could use a tan, and I need to rid myself of some body hair. I can't do much about the tan (as summer is officially over here now) but I am thinking about shaving. I am just afraid I will have to shave several times a week, and that seems like such a hassle. :rolleyes:


Wax it!!!



Ouch!!! :p

Oh, and before anyone says anything, I realize I could use a tan, and I need to rid myself of some body hair. I can't do much about the tan (as summer is officially over here now) but I am thinking about shaving. I am just afraid I will have to shave several times a week, and that seems like such a hassle. :rolleyes:

Ehh I only do it once every 5-7 days unless I am going somewhere I know I'll be without my shirt. Just having it shorter is nice once you get use to it. I wouldn't suggest shaving it right away. I would trim it down to a "one" with a trimmer and leave it like that for a week or two then go all the way. It makes the transition easier (this is coming from someone who has way too much body hair :lol: )

With regards your split, would you have time to do a 4 day split ?

I think you would benifit more from adding a shoulder and traps day and doing them on their own day, so you can really hit them hard. They look like areas that potentially could be bulked up nicley, but i think neglecting traps and shoving shoulders in with chest is not the nest method. I know many people here do this, (John for example), but IMO (and it is JUST MO), you will get bigger and stronger shoulders treating them as a separate muscle group. :nod:

Your pics look good, you should have the frame for some nice mass. :tu:

Try Immac for the chest hair. Its painless, easy and quick.

Welcome Doug,


Stats:
Age 40
Weight 70KG
BF 10-11%
Chest 41"
Waist 31"
So here's my first update!

Monday was legs. These I have have to work on the most, sadly not gifted with the biggest of legs. Good shape but not big. My calves are quite developed as I run 20-25 miles a week.

So Monday was Squats, deadlifts, calf raises. DOMS galore!!!

Diet: Boy Do I struggle to eat more than I am used to over the last year. I am no expert on the science of this eating to bulk, I try to go with what I feel is right for me and try to eat as clean as poosible.

Going for the 5/6 meals a day. Breakfast eggs/peanut butter with rye bread or Oats . Chicken Breast mid morning, Tuna salad for lunch, another chicken mid afternoon, Fish and steamed veggies for evening meal and then cottage cheese and honey for evening.

Tuesday was cardio only, which was a 3 mile run and as my legs were still recovering from the night before ,a little hard going.

One thing I have not done is sorted out protein or whey supps. WHAT!!! I hear you cry. I would like to see how I get on without these supps for a while. I will tell you why? My Dad worked hard physically as a young man mainly farm labourer. When you see pics of him without his shirt on, he was big and I mean big. I take after him genetically and find it easy to gain mass so far. My point is if men like my Dad and body builders of the past could attain such physiques without supps., then why not I.
Now, I am not knoking any use of sipps and creatine, I understand their role and their purpose. As I am not going to be entering any competitions and as I eat alot of protein as possible from natural foods, I would like to see how it goes. Maybe later I might consider using a protein powder or supp, but I would like to see how it goes.

The one thing I would like to hear advice on is weight gainers. As I fear I will struggle to keep up the calories intake are the benefits in these powders? I would rather drink a pint of milk as a source of calories and protein but are these worth considering?

Anyway Shoulders and traps tonight.

Regards


HIIT MAN

HIITMAN,

A few things regarding your proposed diet and proposal of not using supps.

First off, wheres your carbs man ??? I dont see any after breakfast, how are you gonna get the energy to lift harder and heavier in order to bulk up ? The purpose of raising your calories to bulk is not only to give your body more protien to build muscle, but to gain more energy with which to lift more, in order to overload those muscles. Its not just a question of eating more, but when and what you eat in order to train as hard as you can and build new muscle tissue as fast as you can. Simply increasing your calories wont achieve that. The best source of energy is carbs, IMO, you need to add some brown rice or pasta to those chicken breasts. Or have the tuna in some decent bread. To me, your diet looks like a cutting diet. Ill bet your dad hammered the carbs when he was working. :nod:

With regards the decision not to use supps, i think its a good idea. No doubt about it, whole food win out against supps. I will be interested to see your progress with whole food protien, it will be interesting to compare a supp free bulk with a supped one. And i agree that too many people rely on supps and neglect the whole foods. But... (Theres always a but ;) )

This leads nicely to my final point, and this concearns Pre and Post workout nutrition. I cannot see these "meals" on your example diet. :confused: For the average joe, they say "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". For us, for people who weight train properly and seriously, the most important meals is before and after your workout. Many people say Post Work out is most important, but infact, if your workout suffers through lack of energy, then your PWO meal is a waste of time. I have made this subject the core of my bulking programme, and have thus researched it thouroughly, and i can tell you, its vital. And i know you dont wanna use supps, but theres no denying that whey is king of PWO nutrition. I would throw in a shake PWO containing Whey, Dextrose, Maltodextrin, fruit and water. Infact, i wouldnt even see missing this as an option. Your bulking now, and this shake alone would bump your cals up and be more useful to your body then any Mass Gainer / weight gainer would. I would also consider adding a whey / Maltodextrin shake about 15-30 mins before your workout. But thats up to you.

I agree, whole foods are the way to go. But id try and see Pre and Post workout nutrition as vital. If you add those two shakes, and some carbs to your pre workout meals, you'd get better results. The choice is of course yours, and i know you wanna do this without whey, but try and see whey as a food source rather then a suppliment. Creatine, Glutamine, Andro, amino acid tablets etc are supps. Whey is food. Whey is food... Hope you see im trying to help and not trying to shoot down your plans. :)

And after that rant, wheres your pics bro ??? ;)

Reno

Thanks for the comments and much appreciated.

Firstly I am being a bit lazy regarding filling in Diet details, yeah Carbs are important and I do have pasta, wholemeal breads etc with my meals, just forgot to add them. I stick to wholemeal pasta too if poss.

Strangley enough, I have just been in Holland and Barratts and Boots looking at whey powders after reading another thread on Pre and post work out supps, and you are right about Whey. (food) Where do you get your maltodextrin etc to add to it? The only thing remotely like it is Lucozade Sport sachets that contain Malto and glucose.

So your suggestion is a whey drink before workout and following along with some fruit and carbs? Any fruit in particular? and carbs.

Looks like a visit to Holland and Barratt after work.

Regards the pics, having no camera, I need to loan one, then figure out how to attach them to the thread. I am working on it though.
I would like to attach some pics , so people can critique my achievements and that I do really exist!!! ;)


HIIT MAN

With regards Maltodextrin and Dextrose Monohydrate powder, i would NOT go with the lucozade sachets. I guarantee they are a rip off for what they are.

I found a local health shop in my town which sells BB products !!! I would never have thought it, so roll out good old yellow pages and ring round some local places. Dex powder should be availiable in most Health shops. Its DIRT cheap. I got like 500g for £1.50 ! I bought three boxes. The woman in the shop had never heard of Maltodextrin, but upon inspection of some tubs, the maltodextrin is in a tub called Complex Carbs energy powder. Its just Maltodextrin, thats it. Check carb powders for the ingredients and find one that is just Maltodextrin. If you find a shop that sells BB products, then they should sell Malto in some form. Make sure you dont get Corn Starch by mistake, as this is what some carb powders contain. The Malto was only £2.50 for 400g. So when you compare this to the lucozade sachets, you can see the rip off. The malto you can live without PWO. The dex is most important.

I have begun to find H & B Expensive when they dont have sales on. Although i am currently using their whey, i will try somewhere else when is done with, purely for economic reasons, as the products themselves are good.

I can only recommend what i have Pre and Post WO, based on what ive read these last few weeks.

Pre (15mins before WO)

2 scoops whey, 25g Maltodextrin, water

Post (within 30mins after WO)

2 scoops whey, 25g Maltodextrin, 25g Dextrose Monohydrate (Glucose), 1/2 pint grape juice (tescos have this), Water

Grape juice is ideal, but any high GI fruit juice would do.

Glad your eating carbs. :tu:

Let me know how you get on.

Cheers Reno,


Hey page 2 of the thread already, gonna be mega!!!

Are you a secret Johnstone forum addict using the Boss's time too? :lol:


HIIT MAN

With regards your split, would you have time to do a 4 day split ?
Well, I don't really have the time, but I will make it work if you think it will help that much. I have never done a 4 day split, can you give me specific breakdown by day. I would really like to hit chest, abs, and biceps twice a week if possible (or is that not good to do). Today would have been chest, shoulders, triceps, but I woke up sick this morning (fever, bodyaches). So if I switch to a 4 day split like M-T-Th-F I could take today off and resume on Thursday. My workout today would not be worth much anyway.

Are you a secret Johnstone forum addict using the Boss's time too?
That's pretty funny. Uh oh, gotta go.

Tuesday 5th October Update

Cardio day today, so started the day with 100g oats heated up with milk to form porrage. A touch of brown sugar and yum. Well nice !

Rugby training was a cold and wet affair, having not trained due to hols for 2 weeks, it was tough going, but i coped, and i was sharper then i have been recently. Will be playing for the 2nd team this weekend, cant wait !

Diet was:

Breakfast - 100g oats, 300ml milk, teaspoon brown sugar, 5g Creatine
11 oclock - 150g cottage cheese
1 oclock - 1 tin tuna, 1 large potato, 1 spoon mayo
3 o'clock - Bannana
5.30 - Chicken breast chopped into pasta salad with olive oil dressing
7.00 - 25g of Maltodextrin and 5g creatine mixed in glass of grape juice
9.15 - Mashed potato, chicken, carrotts, gravy. 5 g creatine in grape juice.
11.00 - Weetabix and Milk

All good, weigh in tomorrow (Thursday is weigh in day).

