iRyan's Foot Clan Training

[iRyan2015]

Christmas is over, which means it's time to get back on track!

Current statistics: 

Male: age 24
Height: 5'7"
BW: 170 lbs.

Goals- Bodybuilding and physique building. Need a visual? Look below. AND LOOK AT MY SIGNATURE FOR BEFORE/AFTER PICS

From this 


To this.


Basically. LOL.

Current measurements during bulk cycle:

Chest/Back- 45"
Waist- 34"

Thighs- 23 1/4"
Calves- 15 1/4" 
Arms- 13 3/4"
Forearms- 11 1/4"
Shoulders- ? Need to remeasure when I get home tonight
Neck-? Need to remeasure.

Goals- statistically before cutting:

Chest/Back- 46"
Waist- 33"
Thighs- 25"
Calves- 16"
Arms- 15"
Forearms- 12 1/2"
Shoulders- 53"
Neck- ? Need to reevaluate

I will post my workouts tonight as well as PR's and 1RM's.

Ryan's Genetic Strengths:

I have massive legs and calves if you didn't catch that. Once weighing at 286lbs, imagine carrying that excess weight for all my life! I also come from a soldier backline, making legs even more impressive. Enduring is a gift for me.

Ryan's Weaknesses:

Back stability and arm growth. I have Scoliosis and Kyphosis, so my spine is naturally deformed. However, it has been a goal of mine to fix it, which is why my back is so broad now and my current deadlift 1RM is at 285 lbs [As of 12/27/14 It is now 300 lbs!] after only weight-training for 8 months (started April 10th, 2014 with a deadlift of 95 lbs and crap form) It is also the reason why I will never be able to do certain powerlifting moves, but that is okay because I can deadlift, squat, and overhead press, which is all I need.

Unlike the rest of me, my arms just WILL NOT GROW! Primarily my triceps and forearms. I will need help here.

Long term goals/Lifetime goals:

A quick history of me- ever since I was little, people have told me that "you can't do that". Not because it would get me in trouble, but because nobody ever had faith in me, which ultimately lead me to lack faith in myself from the age 7 til what it feels like some days right now. This adventure of mine has proven time and time again that not only CAN I, but so can others! I don't want anyone to experience what I went through, and that is my purpose for my journey here.

Supplements used:

Protein Powder (varies depending on what flavor I want ), Dark Matter post-workout recovery and growth supplement- helps drive nutrients to their designation quicker, Men's sports multivitamin, and varying pre-workouts. There are a few I switch between- ESP and Black Annis are awesome.

The multivitamin is the staple. Everything else can be replaced through food in my opinion.

[Devlin]

Looks good man, you got a training program in mind or food tracker you like?

Sent from my U8815 using Tapatalk 2

[iRyan2015]

Looks good man, you got a training program in mind or food tracker you like?

Sent from my U8815 using Tapatalk 2

Thank you! I do not have a specific program that I use only because I naturally drift away from it anyway. "programs" don't work for me because "programs" bore me! haha. I have however taken exercises, tips, tricks, and hints from programs such as rep ranges and momentum to kind of build my own thing, and I've found success from it. I just found out what works best for me and utilize it.

I record everything I eat by hand because I remember it easier for some reason, like how it made me feel an hour later (feel starving? bloated? Awesome? Destroying the world good? etc.) and it's macros and tally up the calories at end of the evening around 8pm. I know where I need to be at to grow, and if I fall short on it, I still have enough time to meet my requirements without midnight snacking. If I meet it and still have lots of time left before sleep, I'll usually snack on nothing but fibrous vegetables and "feel-full" veggies that offer almost no calories with some cottage cheese. Cucumbers are my favorite to snack on!

I will edit this post later tonight with an exact diet, my daily workout, and supplements used that I mentioned above.

EDIT: Now I can post this stuff! 

 

Diet- 12/27/14

Breakfast- 6:30-7:00am

2 jumbo eggs (5g fat/8g protein ea), double serving steel cut oats (5g fat, 54g carbs, 10g protein), 1 5oz banana (30g carbs).

Meal 2 @work- ~11am

7oz chicken breast (5.6g fat/40.25g protein) 1/2 cup frozen lima beans (20g carb, 8g protein) 2/3 cup frozen mixed veggies (11g carbs, 4g protein) 2 slices of 7-grain bread (1g fat/12.5g carbs/2g protein per slice)

Meal 3 @work- REPEAT OF MEAL 2 (yup...lol)

Meal 4 -pre-workout- 1 1/4 cup shredded wheat & bran cereal (48g carbs, 2g protein) 1/2 cup skin milk (6.5g carbs/4g protein) 5 oz banana (30g carbs) 1 scoop Quest protein shake (3g carbs/22g protein per serving)

Meal 5- post-workout 1- 1 1/2 scoops Quest protein shake (4.5g carbs, 33g protein), 3 oz white pasta(63g carbs, 6g protein), 1 scoop Dark Matter (25g carbs) **This is a post-workout recovery and growth supplement which I've seen great results from**

Meal 6- post workout meal 2- 1 cup cottage cheese low sodium (1g fat, 32g protein), small sandwich w/ 4 oz deli No Salt Added turkey breast (30g protein from meat and 2g fat, 25g carbs, 4g protein from bread)

Meal 7- midnight snack- Casein protein shake (25g protein).