See u then !!!


Are you a secret Johnstone forum addict using the Boss's time too?

Yes, although recently there has a crack down. We have a programme called SQUID which monitors interent use. The IT manager sent me my Squid report for one day, and to say it looked bad is an understatement, now its just on breaks. :o

Well my diet was crappy today. I woke up late, didn't prepare my foods in advance, and I paid for it. I ran out of the house this morning with hardly any food. This is what I ate:

7:00am - 1 scoop whey (in water), L-Glutamine
9:00am - 3/4 cup oats
11:00am - Yogurt
1:00pm - Chicken noodle soup
3:00pm - 1 apple, 1 banana
5:00pm - 6 oz Chicken breast
7:00pm - 1 scoop whey (in water), L-Glutamine
9:00pm - 1 cup cottage cheese

Needless to say, I won't be gaining mass eating like this. But I learned my lesson, and spent about an hour and a half preparing food for the next few days (chicken, beef patties, brown rice). Tomorrow's diet should be much improved.

I've looked into the 4 day splits, and I think I will give it a go. I really wanted to hit some muscles 2 times a week, but if I keep my workouts intense, I should be able to make solid gains. Today would have been chest, shoulders, triceps. But if I go to a 4 day split I will be lifting M-T-TH-F. So today would be a day off. So tomorrow I will step right into the 4 day with back, biceps. The whole routine will go like this:

M - Legs, Abs
T - Chest, triceps
W - rest (or cardio)
Th - Back, biceps
F - Shoulders, traps
Sa - rest (or cardio)
Su - rest (or cardio)

Keep pumping guys!

Doug, that is a perfect spilt for you. You will make good gains with that. :nod:

Well we are well into the first week. :tucool:

Weigh in this morning 156 lbs, 11 stone 2 lbs, or 70.9 kg.

Thats up 2 lbs this week, still with dodgy scales etc, not sure if there is any real gain as yet.

Last night was traps and shoulders. Excellent workout, upper traps looked popped after workout and are starting to make a permanent show when initial pump has gone. Dont know what got into my head last night as I forgot to do upright dumbell rows ( one of my favourite exercises), must be old age, I was tempted to do them this morning but was worried about overtraining, so might fit them in when doing chest and tris. on or just leave them for another day.

Routine last night was:
Parallel arm raises 3 x 10
Shoulder press 3 x 10
Scarecrow 3 x 8 ( they are hard and hurt)
Shrugs 3 x 10
Forgot the upright rows :o

Diet

Breakfast Eggs scrambled with Toasted Rye bread
11'Oclock Cottage Cheese
1' Oclock Turkey breast, cottage cheese, Chicken Stay Sticks
3 Oclock "" ""
6 O oclock Green Salad, pasta , meat balls followed by fresh fruit.

8 Oclock WORKOUT with Banana 20 mins before hand and after workout creatine in milk with some natural honey :spaz: ( dont laugh Reno I actually have some creatine from earlier this year in the cupboard)

Cottage Cheese before Bedtime.

Feel great this morning, Day off to day but will keep up the diet and tomorrow early morning cardio, although I will eat before I run and Gym tomorrow night, Chest and tris and maybe those upright Rows.

Pics still working on it!!!!


Keep bulking Reno and Doug!!


HIIT MAN

Wednesday 7th Oct Update

"Theres no DOMS like leg DOMS...."

Man, yesterday was the much neglected LEGS DAY. And i deliberatly dropped my squat to ease myself back into legs, to avoid DOMS, so i can walk by saturday for rugby match. Even with reduced weight squat, my legs are aching, although so far they are not sore. This may have something to do with my recovery tecnique that i learnt and started yesterday. Ice cubes in a sandwich bag, rubbed on each worked muscle head for 1 minute (Not on the joints!). Then take shower head off hook, and blast muscles with hot as possible water, then just cold water, 1 minute each, 4 of each. Seems to have helped. :nod:

Diet: as example diet except: 3.30pm - 2 slices wholewheat bread and 1 chicken breast. , evening meal pasta salad (with peppers, chilli, low fat dressing, toms cucumber and spring onion and chicken).

Workout:

Squat 3*6
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 3*6
Ham string curls 3*6
Calf raises 3*10
Calf lifts 3*10

I do ham curls for sprinting, for rugby. I used to do quad kicks, but they hurt my knee, so i dont bother now.

All in all, its all good. Am enjoying this thread and bulking.

Looks good HIIT, have you sorted anything for PWO yet? Should be fine to add a shoulder excersize to Chest day. :nod: GET THOSE PICS UP !!! ;)

HIIT, was that the first creatine you had this week? I was just thinking the 2 lb gain could be from that. I am up 3.5 lbs from Monday, but I attribute it to creatine (water) and all the extra calories I am consuming. I already feel like I am choking meals down. But I WILL NOT stop!

Reno, did you weigh in today?

Doug,

yes it was, but I doubt it would make a difference.
Having spouted my none supp. regime, I am tempted to cycle creatine again.

Never say Never


HIIT MAN

but I doubt it would make a difference.

Yeah, 1 time won't make a difference.

I say, go for the creatine! We have to show this youngster we can still pack on the muscles at our age. :tu:

You aint gonna pack it on like THIS youngster !!! ;) haha

I forgot to weigh in, but tomorrow in the AM will do. I do all my weigh ins Thur / fri, as i will have dropped all the weekends water etc by then.

I dont seem to retain water as badly as most on creatine, so i doubt that will play too much part in my weight. :nod:

You aint gonna pack it on like THIS youngster !!! ;) haha

Is that so? We'll see about that!

Don't get me too motivated, I tend to push myself to extremes (my wife hates it when I do that).

But I really like this challenge.

BRING IT ON! :db:

Thursday Oct 7th Update

Todays workout was awsome. I've had better chest workouts, but the triceps part was totally fantasic !!! I really felt like i had pushed them and felt like my arms were huge when i left the gym. Was a great feeling. Ive been working on my bench press technique recently, as i feel thats the key to a big bench. Last night it started to fall into place and i could feel my legs driving into the movement. I dropped 5kg off my usual bench, as i had some random spotter, as my training partner couldnt make it, so didnt wanna push too hard with him, especially as i had had 2 weeks off for holidays. I lifted it no problems. :D On the last few reps, i felt a little kick, perhaps the creatine is beggining to help me out.

Workout:

3*6 flat bench
3*6 Incline DB Press
3*6 Cable Cross Overs
2*10 Body weight dips
2*6 Single arms Cable pushdowns
2*6 Overhead Raises
2*6 Double arm cable pushdowns
2*16 Tricep dips (8 reps weighted, then 8 reps bodyweight)


Diet: As example except

11 oclock 1 chicken breast
1 oclock - Chicken, Bacon, spring onion, Low Fat mayo, Swiss cheese and Tomato on a brown, wheatflake stick. :drool: :drool: :drool:
3 oclock - Tuna and Pasta Salad
7.30 - Lean Gammon Steak, boiled potatos and peas

On a side note for today: I weighed in at 70.5kg, so have gained 1lb this week. Fair enough. I think ive cut so drastically that it will take a while for my body to start realising im intending to put weight on. My legs are still sore from Wednesday though, so that will teach me to neglect legs ! I hope they are ok to play rugby tomorrow. :mad:



All in all, the bulk is going well. I feel stronger and bigger in my head, and so hopefully that will transfer to my body. :tucool:

Have a good friday.

Well, Thurdsay was a day off from cardio and Weights. :cool:

Diet: Eating for Britain, trying to eat clean and not too much fat...

Breakfast: Scramble Eggs (again) with Toasted Rye Bread

11.00: Cottage cheese and turkey Breast

Lunch: Wait for it... Ostrich Burger!!! Delicious and packed with protein , baked potato with butter and Cottage Cheese :drool:

3.00 Turkey Breast and more cottage cheese and a pint of semi skimmed milk

5.30 Beef Casserole (inc carrots,potatoes and brocolli)

9.30 Guess What more cottage cheese..


Phew, I went for a run this morning (Friday) 3 miles on empty stomach, I think I needed to do that to stop too much calorie conversion to fat, as yesterday was a day off from any exercise.

Oh well, Chest and tris tonight. probably my favourite muscle groups. :db:

Its early days but I really feel my body is starting to respond to the extra energy I am feeding it, - just feel the muscles are gonna really respond. :flex:


Will be doing a run for cardio at the weekend and Back and Biceps.

My computer is out of order at home, so will report back on Monday.

Have a good weekend and I will try and sort the pics!!!


HITT MAN

I still felt sick yesterday, but I managed to fix a few things in my diet. I really upped my calories. In fact, I ate more yesterday than I have in about 8 months. I am not sure what is going on with my body though, because my weight was down 3 lbs this morning. I think my body is adjusting to all the added calories. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say I spent a lot of time in the bathroom yesterday. So at this point my weight is unchanged for this week.

I almost skipped my workout because of how I felt. But I decided to do it anyway. It wasn’t my best workout, but considering how I felt, I’d say it was excellent. Unfortunately I took my temperature right before going to bed, and it was 101.4! Probably not the best idea to be working out when you have a temperature, but oh well.