 

Fat= 33.2g @ 9 calories each. (298.8 calories)- 9% calorie intake for those who go off of that (I don't personally but there it is anyway!)

Protein= 271.5g @ 4 calories each (1086 calories)- 36^ calorie intake

Carbs= 401g @4 calories each. (1604 calories)- 53% calorie intake 

Grand Total= 2988.8 calories... Also, just because I noticed it... 298.8 calories of fat and 2988.8 calories total. That will never happen again even if I tried, LOL.

Now, there's a reason why I eat that many grams of protein and not as many grams of fat. My fat-cell content is far higher than the average person since I used to be obese almost my entire life, which means that fat cells found in food stick with me much quicker than normal. The only foods that seem to not effect that are from fish, and any/all monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Otherwise, fat sticks with me. So I up the protein to compensate calorie wise.

The workout for tonight- Back/bi's. Skipped core due to time. Will do tomorrow with shoulders.

5 exercises: After warm-up

Bent over barbell rows. 4 sets- 1 set of 70lbs/12reps, 1 set of 90lbs/12 reps, 2 sets of 110lbs/8 reps.

-----super set with 3 sets of heavy barbell curls @3 reps of 75 lbs, 7 reps of 60 lbs, 12 reps of 60 lbs.

Neutral Grip/T-bar grip Lat Pulldown. 4 sets- 1 set @85lbs/12 reps, 1 set @110 lbs/12 reps, 2 sets@ 135lbs/10 reps.

T-Bar Row- 3 heavy sets- 1 set of 135lbs/12 reps, 1 set of 180lbs@ 5 reps, immediately drop to 160lbs/10 reps.

Wide Grip Cable Pulley Row light weight- 3 sets all @ 15 reps- 80 lbs, 95 lbs, and 110 lbs w/ 30 second rest intervals

----super set with hyper extensions machine @ 110lb/20 reps ea.

Deadlifts- 4 sets, long rest period between the last set (3/5 minutes). 1 set @ 185/12 reps, 1 set @225/10 reps, 1 set @ 275lbs/3 reps, 1 set@ 300 lbs/1 rep [THIS WAS MY 2014 GOAL TO HIT, AND I DESTROYED IT TONIGHT!!!]

I've only been weight-training seriously for 8 months. I'll post some before/after pictures tomorrow because I'm lazy and I am ready for some sleeeeeeeep!

[iRyan2015]

Chest/tri's and core day! Shoulders were a little stiff, so that will come Tuesday instead.

I generally warm-up with some push-ups and cable fly's, but every time I hit any press movements, my elbows get stiff. This time I did a small super-set focusing on the triceps.

Warm-up: 3 set super set: Rope pulldowns @ 50 lbs/15 reps with reverse grip pulldowns @50lbs/15 reps. 20 seconds rest in between.

Exercise 1- Incline Dumbbell Press super set with dumbbell skull crushers- 4 sets.

Set 1 @ 30lbs/15 reps dumbbell press, 30 lbs/12 reps skull crusher.
Set 2 @ 45lbs/12 reps dumbbell press, 30 lbs/12 reps skull crusher.
Set 3 @ 55lbs/6 reps dumbbell press, 30 lbs/12 reps skull crusher.
Set 4 @ 55lbs/10 reps dumbbell press.

Exercise 2- Decline barbell press+ machine dips. 3 sets.

Set 1 @ 95lbs/15 reps decline press, 100 lbs machine dips/10 reps, sitting completely upright to focus on triceps.
Set 2 @ 115lbs/8 reps decline press, 120 lbs dips/10 reps.
Set 3 @ 95 lbs/15 reps decline press, 100 lbs dips/15 reps. (I didn't feel as much stimulation in my chest with the 2nd set, so went back down to 95 lbs, same with the dips).

Exercise 3- circuit flush set (quick, high-rep movements with very little rest)- Fly's+ incline machine press. 3 sets. Followed by a quick 1-arm assisted cable pulldown and bench dips (bodyweight)

All sets the same weight with 30 second rest between.

Set 1,2,3- Incline Machine Press @ 90 lbs/20 reps, cable fly's @ 115 lbs/25 reps. 
Set 1,2- 1 arm assisted pulldown- 12 reps/arm @ 15 lbs, super set with body-weight dips @ 15 reps.
NOTE** I say assisted 1-arm pulldowns. That may sound confusing. All I did was use my other arm to help keep my wrist and elbow straight when I couldn't do pull down anymore, and just gave the working arm some assistance to finish the set. It made the working arm incredibly blown up and taxed, so this will be used again)

Exercise 4- core- 2 set circuit set- Machine sit-ups+ decline bodyweight russian twists high volume+ hanging leg raise- all sets performed at the same weight/rep range when noted.

Set 1,2- Machine sit-ups @ 85 lbs/15 reps SLOW MOVEMENT DOWN. Body-weight twists rapid volume @ 60 reps, while holding abdomen extremely tight against gravity. Hanging leg Raises 15 reps, slow movement coming down.

Followed by 10 minutes of HIIT cardio on the treadmill @ 10 elevation- walk 5mph 1 minute, jog 7mph @ 1 minute, sprint @ 9mph 30 seconds. Repeat 4 times.

I didn't go as heavy today on chest and triceps;however, I felt like it was more successful than previously. I focused on keeping my back arched, which I've never done on chest movements to be honest, but I absolutely felt it work more in my chest than my shoulders in those pressing movements. 

I left feeling successful!

Today's Diet as of right this minute-

-Breakfast/pre-workout (9am)- 1 scoop Syntha 6 Protein Shake (6g fat, 11g carbs, 25g protein) 1 bowl Shredded Wheat and Bran (48g carbs, 2g protein), 1 cup skim milk (13g carbs, 8g protein) 1 5oz banana (30g carbs)

-Post-workout meal 1 (1145am)- 2 scoops Dark Matter (50g carbs), 1 serving white rice or 1/4 cup dry measure (35g carbs, 3g protein) 1 scoop Quest Protein Shake (3g carbs, 22g protein).

-Post-workout meal 2 (1:30pm)- Sandwich- (25g carbs [bread 2 slices], 28g protein [2oz No Salt Added deli turkey breast and 1/2 cup cottage cheese...on the sandwich vs. other cheese. Tastes awesome by the way!], and a ton of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions). I don't count many veggies' calories unless they are super dense in them (avocado, potatoes, squash, corn etc.) and Grilled asparagus** (see below)

-Meal 4- Still deciding. I am making black eyed peas as of right this minute, enough for 6 servings for the rest of the day. So probably 1/2 cup dry measure black eyed peas (46g carbs, 18g protein) with a grilled pork chop and large salad. EDIT: Skipped the beans, went for a sandwich...TODAY IS SANDWICH DAY LOL...Sooo, yup. 2 slices of bread+ 7 oz lean pork with mixed peppers/onions/the works [11g fat, 46g protein, 25g carb)

-Snack 5- 4 oz chicken (24g protein, 3.5g fat) 2 slices bread ( 2g fat, 25g carbs 4g protein), loaded with veggies.

Meal 6- 4 oz chicken sandwich w/ loaded veggies (27g protein, 25g carbs, 3.5g fat), 1/4 cup cottage cheese (8g protein, 1g carb).

--mini snack 1 1/2 hours later- Pizza Bread! (1 slice of bread, 2 TBS Italian Sausage Marinara, 1/2 cup cottage cheese- 17.5g carbs, 18g protein) [This I literally just BS and came up with on the spot, and it was honestly quite delicious. Low sodium too!

I'll tally this stuff up tomorrow as I need to get up for work in 4 hours lol.

** A tip on Asparagus- Asparagus helps fight against water retention. If you feel like you are carrying too much water weight, incorporate some asparagus into your daily diet. Don't need a lot either, just 1 cup a day should be enough. You can add more, but eating it every single meal is just overkill and won't help. It also is a powerful anti-oxidant, which is the reason why we urinate more and it tends to have an odor whenever we eat asparagus. In case you didn't, now you know!** 

[iRyan2015]

Holy crap today's work day was long! Glad that it's over. Time for legs tonight!! I am playing around with the weight a bit tonight, so I will post the reps I want to complete and add the weight used after. Switching some stuff up compared to a typical leg's day for me.

 

Exercise 1- Run the Rack 1-legged calf raises- LEFT LEG PRiMARY- 30 lbs and down til fail.
----Left leg only because my left calf is far smaller than my right, so the focus goes there instead.  

Exercise 2- 3 sets of Lying Leg Curls- 15, 20, 20 reps pre-exhaust  (65 lbs, 80 lbs, 95 lbs)
---super set with leg extensions -15, 20, 20 reps pre-exhaust. 30 seconds rest (95 lbs,110 lbs, 110 lbs)

Exercise 3- Weighted Lunges- Light- 4 sets 10 reps. (20 lb dumbbell w/snatch position overhead)

Exercise 4- V-squats- Heavy- 3 sets of 10, 12, 12 (180 lbs)
---super set with 3 sets of Hack Squats- Medium- 10,10,10. 45 second rest interval. (180 lbs)

Exercise 5- Good Mornings- Medium- 3 sets of 15 reps (60 lbs, 80 lbs, 80 lbs)

---super set with dumbbell sumo squats- 100 lbs- 20 reps, slow descendant, pause at the bottom, explosive ascent.