Diet:
7:00am – 4 eggs, 1 scoop whey, 2 cups fat free milk, 5 g Creatine
9:00am – 1 cup cottage cheese, ¾ cup oatmeal
11:00am – 8 oz chicken breast, brown rice
1:00pm – 1 can vegetable soup
3:00pm – 4 oz ground beef, brown rice
6:30pm – 8 oz chicken breast, brown rice
8:00pm – Pre-workout shake (1 scoop whey, 2 cups fat free milk, 5 g Creatine)
9:00pm – Post-workout shake (1 scoop whey, 2 cups fat free milk, 50 g dextrose, 5 g Creatine)
10:00pm – tried to eat some cottage cheese, but couldn’t do it

I forgot to eat a salad I had prepared, and wanted to have another vegetable and potatoes instead of one of the rice portions. But, otherwise, a lot better then the day before.

Workout: (back, biceps)
3x6 – Lat pulldowns
3x6 – close grip pulldowns
3x6 – seated rows
3x6 – bent-over rows
3x6 – barbell curls
3x6 – dumbbell curls

Chicken, Bacon, spring onion, Low Fat mayo, Swiss cheese and Tomato on a brown, wheatflake stick.

Reno, that sounds good, but what is a wheatflake stick?

A Wheatflake stick is just a brown bread stick / baggette, but covered in seeds and wheatflakes. Its a very good quailty type of bread.

The reason you have lost weight is that the sudden increase in calories has led to a raised metabolism. It is for this reason cheat meals work so well, and why i always tell people to eat through plateaus. Once your body realises this isnt a one off, and slows down its metabolism, the weight will go up. Next time you cut, and you hit a plateau, remember this and eat through it. It is important to remember how your body responds and LEARN from it ! That whats this is all about. The more you know about your body, the easier it is to cut etc. :nod:

That's just the thing. I thought I knew my body. Everytime (and I mean EVERYTIME) I have had a cheat day/weekend I have gained 3 to 5 lbs. Never more, never less. I then spend the next week taking that weight off, and then hopefully an extra pound or so. The difference this time is that I have been eating more food for a little longer (4 days, since Monday, instead of just having a cheat weekend, Sat. and Sun.). Maybe I wasn’t cheating long enough to up my metabolism in the past. Did that make any sense?

That made sense. Thats what i did on my cut. Gain 4lbs, loose 5lbs. Works a treat.

This time is no different. Its not like you should have done this that much on your cut, just that your metabolism is raised and will stay raised till it realises you wanna gain. Then it will chill out.

Well I think my body realized that I want to gain. I am up about 3 lbs as of today. I had a few beers this weekend (and a few other cheats) but nothing major.

I am really looking forward to hitting the weights EXTREMELY hard this week!

By the way, check out this guy for some added inspiration.
He's 5'8", and weighs 180 lbs.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=132242

Check out his thread (with more pics) here:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=341012

If he was clean it would be ok, but he has the typical steorid physic. Specially going from the size he was. He won't convince me.

Weekend of the 9th Oct Update

Gonna be a quick one today, as i have only 30mins lunch, due to finishing early to go to Manchester to watch WWE RAW !! :D

Weekend was typical weekend. Got thrashed playing rugby. We only had 13 men. Lots of injurys and people who couldnt make it. Wasnt much fun.

I ate lots of cheat stuff, kept my cals up, but didnt really drink much.

Tonight, i wont be going to the gym due to my trip to watch pro wrestling, but will make it up later in the week. No worries. Feeling bigger and more energetic every day, hopefully, this weeks weight sessions will be more progressive.

Keep bulkin' y'all.

Oh, and that guy you posted a link to, in my book defo a sted head. :rolleyes:

Quick update too after the weekend

Friday did biceps and back, oh I wish those bi's would stay pumped!!! :bb:

Diet much like Renos kept up the Cals but had some cheats..

Really getting used to the extra cals now. Definitley feeling the body wanting to use this extra energy and workout harder. Lost some defs arounf the abs , but chest and arms I believe are looking fuller, mentally trying to feel happy about a stockier look and not worry about losing a little Definition. Something must be working as everytime I take my shirt off (which is quite alot of times at home), the wife cant help but give those biceps and chest a little squeeze) :D

Chest and tris tonight at Gym.


Catch up tomorrow!!!


HIIT MAN

Hey, We're well into the 2nd week!!

Went to the gym last night. Worked Chest and tris's and had a great session.
Chest feels rock hard this morning. Did some upright barbell rows as well having missed this favouite exercise last week on shoulders and traps and boy are my delts/traps feeling it this morning. :tu:

Here's a thing. Woke up at 1.30am this morning. Chest/Triceps nice and hard, but I was desperate to get up and work my biceps. After I finished at the gym, I really had to resist working the biceps and now early in the morning I wake up with the same urge. I am sitting here now and I have the strangest sensation in my arms to go and hit some heavy weights, I just tense my arms and it almost sends a rush through the body. I imagine this could be what my body hasn't experienced all these months, and that is the extra energy levels I am getting from the intake of extra calories/protein. Dont laugh but I feel a bit like Clarke Kent, in need of going out and doing some heroics. :cool: or it could be endorphin rush?, anyway I feel good, in fact almost invincible. Sorry, if it all sounds a little big headed and farfetched, but that it how it is. I will probably get a load of DOMS this afternoon and be brought down to earth. Anyway Day off today and plans tomorrow are cardio first thing and Legs and Abs in the evening.

Diet Monday:

Breakfast: Oats, Honey, skimmed Milk, Figs Taosted pumpernickel bread
Mid Morning: Tuna and Pasta
Lunch: Baked Potato with cottage cheese and turkey breast
5.00pm Fish fillets with green salad and pasta and fresh fruit
Pre workout Banana
Post Workout Glucose with juice , pear and some peanut butter/cottage chees( dont ask)
10.30 Oats with milk and Honey.

Need to sort out the whey today!


Keep up the good work guys. :tucool:


HIIT MAN

HIIT MAN, sounds like you've got yourself into a really good state of mind. Keep it up!

I also know what you mean about upright barbell rows. I think those are my favorite (or even seated rows). I also really like doing triceps (especially tricep pushdowns).

I was trying to do this bulk without tracking calories so strictly, but I think I am going to have to. As of this morning I have gained 5 lbs, and I really feel it. I worked too damn hard to lose the weight to throw it all away. :(

General Update

Well, work has been more busy then i ever remember it !!! But on the good side, yesterday i was promoted !!! I work in the admin dept of a law firm, and i have just been moved up to fee earning, meaning ill have my own caseload to look after, my own clients, files, targets and bonuses. Its the best thing to happen to my carrier, i work for a top motorbike injury firm, and will be working in the top team here, the serious injurys unit, so i will be gaining the best experiance i could ask for. I cant explain how made up i am, or how good an oppotunity this is. Its what i worked for at uni to get my law degree, and what ive spent the last 18 months working as hard as i can to achieve. A good week for me life wise.

Because of evening trips to manchester monday and tuesday night to watch Pro Wrestling, i have yet to attend the gym, and as a result, i lowered my cals to around maintainance. Im not too bothered, as i will just go tonight, thursday and friday. I work my schedule out based on a week, so as long as ive done my three workouts between monday and sunday, im happy enough.

I really feel like tonights leg session will be a good one. I hate doing legs, and id love to go and do chest or shoulders, but legs must be done, and so im going to learn to love legs. I love legs, i love legs....

HIIT MAN - That feeling is most definatly a good reaction to higher cals and more energy. get those same feelings to, literally itching to workout and grow. When you think how long you have spent on a deficit, its easy to see why you now feel like this. What is a deficit ? Giving your body less then it needs. So no wonder you feel so good now your giving your body all the cals it needs. Get those pics up man, aint gonna be able to make comparisons and see improvments if you dont have a good set of befores. Dont be shy man, get them posted up here NOW !!! ;)

DOUG - If your gaining BF, your cals are too high. You want what i like to call a "Bulking maintainance." That is where your taking in enough cals to build muscle and lift with intensity, but no more. Bulking is about finding what that level is, not just eating as much as possible. Meal timings can play a part in this, a big part infact. Whats your meal times like ? Are you an AM workout guy ? If so, it makes things more tricky i think. Dont let it dishearten you. Track cals for one week. See where your cals are going. Ajust, then go back to not tracking. Dont buy into the hype that bulking means bigtime fat gains. Its not true. Fat is caused by taking in more cals then your buring. If your gaining muscle, being able to lift with intensity and are still gaining BF, your eating too much, or at the wrong times.

Congratulations Reno!!! That's awesome news. We'll understand if you want to take a break from bulking to enjoy your new promotion ... NOT!

As far as my meal timings, I eat every 2 hours. I will start tracking calories today, and slowly tweak down until the weight gain slows.

Hi all,

Well, Yesterday was a day off and the DOMS did set in mega time by evening. Feeling on a high though!!! Your right Reno, just got bags of energy to use!!!

Well, it legs tonight, which is probably a good thing as my upper body is still feeling the pounding from Monday.

Looking to do:
Barbell Squats
Sumo Squats
Deadlifts and Lunges, the legs are aching already, Oh well the ache in the legs will distract from the ache in the chest. :D

I must get those pics sorted!!!!! I am not shy to print them, its just getting hold of a camera to take them and there's no way the wife will take those pics, she things I spend far too much time checking out the physique in the mirror as it is... :lol:

Looking for a timer and a good shelf to sit the camera on!!!


HIIT MAN

Reno

Clear your Inbox!!!

I couldn't work out on Monday, so yesterday I did legs/abs, and tonight I did chest/triceps. Both were pretty good workouts, but not quite as intense as I would like. I think I need to spend a little more time preparing for my workouts. Really get myself psyched up.

I also need to get more sleep. I am averaging about 6 hours of sleep each night. I think my body needs 8, especially for the recovery aspect. How many hours of sleep do you guys get?