No stiff-legged deadlifts tonight. My lower back is still a bit taxed.
Bringing my left calf up a little and letting the right one take it a little easier this time.

I think tonight I will post a picture of me to show how I am coming along physically.  EDIT: I LIE BECAUSE BLOATED. Lol.

Daily Diet:

Breakfast: 830am- 3 jumbo eggs, 1 1/2 servings grits. (15g fat, 28.5g protein, 52.5g carbs) + 1/2 scoop protein shake (1.5g carbs, 11g protein)

Meal 2 & 3- 1130 am and 230 pm (all the same)- (6 oz chicken, 2 servings black eyed peas, 1 serving frozen mixed veggies w/corn, green peas, green beans, and carrots- (5.2g fat, 56g protein,57g carbs) x2

 

Meal 4- 530 pm (exact same as above, but with 5 oz chicken instead)- (4g fat, 50g protein 57g carbs)

Pre-workout-8pm (Protein Shake- 3g carbs, 22g protein)- Karbolic Sports Drink (50g carbs) 2 slices of bread (2g fat, 25g carbs, 4g protein)

Post-workout 1- 10pm: 10 oz white baked potato, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 scoop Dark Matter, 2 oz banana, 1/2 cup milk (106g carbs, 32g protein)

Post-workout 2:- ? (This will unfortunately be a very late night midnight snack, so it will be light- probably just a small sandwich. Not sure yet. 


Prior to post-workout meal 2- DAILY MACRO COUNT-  31.4g fat (282.6 calories), 406g carbs (1624 calories), 257.5g protein (1030 calories) =  2936.6 calories

[iRyan2015]

I stopped seeing some of those results of mine, which means it was time to change some stuff up!! I was busy all day today so there are many gaps in my usual 3-hour-ish meals, so I upped the calorie intake each meal to compensate. I am also intentionally adding more healthy fats into my diet this week instead of adding more carbs, such as olive oil, fish, and avocados. I believe my carb intake is perfect where it is right now since I am starting to lean out instead of bulk. That's how I determine when it's time to up the calories- when the diet bulks, to when it starts to only maintain, and then when the same diet starts making me lean. I stick with the same small calorie intervals until it maxes out. 

Breakfast/Pre-workout: 9 am- 3/4 serving white rice+ protein shake (24g protein 28g carbs)

Post- 1130 am- 2 servings white rice, 2 oz white pasta, protein shake, 1 cup mixed berries, 2 tall glasses of water- 3g fat, 130g carbs, 33g protein

Meal 3- ~1:45pm- 4 oz chicken, 1/2 TBS olive oil Syntha-6 protein shake 1 serving brown rice, 2/3 cup corn, 1/2 cup lima beans, 1oz berries, ( 18.5g fat, 94g carbs, 56g protein)

-mini snack of some yogurt at some point here- 8g carbs, 16g protein

Meal 4- 7pm- 6oz pork, 1 egg, 1 1/2 serving cream of rice, 1 oz berries, red onion. (45g protein, 15g fat, 61g carbs)

Meal 5- 10pm- 2 servings popcorn, syntha-6 shake, 1/2cup cottage cheese (61g carbs, 44g protein, 6g fat)
 

Meal 6- 1am this will be a midnight munch snack since I have to get up super early to train tomorrow. I don't know yet what I want here

TOTALS THUS FAR- 42.5g fat (382.5 calories) 382g carbs (1528 calories) 218g protein (872 calories)= 2782.5 calories 
...well I somehow need to add 200 calories into the equation, or somehow somewhere I missed writing something down and didn't catch it. I know my protein is a little shorter today compared to normal after looking at that number.... and now as I look at it, I did intentionally add that meal at like 1 am for Meal 6. So I take that back! I need to hit my numbers there. lol.

Today was tri's/chest day according to my 6-week challenge. Prioritize! Destroyed tri's today and left the chest a little disappointed. But I had been hitting chest hard lately, so today is a deloading day for chest.

Exercise 1- triple set- Skull Crushers, kickbacks, and.close-hand pushups 3 sets of 12 each. (Skull crushers= 40 lbs, kickbacks= 10 lbs.

Exercise 2- close-grip bench press- 4-sets of 12,12,8,8, til failure drop set. (Set 1- 105 lbs, Set 2- 105 lbs, Set 3- 125 lbs, Set 4- ALL TIL FAILURE- 105 lbs-85 lbs-65 lbs- 45 lbs (just the bar).