I am also starting to take HMB today. I tried this in the past, and really felt it helped. Actually, next creatine it was probably the most effective supplement. For me that is. I know some people say it is a waste of money. But even if the effect is psychological, I feel better on it. So that's good enough for me. :nod:

Update for 13th October

Yesterday was a great workout, and today, my legs dont have the energy to walk ! Its not DOMS (they will kick in tomorrow), but almost like ive sapped all the energy from my legs, they literally have nothing left to give. Awsome. I also did abs yesterday, and that went great to !!! :D Really intense, really pushing myself, i felt like every rep counted, i could feel my legs getting stronger. Maybe i AM starting to like legs. Maybe... ;)

Dietwise, all was perfect up until my evening meal, which i didnt have. My intention was to go home before i went to my GF's house, but i didnt have the time, so it was missed. No biggie, im having it for lunch today, and i was up on the cals, and PWO was all good. It dont stress me none. :cool:

Workout: Squats, Deads, ham curls, Quad kicks (started them again), calf raises (standing), calf raises (seated 45 degree).

cable crunchs, decline situps with Medicine ball, my special ab routine. Core stability.

Diet: As example except...

11am - tin tuna with fresh toms

1pm - 1 brown baggette with chicken breast and salad

No evening meal.

Pre bed - 3 weetabix with 1/2 pint milk.


I love bulking, im feeling WELL up for back and bi's tonight !!! :tu:


Doug - I dont get nearly enough sleep. 7 hours maybe. And whats HMB ?

Well it's Thurdsay and weighed myself -156lbs.

That's the same as last week, however, not worrying too much at the moment as this is early days and I am doing a nice slow clean bulk. Looking at the mirror though, things are beginning to beef up, especially upper traps, pecs and biceps.

Did Legs last night and feeling it this morning and chest still hurts from Monday, but seem to have bags of energy for the workouts!! I even went for a run a couple of hours after the workout to help a mate, which was hard work and wont do that again. No workout today, just enjoying the muscle growth as I sit here!!! :nod:

Diet for Wed was:

Breakfast:Scrambled eggs with toasted pumpernickle bread.
no mid morning meal -oops except a banana
Lunch: Baked Potato with Tuna
Mid Afternoon: Cottage cheese
5.30pm Brown rice with peppers and toms (Rissotto) with quorn pieces :drool:
Workout 7.00pm with Banana pre work out
9.00pm Run
9.30pm 2 bowls of Oats with honey and milk and some peanut butter

Check in tomorrow


HIIT MAN

And whats HMB ?

It's a supplement that I did a bunch of research on a while ago, so I might not have all my facts straight. I did a few quick searches, so I will post what I found really quick. HMB stands for beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (a metabolite of the amino acid leucine). It's found naturally in some foods (catfish, alfalfa). Studies have shown that it performs muscle tissue synthesis and directly inhibits the catabolism of muscle proteins in response to exercise. Basically this means that it can prevent muscle breakdown as well as speed up muscle tissue repair after workouts. It can also help to reduce cholesterol by helping to maintain cholesterol synthesis.

I think it was talked about more several years ago, and a lot of people were turned off because of the price. Also, there seem to be a lot of conflicting studies. Some praise it, some say it's worthless. But like I said (whether it's psychological or not, I don't know) it seemed to work for me.

Oh, and as far as I read, no known side effects.

I take 3g before workouts and 4-5g before bed. I get 120 capsules (1g each) for about $20. That lasts about 2-3 weeks. I also remember reading that you need to supplement for 45 days before you really start to feel the effects. That's a long time for a supplement. So maybe some people were giving up before then.

Who knows, I like it, so I guess that's all that matters. I've wasted plenty of money on worse things. :nod:

Update for Thursday 15th / Friday 16th October

Yesterday was back day, and it was HARD WORK !!! Really had to focus and push it to get all my lifts done. That is until i started biceps, then i was on fire. I felt like i could have gone on training them all night, and even later in the evening, i couldnt help but feel that i wanted to hit the biceps again. Ive had some good arm workouts thus far on the bulk, i hope the big compound days catch up soon.

I have decided not to go to the gym tonight. I have a rugby match tomorrow and at the moment my quads are on fire from hitting them with extentions for the first time in months, my back is stiff, and i dont want to be sore for tomorrow. A number of first team players will be playing for us (the second team), so if i impress, word will hopefully get around. And even though going to the gym is important to me, i need to prioritise tomorrows match. Not bottling it, its not a lack of energy, id LOVE to go hit the delts tonight. But tomorrows match is more important. If im not too sore, i may get it in sunday. In future this wont matter, as normally i go mondays, but couldnt this week.

The weekend is nearly here, which means time to eat takeaway, drink some beers and chill out. Cant wait. Been a good week, but disruptive, and i look forward to next week when i can get back to my normal routine.

And guys... Monday marks 2 weeks into the bulk. And that mean Pics !!! :D

Have a good one guys !

Speaking of pics, Reno, I meant to ask you about yours. It appears you have some direct overhead lighting, which really help to bring out muscle definition. Are you just standing under an overhead light, or is it something you set up for pics. Also, are you using manual settings on your camera (aperture/shutter speed settings) or is it just an automatic setting?

Hopefully I can put up some less-hairy pics on Monday. I'm gonna work on the hair removal this weekend. Not really looking forward to it for some reason. :confused:

Well lads,

My legs hurt so much today, I look like I am walking about having messed myself. :spaz:

No workout Thursday ( day off)and have a meeting tonight so no workout again! :d_eek:

So wiill fit in a session this weekend. I think I will follow Reno's schedule and drop one muscle group to every other week. As my chest and tris got such a good workout this week, Ill skip Shoulder and traps and do back and Bi's.

Diet is on course. Looking good

Have a great weekend.

Happy shaving Doug, mind you dont slip and get the undercarriage. LOL

:o


HIIT MAN

Update for Thursday 15th / Friday 16th October

Yesterday was back day, and it was HARD WORK !!! Really had to focus and push it to get all my lifts done. That is until i started biceps, then i was on fire. I felt like i could have gone on training them all night, and even later in the evening, i couldnt help but feel that i wanted to hit the biceps again. Ive had some good arm workouts thus far on the bulk, i hope the big compound days catch up soon.

I have decided not to go to the gym tonight. I have a rugby match tomorrow and at the moment my quads are on fire from hitting them with extentions for the first time in months, my back is stiff, and i dont want to be sore for tomorrow. A number of first team players will be playing for us (the second team), so if i impress, word will hopefully get around. And even though going to the gym is important to me, i need to prioritise tomorrows match. Not bottling it, its not a lack of energy, id LOVE to go hit the delts tonight. But tomorrows match is more important. If im not too sore, i may get it in sunday. In future this wont matter, as normally i go mondays, but couldnt this week.

The weekend is nearly here, which means time to eat takeaway, drink some beers and chill out. Cant wait. Been a good week, but disruptive, and i look forward to next week when i can get back to my normal routine.

And guys... Monday marks 2 weeks into the bulk. And that mean Pics !!! :D

Have a good one guys !


so your not coming the gym tonight then!

Speaking of pics, Reno, I meant to ask you about yours. It appears you have some direct overhead lighting, which really help to bring out muscle definition. Are you just standing under an overhead light, or is it something you set up for pics. Also, are you using manual settings on your camera (aperture/shutter speed settings) or is it just an automatic setting?

I dont set anything up specially for the camera, although i choose to stand there as i know overhead light is the best light to see definition. I stand under the main celing light in my bedroom, just a normal bulb. I use the automatic setting, on self timer, with no flash.

With regards hair removal, i can recommend immac. Its easy as. :nod:

Well, here we are, another monday morning, work to do, hangovers to heal... god damn mondays !!! :mad:

I had a cracking weekend, went out for a meal with my girlfriend, then went out to a few bars with my friends saturday night. Had a blast. :tu:

Fitness wise, saturday was terrible. I eat hardly anything, played a full game of rugby on practically an empty stomach, and drank hardly any water. I will prioritise diet and water consumption on a saturday. Sunday is my day off, i cannot be having 2 cheat days. Lesson learned. :nod:

Rugby wise, we lost again. Oh, to win a match. :rolleyes:

If its ok with you guys, id prefer to move picture day to thursdays. I think monday is not a good basis for comparision, as you will have the excess of the weekend still showing, water weight etc, whereas by thursday, you should be in a "Natural state". What do u think ? (More asking doug really, as HIITMAN, you STILL have no pics !!! :eek: ) ;)

Tonight is shoulders day, and i cant wait. My routine should be back on track this week after what was a very disruptive week. A few people asked why i didnt get my workouts done first thing in the AM last week, to fit them in. The answer is that i am NOT a morning person, i dont function at all till about 11am, and the thought of doing 115kg deadlifts at 6.30 am makes me feel sick ! I dont know how people do it.

Today i pledged alligance to the forums and became a SILVER supporter. I am proud to at last be able to support the site that has done so much for me, and i would urge anyone to help out where ever possible. Donations start from very little, and im sure every little helps. :cool:

Well, happy monday people. Heres to stressless training, weight gaining, muscle pumping, iron thumping, heavy lifting, shape shifting, fat burning and corner turning !!! Peace. :cool:

I had a pretty good weekend as far as not cheating too much. I did have a few beers and a couple of snacks, but nothing major. My big 'cheat' was going to be Sunday when we were going to my parents house for dinner (nice big Italian meal, we're not Italian, but gotta love the food). Anyway, our car broke down about 5 minutes from home. Which is a good thing since it is an hour and a half drive. It was a lot easier getting a ride home from there then if we were half way to their house. :nod:

If its ok with you guys, id prefer to move picture day to thursdays. I think monday is not a good basis for comparision, as you will have the excess of the weekend still showing, water weight etc, whereas by thursday, you should be in a "Natural state". What do u think ? (More asking doug really, as HIITMAN, you STILL have no pics !!! :eek: ) ;)


Sounds good to me. I was thinking the same thing actually. The only problem for me is that my lifting day routine (which Thursday is back/biceps for me) is to workout, then put the kids to bed. I would take my pictures after this so that I don't have to listen to 4 kids making fun of me as I pose. :eek: :lol: This would show me in a much more 'pumped' state (than my first set of pictures). :flex:

So that was the weekend that was.

Managed to get the weights done Friday night. Did back and biceps. Spent only 35 mins but it was enough to let them know I aint no quitter.

No weights or cardio Sat or Sun. :o Diet, plenty of calories and about 50% of them not clean oops. When I was cutting I was so strict with myself, but bulking, mmm, its difficult to resist that other half of the Pringles tube!! :drool:

Still, not too detrimental on the pyhsique it seems. The break from the week's regime does me the power of good. I am keen to see what the end results are gonna be like. After that I am determined to get ripped up to shreds and maintain that. The thing is now that I've hit 40, I have to accept that I cant make the changes as quick or as much as I would wish. Oh , if only I had done this 20 years ago, Hey Reno, then you would have known competition.!!!

Still I am very proud of what I have accomplished and I consider that many men my age would be delighted to have my physique. Now I am not trying to be big headed here but I've decided on one very important point, and its this:

There is always a body out there that we wish we were more like. We want bigger biceps or broader shoulders etc or more defined Abs. I think that myself of course, but then I remind myself that there would be some out there who would like to have what I have and this is the point, I need to be and be happy with my body and genetics. I can improve them but ultimately I have to be happy with what I have accomplished. I spent many a month angst at what I wanted and no doubt some of it unattainable for me. I sometimes read between the lines of other threads,especially the younger ones amongst us, who, perhaps, at this time are striving for goals beyond their reach and the inevitable disappointment. So what I am trying to say is: I am never gonna have great legs for sure, but I can improve them but my upper body I am proud of and I can be happy at my accomplishments. yes MY accomplishments. :claplow:

Here endeth the lesson!

Gym tonight!

Pics working on it!!


HIIT MAN

Monday 18th Update

Well, yesterday was awsome !!! I had the best workout of my bulk so far, i lifted more on Arnold presses then i ever have, and generally felt strong and full of energy. This was the first workout ive had that ive really felt everything come together, the extra food, creatine, everything. Was totally stoked. :)

I also ate perfectly as well:-

8.15am - 3 egg omlette, 3 whites, 2 yolk. Cheese.

11am - 200g cottage cheese

1pm - 3 wholemeal rolls, 1 chicken breast, salad, low fat mayo

3.30pm - 50g brown rice, 1 tin tuna

4.45pm - 2 scoops whey and 50g maltodexrin

PWO - 2 scoops whey, grape juice, water, creatine, 50g dextrose

8pm - 1 turkey escalope in tortilla wrap with shredded cucumber, salsa and low fat garlic dip. :drool:


Seriously, yesterday was a great day. I hope its a sign of things to come.

Hope your getting on well to !

HIIT - Nice post. Totally agree. :nod:

Well Monday went tits up! -exercise wise

No Gym ,as I really needed to get to grips with some paper work at home and it just ate into the whole evening.

This morning (Tuesday) got up and did abs routine and press up routine. Felt a little better for that. Its funny, I look in the mirror and because I messed up a day's schedule, I expect to see a blob looking back. Anyway it wasn't the end of the world, as I was happy with the reflection LOL. So plan is a run tonight, not too far about 3 miles.
and Gym tomorrow and I am gonna join up the traps/sholders with tris and chest. :tu:

Overall, I am feeling on top of the world and full of energy. Reno sounds like he is going from strength to strength and I cant wait to see his update pics! ( I hear Reno screaming back.... "Where are yours?) :o

Hey, it will be worth the wait!! LOL :D


HIIT MAN

HIIT - My advice would be to fit your missed shoulders session into the Chest Tris session as you say, but add traps to the back and Bi's session. Chest, traps, delts and triceps is a bit much. Plus, traps and back combo works really well. Just my advice.

And speaking of pics..... ;)

Cheers Reno... Noted

Wow, sounds like both you guys are doing well with the bulk. I wish I could say the same for myself. I'm still trying to find the right diet (calorie total) to do this bulk. As of today I have gained 9.2 lbs (in a little over 2 weeks!). According to my measurements this is 6 lbs. of lean mass to about 3 lbs. of fat. Sounds great, but I am retaining a lot of water, probably due to the creatine, and I feel really bloated. Any resemblance of abs I had is now completely gone. And now that I have shaved (more on that below) it makes any fat gain much more noticeable.

My workouts are going ok, and I think I have gained some muscle. But, I think I will be dropping my calories even further (under 2000/day) until I stop gaining.

Oh, and someone please tell me WHY I shaved my body hair? :spaz:

If I need to shave this more than once a week I will NOT be sporting the clean shaven look. Can you say 'PAIN IN THE ASS'?! And by that, I don't mean I shaved there, either.

Shaving gets easier, so im told. I use Immac, you just rub it on, sit there for 10 mins, then scrape it off, then shower. Thats it !!! :)

With regards you weight gains, when you say LBM, i assume you mean everything that isnt fat, so include water in this total ? Are you lifting hard ? What i mean by that is, are you burning enough cals during the week ? Do you have cardio sessions ? These may help to keep the fat gains down. Sub 2000 bulking is pretty tricky to achieve id imagine.

Update for 19th October

Well, yesterday was a day off training. So i did some reading for my new job, watched liverpool play football (Soccer), then went to my Girlfriends for a bit, then went to the supermarket to pick up a few things. You get some funny looks when you buy 15 eggs, grape juice, potatos, ham and cottage cheese at midnight ! :D

Not really much more to report. I ate well. As of yesterday im upping the calories slightly. Yesterday, i had an extra protien shake, and today, i added an extra egg white to my omlette, and will have 2 chicken breasts later instead of one. While i am gaining mass, im not gaining much weight. Basically, i can eat quite a lot without gaining BF. So i want to ajust upwards until i feel ive got the right balance. More cals = more growth. I want to eat as much as possible without gaining BF. Still a slow bulk, but i feel theres some room for improvment.

Oh yes, and i got a new avatar today. Yes, that is me. Pre bulk at 8%. I love that picture, it makes me proud everytime i look at it, so its there as motivation. Hopefully, ill have a new one in a few months of me post bulk. We shall see...

I CANT WAIT FOR CHEST / TRI'S TONIGHT. Hopefully it will follow on from mondays session.

Take it easy and keep bulking guys. Updated pics hopefully tomorrow.

HIIT, i will NOT stop nagging, every day i will close my post with...

PICS !!!!

;)

Shaving gets easier, so im told. I use Immac, you just rub it on, sit there for 10 mins, then scrape it off, then shower. Thats it !!! :)

I don't think Immac is sold around here. I grabbed some Nair for men and might give that a try. I've heard some horror stories about leaving it on too long though, and it burning the skin. Oh boy, sounds like fun! :p

With regards you weight gains, when you say LBM, i assume you mean everything that isnt fat, so include water in this total ? Are you lifting hard ? What i mean by that is, are you burning enough cals during the week ? Do you have cardio sessions ? These may help to keep the fat gains down. Sub 2000 bulking is pretty tricky to achieve id imagine.

Perfect assessment of my situation. My main problem is sleep, or lack of. I am getting plenty of calories (and at the right times) to power my workouts. I am just so tired from lack of sleep, it really kills my energy. I also have not been doing any cardio for the same reason.

Must...get...sleep...

HIIT MAN _

PICS !!!

PICS !!!

WE WANT PICS !!!!

:p

Hey Ab Guy,

Have you been talking to Reno? Look guys, I will endeavour to get Pics on this thread within one week. :tucool:


HIIT MAN

Hey Ab Guy,

Have you been talking to Reno? Look guys, I will endeavour to get Pics on this thread within one week. :tucool:


HIIT MAN


Ill quote you on that ! ;)

Update Wednesday 20th 2004

Well, yesterdays chest and tris day was great ! I got a PB on Incline DB presses, and matched my own PB on the bench press !!! :cool:

Lifting on a bulk is the best. You dont realise how much a deficit is affecting your ability to lift. I have, this week, moved up the weights on two excersizes that previously have been at the same weight for months. Thats progress, and im VERY pleased. Im also loving the creatine pumps im getting. Its all good.

Got a busy weekend coming up, lots to do, but i MUST make sure i eat well saturday, and at least keep the cals high on sunday, though they will not be the cleanest. ;)

Im going to TRY and get my pics up later tonight. Unpumped, as tonight is a night off the gym. But my befores were unpumped, so thats good.

Hope all is well with you guys. Take it easy.

Hiya All,

Looks like I need to get on and buy a digital Camera :claplow:

AGAIN, things went bellies up regarding workout. Just couldn't get to the gym.

Still I was not going to be defeated and did a workout at home of shoulders and traps. Not the best I have ever done but better than nothing I suppose. :d_mad:

Weigh in this morning 156 lbs more or less the same as last week, I wonder if I am not taking enough calories? I really struggle to eat more, it's as much as a pyschological one than physical.