Exercise 3- triple set HT- My arms were a little tired by now given all exercises were free-weights, so kept it light and went for HT- bench dips+ cable push/pulldowns- 15-20 reps each. And I mean SUPER light weight.

Set 1- 40 lbs cable pushdowns 15 reps w/ slow hold @ contraction for 2 seconds, super-set with 40lbs pulldowns- 15 reps, super set with bench dips. 

Exercise 4- Machine Dips- heavy- 3 sets of 12- 2 45lb plates total. (NOTE TO SELF: this exercise ABSOLUTELY is a staple for me now. Worked everything perfectly and no strain to elbows)

My triceps have never been sore, so I'm wondering if I'm not hitting the muscles right or what. I took extreme care today and watching form and feeling the muscle work, not the elbow. They're growing, but never once have they been sore. If no results again, I will just skip chest/tris day entirely next week and let the entire region recover. 

Today I felt my diet timing was a little off, but the 3 biggest meals for the day were timed where they should have been, so the rest is recovery time. Today was good!

EDIT: Just had to pull something out from behind the counter and felt my arm just become super tense and sore. Same with the other arm. Yup! I think they'll be sore for the next few days lol

 

[iRyan2015]

Today was Hamstrings, calves, and lower back/obliques day.

Dropped the weight and worked more on the stretch today, and I certainly feel that it will take it's tole tomorrow! 

Exercise 1- Seated leg curls- 4 sets of 20, 15, 12, 12. @ 50 lbs, 65 lbs, 80 lbs, 80 lbs.

Exercise 2- Weighted Hyper-extensions super set w/ oblique plate raises:

Hyper extensions- 3 sets of 12 reps, 15 reps,12 reps @ body-weight, 25 lb plate, 45 lb plate.
Oblique plate side raise- 3 sets of 12 per side- 50 lb dumbbell 65 lb dumbbell, 75 lb dumbbell.

Exercise 3- Stiff-legged deadlifts. 4 sets of 15, 12, 12, 10 & drop set on 3rd. @ 95 lbs, 135 lbs, 185 lbs, 185 lbs drop set to 135 lbs for 15 reps.

Exercise 4- weighted lunges-  2 sets of 10 steps per leg @ 40 lb bar.

Today marks the first time at attempting weighted lunges given my bad knee, and I felt like my stamina was too low to complete too many vs. the knee itself. In fact the left knee/leg was the stronger one! I will need to do more cardio to do more of these I feel, but this workout really felt great on the hamstrings! 

Exercise 5- Seated calf raises triple set with bodyweight side-lunges and run the rack.

4 sets of 12, 15, 15, 20 with +90 lbs on seated for extremely slow movements with hold at the top for numerous seconds, followed by 15 lunges with feet moving INWARD vs. outward.

Run the rack after 4 sets all til fail or couldn't maintain proper form- 45 lb dumbbells for 20 reps, 40 lb dumbbells for 17 reps 35 lbs for 18 reps, 30 lbs for 14 reps, 25 lbs for 22 reps.

Today's workout was a little longer for me than normal, but I needed to really focus in on some weak points today. Upped my calorie intake 200 calories by incorporating more healthy fats. What my diet has been from listed previously is almost exactly the same way it was for today, except I added 2 oz avocado for my lunch (10g fat) and 2 TBS nut butter for my last meal of the day (10g fat) adding a grand total of + 180 calories in fat alone. I will play with this for a few days and watch what happens. I know I've been needing to up the calorie intake, so here's the first step!!!

DOING WELL ON MY 6-WEEK CHALLENGE! Added many more core movements this week already, as well as much more focus on forearms and arms in general. Only a few days into it, but already seeing some great results

[iRyan2015]

Shoulders day! Today felt off for some reason. Probably because I didn't get home until 5 am and woke up 4 hours later. Or I didn't really plan my workout that well (or at all) lol. More than likely a mix of the 2.

Exercise 1- dumb bell press- 5 sets of 12,10,12, 8 ,8 @ 35 lbs, 45 lbs, 50 lbs, 50 lbs, 55 lbs, 55 lbs.
---super set with machine shrugs- 5 sets of +90 lbs- 15 reps, 20 reps, 20 reps, 15 reps, 12 reps w/ hold at the top for 1+ second.

Exercise 2- Pulley rows- 3 sets of 15 @ 60 lbs.
---super set with cable lateral raises- 3 sets of 8@ 15 lbs,w/ slow return motion. BURNED SO MUCH!!

Exercise 3- 3 sets Triple Set: Smith Machine shrugs, Smith Machine rear delt raises, dumb bell side lateral raises.
 

--1) 15 reps@ 95 lbs

---2) 15 reps @ 95 lbs

----3) 20 reps @ 15 lb dumbbells, 3 second return, 1 second raise.

Today sucked. Won't lie, even though I was pushing myself mentally. Better planning on the workout next time for sure.