I wonder if my metabolism is cranked up a bit and I am burning/bulking at the same rate and therefore maintaining, or will things start to kick in shortly. I am tomorrow, sorting out some Casein and whey/soy protein to give me an extra supply of cals and protein of course.

I have read so much on pre/post work out meals I get a little confused. Still I figure this is what I am going to do.

Morning after breakfast or mid morning I am going to have a Casein shake, plenty of time to absorb into my body during day. I cant workout til after my evening meal about 8.00pm, post 2 hours my main meal, which will be usually meat, fish and pasta or steamed veggies so a banana only PRE W/O then Post W/O, a whey/soy protein drink, with some oatmeal and honey or fruit. Then some cottage cheese or tuna or oatmeal before bedtime. Any suggestions about which carbs post workout? as this seems to be the bit I get confused about. I am looking for sources from foods rather than supps.

Anyway, no workouts today, but early cardio tomorrow and then an old mate I haven't seen for 11 years is coming to stay for the weekend and til Tuesday, so I see lots of Cals consumed, non of em clean (well a lot of them), very little physical activity. :( .

Although my mate is/was a body builder, he is recovering from a serious accident, so I cant encourage him to go to the gym. :db:

I shall speak to you guys again tomorrow.


HIIT MAN

Hey Ab Guy,

Have you been talking to Reno? Look guys, I will endeavour to get Pics on this thread within one week. :tucool:


HIIT MAN


The suspense is killin' me....

The illusive HIIT MAN unmasked..

Your patience will be well rewarded!!!!! ;)

Congrats all around in your progress so far!

Doug- it takes a bit for your skin to get used to the hair being taken off :) You'll find something that works well for you. You'll also find a diet that works well for you too!

Reno- Dude, I cant imagine you getting any bigger or more ripped. You're going to be huge! Congrats on breaking your plateaus. Its great to smash your old records!

Hiit man- Lets see some PICS!!! Just go to walmart (or wherever) and get a digital camera. :D (What? Not in your car yet? go!!) Lets see your progress! I think the whole JSF community is wondering where & when we'll see the hiitman revealed!

2 Weeks bulking - New photos

Left hand photos are befores, right hand photos are todays !!!

Comments


The pics arent ideal, as they are slightly different poses, especially the back one, which is less spread on the new photo. Only slightly though. Cant be arsed setting the camera up again, so they will have to do. ;)

Well, im happy, as i can see a difference, even after only 2 weeks. The shoulders and arms are filling out nicely. I tipped the scales 4lbs heavier then 2 weeks ago, so im gaining at a nice slow rate. Despite cycling creatine, i dont seem to have gained lots of water weight. Infact, water retention has never been a problem for me, perhaps because of the 4 cups of strong black coffee i drink every day ! :D

I checked these against my previous bulk photos, and while i look bigger on those then these, i have far less BF, plus then i weighed 6lbs heavier then i am now ! Mostly fat i guess. Id rather just keep upping the Lean Mass, and keeping BF levels low. The abs are slightly blurry compared with the previous photo, expecially when unflexed. But then if your gonna bulk from 8% BF, then its to be expected. I dont mind, it doesnt bother me. :cool:

Well, what do you think ? Cant wait to see your progress.

Laters

Well, what do you think ?

I think I hate you. :p

You look awesome man! I would pay a lot of money to have that body right now. haha

Karate.. I would have to agree with you :p We are all green with envy!

What do you think ?

Excellent !! You're starting to look scary.

You sure are raising the bar for all of us. Nice work.

I'm also jealous of how little bf you gained. My abs were the first to go..

Thanks guys. :o

It really helps to know i have people checking in and keeping an eye on the journal. And it also helps to hear good comments. Thanks. :)

All I can is WOW!

Awesome job Reno. I see huge increases in shoulders, biceps, traps, and even your neck looks bigger. Talk about inspiration. I will be hitting the weights harder than ever tonight for sure. So, thanks for posting those.

I guess I am 5 to 6 hours behind you guys (I'm still at work) so I will be posting some updated pics later. Just don't expect changes quite like yours.

And since everyone else is doing it, I might as well too...

HIIT, WHERE ARE THOSE PICS?

Reno, that is some unbelievable progress! I definitely see the most progress in your shoulders and arms. On top of that, those veins in your delts make you look superhuman. AWESOME!

So here's an updated pic. I really think my abs are doing well ... :D

Anyway... these pics were taken about an hour after lifting, so I am more pumped than my first set. So, if you take that away, I don't see too much change. The lighting is slightly different, so it's hard to tell. I have gained 8 lbs. so far. I think it is mostly (all?) water, as I seem to retain a lot of water on creatine. I probably lost about 2 lbs worth of hair, so that somewhat offsets the gain. :lol:

I think I will continue to take pics on Thursdays after lifting so that I can get a better (pumped) comparison every 2 weeks. The only other thing I could do is take pics on Wed. (my day off) to get an unpumped comparison.

Reno,

You look incredible. If I were a woman, I would want your babies HA HA HA !!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

HIIT MAN

Doug - How can you not notice a difference ???!!!??? Have you seen your arms ? And traps ? But most noticable is your back. Its definatly BIGGER !!! Come on, i see great changes already, and it hasnt been that long. And i also dont see that much BF gain, from where you started. :nod:

Your flexed pic shows LOTS off mass on you. Keep doing what your doing and build up more, then when the challenge is done, its 10% time !!! :tu:

Reno,

You look incredible. If I were a woman, I would want your babies HA HA HA !!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

HIIT MAN


:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

__________________
Feb. 9, 2004: 250.0 lbs - 36.0% BF
Current: 165.8 lbs - 16.4% BF


Wow !! I've been following your progress for some time, but I guess I never noticed just how far you've come.. Amazing progress !!

Your arms are looking super !

Keep it up . :tu:

Doug- Wow.. your arms have gotten a lot bigger since you started! You'll be awesome when you finish your 'challenge'!! Nice work!

Thanks for all the comments. That really helps a lot to keep the motivation up.

I think this weekend I'm going to work up a plan to step it up a few notches. In particular, get more sleep, start up the cardio (haven't done ANY cardio for about 2 to 3 months), oh and LIFT HEAVY. :nod:

I have learned one thing on this bulk for sure. And that is, cutting is sooooooo much easier than bulking (for me anyway). When cutting, doing less can actually help you, but when bulking, you really have do MORE, MORE, MORE. More lifting, more eating, more sleep. Ugh. :p

Have a great Friday!

Doug, I notice a huge difference as well. You've got more definition in your delts and arms and your lats are looking bigger for sure. Awesome work!

Ok, so I've set up some goals I would like to achieve, at least for the near-term. Hopefully I can make them a part of my everyday life.

Goal #1 - Get at least 8 hours of sleep.

This is a tough one for me. I don't have much spare time, but I do fit in an hour or more of TV each night. So I have decided to start recording what I watch at night, and just watch it in the morning while doing cardio. Which brings me to goal #2.

Goal #2 - Do cardio workout at least 3 times per week.

I am gaining weight too fast (11.4 lbs in 3 weeks). Hopefully this will slow the rate of gain (at least the fat part). Question: What harm (if any) would I be doing if I were to do cardio every day while bulking? I do @ 45 min. medium intensity on an elliptical.

Goal #3 - Increase weight at every workout.

This might not be attainable, but if I set the goal I will at least attempt it. And for me that's usually half the battle.

I will be updating my level of success here in order to keep myself accountable. :tu:

Awesome work Doug!! I always do cardio but I keep my sessions to 30 minutes or less at higher intensity levels. Good luck!

Well, the weekend was a complete wash out as far as fitness goes. Saturday i didnt eat too badly calories wise, but still wasnt a proper bulking day food wise. My rugby match was cancelled, meaning 1 less cardio session. The saturday night came, and i was out drinking till 4am, then woke up at 845am and could not get back to sleep. I hardly ate a thing all day, and then today i felt soooo tired, that i couldnt face the gym. Ok, so i can make up the session later in the week, but these missed mondays due to partying hard on saturdays are a real problem, and one which i need to address if im serious about my goals. Im not saying im going to stop going out. But i cant go on missing mondays. My time is limited as it is, without being this tired on a monday.

The thing with this journal / challenge is that it forces me to assess my situation and critisize myself. It makes me 100% accountable, and thats a good thing. So from now, im going to make an effort to improve mondays. :nod:

Doug - Doing cardio everyday should pose no problem to your bulking goals, providing you have a good 8 hours between cardio and weights sessions, and also you dont force your body to feed off the muscle by doing too intense work with limited fuel in your body. Remember theres only so much fat your body can burn, finding a state of pure liposis is hard to do. With regards upping your weights every workout, this may be risky, as you may force yourself to go heavier, when really you shouldnt, and thus injure yourself. What i always do is lift the first set on the weight i used last session. Then i ask myself, "could i have lifted more ? Was that too easy" If the answer is yes, then i go for it, but im honest with myself. If i aint ready, ill not attempt it. Ill maybe increase the amount of weight a body part lifts every 4 weeks or so. That being said, if your relativly new to lifting, you can make more frequent increases, as muscle - brain communication becomes more responsive.

Take it easy guys.

Hey Everyone,

Its the big moment, The HIIT MAN REAVELED :claplow:

Its taken sometime to work out the Pics, attaching and sending. They are not the best pics, so I need to work on that too.

Like Reno, had a terrible weekend. My best man came to visit for a few days and I haven't seen him for 11 years, so as you can imagine, No weight training, one run on Tuesday night and too many wrong cals. :o

So feeling fat, unfit and lethargic ,and I think the pics show it.

So it's a kick start tomorrow and new updates next week, hopefully looking better.


HIIT MAN

:claplow: :claplow: :claplow: :claplow: :claplow: :claplow: :claplow: :claplow: :claplow: :claplow:

Hey HIIT MAN, the pics look good. I was starting to think you didn't really exist. Did you borrow a camera, or is it yours? Meaning, are you going to be able to post updated pics along the way?

I have been working on my new goals, but not succeeding all the time. My workouts are much more intense, and I am increasing weight almost everywhere. That's the good news. The bad news is that I have not done even 1 cardio workout, and I am only averaging about 7 hours of sleep. These 2 are battling (cardio vs. sleep). If I get more sleep, I don't have time in the morning for cardio. If I get up earlier to do cardio, I cut my sleep short. The answer is to get to bed earlier, but that is proving to be difficult. But I will figure it out somehow. :nod:

Well, Its Friday and the weekend is fast approaching.

I am not going down the same road as last week and I am determined to eat right and pump some iron. In fact as I've not lifted at all this week, :( I am going to the gym tonight and doing a full body workout with a couple of exercises per muscle group and then heading to get my act together from next week.

Looking to see where I can get some decent pics done for all future pics updates, want to find better lighting and somewhere a bit more private then the work's kitchen!!!! :o


Diet generall y is good, and I have decided to add a Casein drink mid morning for some slow release protein and Whey Post workout, I realize I need all the help to get this bulk going.


Have a great weekend lads



HIIT MAN

Darn if I can't get that cardio in. :mad: Something comes up every night, and I end up getting to bed late. This weekend for sure!!

Had a great back/biceps workout last night. I really feel some mass coming on. It's a great feeling. Lately I have been getting into a zone when working out, and it makes for a much more intense session.

My wife made some pumpkin pie yesterday, and I couldn't resist having a piece (ok, two). It was awesome. Oh well, I'm bulking right? What's a few extra calories?

Shoulders/traps tonight!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Get some rest, I know I need it. :nod:

More comments to come over the weekend lads, but just a quick note to say well done thus far, have a good weekend, and heres to next week being easier and more productive.

Get some rest ? Darn right ! ;)

Well another weekend and I was well behaved.

Why?, because I was fighting off a 24/48 hr cold that tends to grab me once a yr. I usually dont get more than 1 cold a yr, so hopefully this will be the only one this Winter.

It did mean though, I didn't get to the gym on Friday, :( Did do a shoulder/trap workout at home though.
Didn't eat much on Saturday,as I was totally without appetite. Sunday was better , felt better towards evening and went out to a party and ate too much pizza,!!! So I count that as one cheat meal.

So back to Monday, and although a little under the weather, I am determined to get up back on track. Gym tonight. Chest and tris as they missed out last week. I guess I will have to view the last week as a maintainace week and get back on track from today. My abs have started to get a little bit more defined again, so I think that I must have lost some fat/weight with the lack of food this weekend. Although I have set my goals on the Bulk, I must admit Cutting phase 2 in January , is something I am really looking forward too.

These extra cals are hard to keep up with, although the casein and whey are helping.

Nothing else to report but am checking out some places around the home trying to find best place to take pics for the next update.

Keep on Bulking!!



HIIT MAN

In the last 2 weeks, my workout plan has all but disappeared. I have kept rugby training, but weights training has taken a back burner in the last fortnight, and that is the first time i have let that happen since i started my transformation. Yes ive had time off, rest weeks, holidays etc, but they were all planned. This 2 week break was not planned, and thats why im not happy about. Ok, so a lot of stuff has been going on. Ive been working very hard to tie up loose ends and train up new staff for when i start my new job and thus leave my old position. I have been reading up on the area of law i am to work in, and admittedly that has to have been a priority. Couple that with failing to be selected for the first team, despite feeling i should have been, a works night out midweek, and 2 weekends of too much beer, and what you have is a whole bunch of reasons as to why weight training has become non-existent in my life. But what you also have is a whole bunch of excuses. And im not one to make excuses. Weight training has always been my priority, and i will NOT let that slip. 2 weeks off the wagon is enough, its time to get back on board and get going.

No damage has been done, i am no fatter, no leaner, no bigger, no smaller then 2 weeks ago. The good work i had done on the bulk thus far is still evident, but i havent progressed any. The one good thing is that i have been watching my diet and keeping it at maintainance, and because i know my body so well, i have limited any damage that might well have occured.

So today marks the RE-start of the bulk. Ive given you guys a chance, a 2 week head start if you like. ;) (just kidding guys). Today marks the day i get back to it and dont let anything come between me and my goals. Serious bulking time from here on in, no excuses, no reasons, no nothing.

I have made a good start, all food is prepped and with me, tonight will be legs, i didnt get drunk at the weekend, i ate perfectly and to top it all off, not only did we win our rugby match (woo hoo, about time!), but i found out that i WAS due for selection to make my first team debut, but it was discovered i was NOT league registered, and so couldnt be picked. If i played, it could have cost us league points. So i guess although i have failed my goals weight lifting wise, i have moved a lot nearer my rugby goal of making my first team debut. So all is not lost.

Im back baby, ready to lift big, get big, gain some weight and generally throw the iron about once again.

Its good to be back !
:)

HIIT -

Well, at last i have time to take a proper look at your pics.

I have to say, your rear delts are superb. Easily your most noticable body part. Id be interested to know what excersizes you do for them, as personally i feel im lacking a bit in this area.

Shoulders as a whole are looking big, as are arms. And your traps are well proportioned. :nod:

Can i ask, do you do deadlifts ?

Looking great. Dont worry about minor fat gains, its worth it for the mass you'll add, and then when you cut up again, you'll look great.

And i wouldnt say you look your age. :) Top draw m8 !

Thanks Reno fo your comments,

When Reno describes one of your muscle groups as superb, I take that as one of the greatest of compliments!! :bow: ( I have been inspired to reach for greater things)

I am not sure that I can Isolate any particular exercise for rear delts but my usual routine for traps and shoulders are: Lateral Side Raises (generally first)
Shoulder presses(dumbell) upright rows, (either dumbell or barbell), standing scarecrows - (a real killer and you dont need too heavy a weight, and I guess this may be the exercise that helps the most) dumbell shrugs,( as heavy as I can and till I burn) :mad:

I dont know if bent over rows have any roll to play on rear delts when doing back exercises.

Also, when I do dumbell flyes for Chest, I concentrating on squeezing shoulder blades together when arms are down and slighlty below the bench and concentrating on squeezing chest muscles when at top of lift (arms above). I must say that I have always concentrated on form and really slow on lowering weights, nothing rushed.

I hope that helps, I think I may go away and study up muscle pysiology and little more.


HIIT MAN

Whats a scarecrow, and a upright row ? Not too hot on names ? Can u link to them on exdr ?

And deadlifts ?

Here's a demo of an upright row, still searching for a scarecrow

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article/0,2823,s1-1-0-0-152,00.html


HIIT MAN

PS maybe also bent over rows, also on link

Well, I managed to get in a few minutes of cardio this weekend. But, I literally mean, a few minutes. Nothing substantial. I did however average about 8 hours of sleep each night, so I feel more rested and ready to hit the weights hard this week.

We now have TONS of Halloween candy around the house. I had a bunch of it yesterday, and I don't feel too good about it. Weighed 77kg (170.4 lbs) this morning. Yikes. So I am up about 5kg (12 lbs) since starting this bulk. In a way I am glad I never had visible abs. I don't have to watch them dissappear. :D

Otherwise my diet has been pretty good. Not the cleanest, and not enough protein. I have trouble keeping up with preparing all the food.

and here's the scarecrow:
http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/workout/30?page=2

I can feel the pain now!!


HIIT MAN

Cheers for the links !

I used to do upright rows, but they hurt my elbows.

I will try scarecrows ! They look cool.

Deadlifts ?

Reno,


you can do a more advanced version on an incline bench:

http://www.menshealthsa.co.za/story.php?sec=this_month&curl=Total-body_workout_v20A.html

Scroll down to see demo:

Believe me you dont need heavy weights for this one and if you keep the form, you wont do too many. :eek:


HIIT MAN

Reno,

I must admit I have only just started to do Deadlifts! especially having neglected legs for soooo long!

Why do you ask?


HIIT MAN

That scarecrow exercise is nothing but a rotator cuff movement. Great for shoulder health but not really a mass builder.

Hi Everyone,

Well, The beginning of the week has gone as planned and hopefully an indicator of the weeks ahead.

Diet was on target and using Casein and whey to get the extra protein and some cals.

WorKout at Gym was Chest and tri's. Really good workout and feeling good today. Full of energy, chest and arms feel rock hard and I have lots of positive thoughts about the schedule and routine and progress. Such a relief after last week's dip. !!!!! Love days like this.


HIIT MAN

Well, yesterday was spot on for me as well. A grueling leg session, upped my squats by an extra 5kg, my stiff leg deadlifts were the best yet. Ive found the trick is to drive your heels into the floor on the lift, rather then shifting the weight to your toes. I read this yesterday, and put it into use last night, and could really feel it on my hams. Upped the weight to 120kg's ! Owch ! :tu:

I am also feeling positive about the week ahead. I think ive cut some BF last week, due to eating less then bulking cals. Seems like a kind of ABCDE diet at the moment. Lets see how the mass adds on this week.

Rugby training tonight, cant wait for that. Has been going well recently.