Diet- 

Meal 1- 5 am- Protein Shake (24g protein, 3g carb)

Meal 2- 10:15 am- 1 TBS nut butter, 2 eggs, 1 serving grits, 1 TBS blueberry jelly, 1 scoop protein powder (15g fat, 55g carbs, 46g protein)

 

Meal 3- Post workout 1 (12:45pm)- 4 egg whites, 1 scoop protein powder, 2 servings white rice, 8z white potato (50g protein, 120g carbs)

Meal 4- Post workout 2 (4pm)- 1 TBS nut butter, 4 oz banana, 2 oz corn, 8 oz sweet potato, 8 oz cod fish (5g fat, 62g protein, 97g carb)

Meal 5, 6, and 7- TBD @630p, 9p, and 11:30p- Current macros- 20g fat (180 calories) (definitely need to up this....will eat some red meat or something a little fatty this meal. Avocado, EVOO, not sure yet. Maybe a mix of all) 275g carbs (1100calories) (got plenty of time to incorporate the remaining ~150 into 3 meals.  182g protein (728 calories). Not worried about this at all. TOTALS- 2008/3250 total target calories. 

[iRyan2015]

Legs day today: Quads and calves- Went lighter weight today for the most part with focus on squat, and leg press depth and form. Today I really focused on front squats, which my wrists could never really handle; HOWEVER, due to my 6-week challenge goal (mentioned in my signature) of increasing core and arm strength/size, my wrists COULD handle the stress today! Improvements made already

Exercise 1- Core circuit training- 10 minutes+ all with slow controlled movements: 15 reps weighted sit-ups- +20 lbs

---super set with 30 reps/side russian twists w/10lbs

----triple set with 20 reps hanging leg raises

-----giant set with 15 lying leg raises.

-------giant set with 15 reps decline sit-ups with extremely slow movements while keeping core tight. (this one hurt lol). 

Exercise 2-warm-up: Machine Leg Press- 2 sets of 20 reps hack squat stance @ 195 lbs, slow movements with extreme depth

---super set with 20 reps sumo squat stance with slow movements and extreme depth.

 

Exercise 3- Front Squats**  5 sets of 12, 10,8, 6, 5+ drop set of 12 @ 85 lbs, 95 lbs, 115 lbs, 115 lbs, 125 lbs drop to 85 lbs with EXTREME depth. This has been the most successful day for squats for me because I never could hold any weight on the front of my body. My 6-week challenge has already shone through so much with core and forearms. Legs were far beyond parallel to the floor today, so I know my knees have become stronger and more flexible. Felt A LOT of work in the core and glutes with this. LOVED IT!

Exercise 4- 3 sets of Leg Press Plates- 225 lbs 17, 15, and 15 reps Hack Squat Stance
---super set with 15, 12, 10 reps Sumo Squat Stance

----triple set with seated calf raise @ +100 lbs for 20 reps- slow return movements, explode up with hold at top.

Meal 1/Pre-workout/Breakfast- (530 am)- 3 eggs, 1/2 protein shake, 1 bagel (17g fat, 46g protein, 52g carbs)

Post-workout 1 (8 am)- 1/2 bagel,1 1/2 scoops protein powder, 2 serving white rice (96g carb, 45g protein, 1g fat)

 

Post-workout 2 (~930 am)-  6 oz chicken, 14 oz sweet potato, mixed veggies, 1 oz avocado (9.25g fat, 50g protein, 84g carb)

 

Meal 4 -6 oz chicken,(~1pm) 2 1/2 servings mixed beans, mixed veggies (5.25g fat, 62g carb, 53.5g protein)

Meal 5- REPEAT 4(~4pm) + 1 oz avocado (9.25g fat, 62g carb  53.5g protein)

 

Meal 6- REPEAT 4 (~7pm) (5.25g fat, 62g carb, 53.5g protein

 

Meal 7- TBD.

Goal-3300 calories w/ 420g carb and 55g fat.

Today feels like it will end extremely successfully!! I will try to post some progress pics sometime in the next few logs when I'm not bloated lol.

EDIT- achieved the 3300 calories. Ended up eating a small sandwich at night with some chicken. Woot woot! 

[iRyan2015]

Chest/tri's today. Tried super setting a tricep isolation, or compound move, following a chest exercise- felt it worked nicely.

Exercise 1- tricep isolation (w/ focus on warming up the elbows) - 1-arm cable pull downs reverse grip 3 sets of 12 @15 lbs.
---super set with skull crushers- 3 sets of 10 @ 30 lbs

Exercise 2- Bench Press- 4 sets of 15, 12, 8, 6 @ 95 lbs, 105 lbs, 115lbs, 125 lbs.

---super set with close-grip bench press- 115 lbs all sets for 12, 10, 8, 6 reps.