HIITMAN - The reason i asked on the deadlift front is that i think they would benefit your back greatly. They are the BEST excersize for shaping your back and bringing out all the supportive muscles as well as lats, traps, lower back, rhomboids etc etc. I hope its proper ones your doing, not the stiff leg kind. Dont get me wrong, i do both, and stiff leg is awsome for hams, but you need proper ones for back on back day. Im glad youve started to do them. I think you'll find them very beneficial to your overall shape. :nod:

Doug - How you getting on this week ?

Things are going ok for me. Not as good as last week though. The weekends candy has caught up with me, in the form of fat. It has gone directly to my midsection, where it always goes first. I am trying to keep calm about it. It’s just hard putting on fat that I worked so hard to take off. I know that cardio will help. But, if I can’t work it into my schedule, then I think I will have to cut back my expectations for this bulk, and reduce my calorie intake.

In other news, I have now officially outgrown my home lifting equipment. It never was all that great to begin with. <confession>I don’t even have a bench! :eek: </confession> The problem is that I will need to do some pretty good convincing of my wife in order to put money into it. She knows how important it is to me, but things are pretty tight these days. I think $500 would do it. That would get me a bench, a ‘short’ rack (my basement ceiling is low), some more free weights, and a bar. And this would be buying pretty cheap stuff. I don’t even know if I could get all that for $500.

Wish me luck!

hey reno a man of my own love :jumping: :claphigh: (RUGBY) :claphigh: :jumping:

what position do you play by your physique and your quest for speed i think you play on the flank or half back, or possibly on the wing.
who do you play for, are you playing for a club or uni. i don't know much about rugby in england other than i played against (Colston's)? college or something similar.

in this bulking challenge are you doing specific exercises for rugby (strength, speed) or are you doing exercises for aesthetics.

~v

I play on the wing, no way big enough to be a forward and i cant kick well enough to be a stand off ! :lol:

My training is very much geared towards rugby, but i admit a big part of my motivation is how i look. If i was training purely for looks, i would do higher reps (6-8 range) and heavily limit the intensity of my cardio. But because of rugby, i have 1 training session and one match a week, plus i do reps in the lower range of 4-6 to help build strength rather then just focussing on mass. I do each rep explosive as well. Im sure that my bulk would be more sucessfull if i didnt play rugby, i would have more time for the gym as well for one, but having said that it does keep the BF down, and i am gaining muscle slowly, plus i enjoy it a lot, so its a good thing.

I play on the wing, no way big enough to be a forward and i cant kick well enough to be a stand off ! :lol:

i must admit i thought wing first but you got broad shoulders and you look like you have a powerful chest which was why i thought you might play openside flanker (fetcher(7)). i didn't mean fly half(10) as half back i meant scrum half (9) not sure what you call it, the names seem to vary all over the world. in oz fly half is called five eighth how the hell do they come up with that. Aussie logic :rolleyes:

yeah i was wondering about explosive lifting.
keep us posted on match results and personal tally.

~v

It's been a little over a week that I have been working on my 3 goals, so I thought I would grade myself on my progress:

Goal #1: get 8 hours of sleep each night
Grade: F
Comments: I am getting about 6 hours :(

Goal #2: add cardio
Grade: F
Comments: not getting enough sleep in order to get up earlier :(

Goal #3: increase lifting weight each workout
Grade: B
Comments: this is one thing I have been able to do :tu:

I won't lose sight of these goals because I feel they are the difference between an ok bulk and a great bulk.

Pics tomorrow. I better get the wide angle lens out. But not for the muscle, for my gut.

Well. Its Thursday all ready, where do the days go to?

Tuesday was day off and Wednesday, I had the day off work and workout didn't happen. I feel really annoyed with myself. I did go for a 3 mile run in the evening just to get some cardio done and blow away some cobwebs. However, I have tomorrow off, so I will definitley be working out in the morning and will fit one more workout over the weekend.

My weight this morning is 158lbs, so weight is creeping up very slowly. Having said that I feel like I am adding mass, I feel bigger and definitely notice the traps, shoulders and arms and chest getting bigger, in fact I have added an 1/4 inch to arms and chest! The one thing though is my waist has definitley thickened. I know Reno, you have told me not to worry about this too much, but I must admit I really want to stop the bulk and cut back now as all ab definition has just about disappeared and I feel like a bloater and look like it too, especially below the bellybutton. I HATE IT!!!! I seem to have a little bit of chest fat reappear on the left side of my left pec. Most annoying too.

Cut now or keep bulking?! A Dilemma. I know if I keep bulking and adding mass I can cut the fat later, but I dont know how I will look by January. I am very careful that the cals I have are as clean as possible. I am just amazed how quick my stomach has greeted the extras. Maybe my problem is that I have cut out Cardio to virtually nothing, instead of my usual 3/5 runs a week. I have been worried that too much cardio would prevent my mass build, but perhaps I have gone too far and need to keep some cardio than just the one or two runs a week.

I think I need to revaluate by Cardio routine.

Hope you lads are doing OK, when are you doing pic updates as I need to get them sorted. Is it today or next week? (Listen to the man, who neglected for weeks.Ha Ha :D )



HIIT MAN

People think that when bulking they need to have an EXCESS of calories. Cutting is a deficit, maintainance is your maintaince level and thus bulking needs an excess of calories. Bulking = Eating more. I dont buy into this. Bulking = Building LBM. Pure and simple. To build LBM, you must lift and have the fuel to lift, and recover and repair and grow, and have the fuel to do that. I think when bulking, you should aim for MAINTAINANCE. What ???????

Yup. And heres why. Now, i dont mean normal maintainance, as in taking in what you need to preserve the mass you have and not gain any BF. What im refering to is BULKING MAINTAINANCE.

Think to yourself why you are taking in extra cals while bulking ?

Keep thinking. Why eat more....

I can see two reasons.

To allow your body the extra energy to lift more and to give your body enough fuel to rebuild muscle. If you are able to do both of these things, then thats all the calories you need. Why take in any more then that ? I cant see a reason. And if you do take in more then that, you will gain fat. Because your eating more cals then your burning off. And if your body isnt making use of the extra calories you have got, again you will gain fat. The idea of a bulk is to take in more cals, but to BURN OFF MORE CALS AS WELL !!!!!!!!! Your taking in more energy, so that you have more energy to burn off more energy. If normal maintainance is 2400, then that means your buring off 2400 a day. What im saying is that if your going to take in 2900, then you have to burn off 2900. And by utilising the extra calories to help you lift more etc etc, then you will promote overload, which will promote muscle growth, which will expend the other cals. So if maintainance = taking in what you burn off then bulking = maintainance as well.

Taking the first reason for eating more, you have to make sure you are USING this extra energy you are taking in. If your doing the same level of work in the gym that you were on a cut, then why eat more ? No reason. You may push yourself just as much on a cut, but you can do more with more cals, lift more, push yourself that bit further, workout more etc. Look at your workouts and see whether your doing more, and thus making use of the extra calories you have. If your not, then why bother taking in those extra calories. If your not using them, they will just add fat.

Secondly comes mass building itself. Repair and growth. The extra cals you consume will help maximise growth. But for maximum growth, you need maximum overload. If your not overloading the muscles, they wont be prompted to grow, and so all the extra protien you just ate wont be used as well as it should. If your causing the same overload as you were on a cut, then why expect your muscles to need more cals to repair. Again it comes back to training harder. If you train harder, then you will maximise overload, which in turn will maximise growth, which will then require the extra cals your taking in.

Your problem isnt caused by the bulk itself. If your gaining fat, pure and simple, your either eating too much or not burning enough off. I assume you worked out (even roughly) what your bulking cals would be based on what your cutting deficit was. But your actually burning less cals now then you were on your cut, as you no longer run much! So already your math is out. So you can either start running again or eat less. Personally, id start running again. LBM wont suffer if your eating enough. Also, you need to make sure your hitting your workouts and not missing them. If you cant get to the gym, ajust your cals accordingly. Why eat more if your going to burn less ? If your not going to use the extra cals for lifting, and if your not lifting your not going to use the cals for repair and regrowth, then think to yourself, why bother eating more ?

If your gaining fat, your eating more then your buring off. You want to eat only what you need to give you enough energy at the gym to promote maximum overload on the muscles, and to repair and grow as much as possible. Maintainance. Eat more cals to allow yourself to burn more cals. Thats it. Dont eat more then you need to do that. There is no reason to make massive BF gains on a bulk. You will gain some, because finding the exact bulking maintainance level is impossible, and its better to be a BIT over then under. But so long as your around it, BF gains should be minimum.

Dont quit the bulk. Start running, lift as much as possible, make every rep count, push yourself, allow yourself time to recover, and if your STILL gaining BF gains, reduce your cals, because eating more then you need to maintain a bulking state is pointless.

Sorry for long post, but felt my theory would help both you and Doug. :tu:

Thanks Reno,

Very helpful and I think I may need to put in some extra cardio and assess cal intake esp. on non workout days.

Reno, awesome post. I had a post all ready to submit when I saw yours. I was just going to tell HIIT not to quit (hey, cool rhyme). :lol:

I know my problem is that I went into this bulk thinking, great, the holidays are coming, and I can eat anything I want. I think I was giving in to all the urges I have felt over the past 8 months. I have cheated more frequently, and also when not planned. That is a very dangerous thing to do, I know. Because I can easily slip into a pattern of bad eating.

As far as what you said about a bulk actually being a sort of maintenance, I never thought of it like that. But it makes perfect sense. I have increased the amount of calories I am burning by a lot, but I have increased my calorie intake even more. Hence my fat gain. I am ok with some fat gain because I actually enjoy cutting (I am already looking forward to cutting after this bulk). Cardio is the key