Exercise 3- Machine Dips- 3 sets of 15, 12, 12+ drop set of +110 lbs, +130 lbs, +130 lbs dropped to +90 lbs 
---super set with reverse grip machine dips - 20 reps, 15 reps, 12 reps (same weight as above) These dips TAXED me big time- both chest and triceps. This will be a staple movement from now on. 

----triple set with incline fly's- 3 sets of 8, 30 lb dumbbells with a wide range of motion and stretch.

 

Exercise 4- flush set-  Reverse Grip Cable Pull Downs (both hands simultaneously)- 2 sets of 25-30 @ 20 lbs
---super set with machine fly's- 25 reps @ 75 and 90 lbs.

Can absolutely feel it today all the way around. Achieved working both triceps and chest equally! Today was successful, but I feel that next time I should include push-ups- Those are the best for me.

Diet thus far-

Meal 1- 1/2  bagel, 3 eggs, 1 serving steel cut oats (18.5g fat, 54g carb, 32g protein)

Post workout 1- 2 serving white rice, 1/2 bagel, 3 oz banana, 2 scoops protein powder (56g protein, 1g fat, 115g carbs,)

Post workout 2- 10 oz sweet potato, 2 serving tuna, 1 TBS fat free mayo, mixed veggies. (44g protein, 60~g carbs, 2g fat)

Meal 4- 6 oz chicken, 10 oz sweet potato, mixed veggies, 1 oz avocado
Meal 5- repeat + 1/2 TBS olive oil instead of avocado

Meal 6- repeat + 1 oz avocado instead
Meal 7- some kind of red meat...lol. Need more fat.

Calorie goal- 3300 w/ 420g carbs, 55g fat. 

Will update tonight

[iRyan2015]

Been extremely busy the past few days to even jump onto here, but my diet for the most part has stayed the same-I am tweaking it to add more fats, and less carbs. Aiming for 375g carbs a day max. Was putting just a little too much on.

Off day today. Thursday was Back/Bis/Core day, and feel extremely stiff. Friday was Chest/Tris/core. Saturday was something a little bit new with shoulders/arms day, and played with the rep scheme. 30 reps starting off, ending with a set of 2 reps. I also attempted some new things such as clean+ presses, which I loved, and focused more on power. So a combination of blow-out sets, 8-12 rep sets, and 1-3 rep sets. Including curls and dips. Arms are still inflated, shoulders and traps still look and feel destroyed, and I feel extremely successful- a plateau breaking day.

Today I am toying with a 0g carb from starch/grain- only vegetables, chicken, fish, and fatty oils/veggies today. And as the course of the day has progressed I have literally watched my physique transform from it. Ready to focus in and bring my A-game in tomorrow! 

Progress pic update- upper body.

 

[iRyan2015]

It's been a minute, but I am back! And logging! And other adventures! Ahh!

Tonight was arms/shoulders tonight. And I almost broke my shoulder! Yay!!...

I tried something new for my rep scheme tonight since my arms refused to grow. And I took a few extra days off to recover.


1- tricep pushdowns super set with cable curls.

6 sets of 30, 20, 15, 12, 12, 12 @ 60 lbs, 70 lbs, 80 lbs, 90 lbs, 100lbs,  110 lbs drop set to 50 lbs for 12.
---6 sets of 20, 20, 15, 12, 10, 8@ 60 lbs, 70 lbs, 80 lbs, 90 lbs, 100 lbs, 110 lbs drop set to 50 for 20.
(Arms were inflated to hell and honestly weren't tired at all. Clearly my 6-week challenge worked in strength and stamina here lol)

2-  Giant set- seated behind-the-neck military press, dip machine, dumbbell curls.
5 sets
---military press- 30 reps, 15 reps,15 reps, 12 reps,8 reps @ 45 lbs, 75 lbs, 85 lbs, 95 lbs, 100 lbs.

----dips- 15 reps.8 reps, 12 reps, 15reps @ 90 lbs, 140 lbs, 140 lbs, 90 lbs.
-----dumbbell curls- 12 reps/arm @ 20 lbdumbbells x 5 sets.
(I attempted a 6th set, but my shoulder gave out mid rep with 100 lbs and slipped. I must have not locked myself into place well enough. Didn't hurt, and I managed to catch it. I was lucky.  NOTE TO SELF::I need to focus on stabilizer muscles for my shoulders more!!!

 

That's all I did tonight, and I left feeling very successful. One of the best days regarding arms. I also received a compliment from a random person at the gym today regarding my physique. A victory everywhere!!

Now it is sleep time. The best part of the day.
 

[iRyan2015]

Back day today.

Lowering my carb intake by 40 grams as I am seeing just a little too much of a puffiness forming. Eliminating my post-workout carbs by 40 only because I literally go to sleep immediately after.


Today's back day felt on point! My back looked like it had a kite shape, and got a compliment about it after. 

Set 1- Neutral Grip Pull-Down- 25 reps, 12, 12, 12 w/30 second rest intervals @ 85 lbs, 130 lbs, 120 lbs, 115 lbs. Felt the best stretch and pull in my back, not shoulders, at 115 lbs. This is the weight to train at and progress from.

 

Set 2-  1-arm row super set with barbell row. 4 sets, drop-set on 3rd w/ 1-arm rows.
--1-arm rows 4 sets+ drop: reps-20, 15, 15, 15@ 30 lbs, 45 lbs, 45 lbs, 60 lbs drop to 40 lbs.
---super set with 3 sets of barbell rows-15 reps, 15 reps, 15 reps @50 lbs.

I dropped the weight significantly on my barbell row and focused more on a stretch feeling this time. I don't think it worked though, so either do a different movement or change the weights a little. Probably a different move. 

 

Set 3- Hammer Machine High-Row- 3 sets of 12 @ +70 lbs/side.
  I rarely touch these machines, but I'm glad I did. Got a nice pull from this. Felt great! 

 

Set 4- Rope Extensions super set/circuit set with pull-ups til failure.
5 sets of 15,12, 12, 12, 12 @ 40 lbs, 50, 80, 80, 60
---super set/circuit set pull-ups til failure- 6 reps, 5, 5, 5, 4. NO REST JUMPED BACK TO EXTENSIONS
---The rope extension is like a pull-over for me, but less tension on the chest and much more tension on the lower back, lats, and rear delts. This one gave my entire back some flare.

 

Set 5- Hammer Machine Low-Row- 2 sets of 20, 12 @ 55 lbs/side and 45 lbs/side.
---just went for a little extra to inflate the lower lats a little more.

I will be doing this exact routine again with maybe an exception to the 1-arm row+ barbell row. Though the 1-arm row will stay.

Today was a success!
 

[iRyan2015]

Lately I've dropped my entire workout regimen into much smaller and less time-consuming portions. And I have seen amazing results due to this! I can only assume that I was over-training and working more towards endurance than adding mass. Anyway, I've seen beautiful results in my chest and back because of it, and even arms. I will stick with this method for the time being

Today I wanted to blog my cheat meal of an entire box of Valentine's Day chocolate. Yup! over 150g of sugar and a shit ton of fat.

No regrets either. It was time for a real cheat. Tomorrow is back/forearms/bi's day! I'll be posting my new workout tomorrow with a new diet and continue onward.

[iRyan2015]

Arms tonight. I am going to try the program called Crazy 8's for arms, followed by 10 minutes HIIT cardio- 8 exercises for biceps, 8 for triceps. 1 set each between 8-12 reps squeeze at the top no rest, last exercise 12-15 reps focusing on blood flow elevation. 8 bicep movements then 8 tricep movements. I will update how it feels late tonight

Put on a wee bit of too much goodness on my body- it's time to throw the daily diet on the board to find what's up!

Breakfast- 2 eggs, 3egg whites, 1/2 oats dry measure(15g fat, 42g carb (after taking fiber out of the macros)32.8g protein

Meal 2- 2 cups Shredded Wheat and Bran+1 cup skim milk- , 1 scoop protein shake-4g fat, 81g carbs, 30g protein (was running late to work so made a quick and quite honestly- tasty little meal lol

Meal 3 - BEEF stir fry w/ 1 tbs olive oil- 6oz beef, 1/4c corn, mixed broccoli and cauliflower, very little diced tomato- 13.5g fat, 15-17g carb, 36g protein

Meal 4- CHICKEN Stir fry w/ brown rice 5oz chicken, broccoli and cauliflower, 1 servings  brown rice- 41g carb, ~4.2g fat, 29g protein

Pre-workout- TBD

Post-workout 1- TBD

Post-workout 2- 1 hour-1 1/2 hours later- TBD

Goals- 1.5g protein/lb, 2g carb per pound, fat= calorie filler to reach 3200 daily calories. -174 lbs current weight

[iRyan2015]

EDIT- double posted by accident. Either way, lol. Arms tonight!

DOUBLE EDIT- Arms....dead. lol. Never felt that exhausted from just an arms workout, and it took 35 minutes to complete. DOMS incoming...

[iRyan2015]

Chest/back yesterday. Felt like I was going to throw up. Success! Also I almost always use free weights on back. Today I wanted to use some machines for a change.

1: warm up triple set- incline machine press+ cable row+ decline machine press- 1 set of 20, 3 sets of 12

2: hyper extensions+ low machine row- 3 sets of 12, 1 set of 15

3: machine crunches: 3 sets of "negative" 15. Slow return, contraction at top.
 

4: Incline press- 3 sets of 12. 30 second rest

 

5: Barbell Row: 3 sets of 15, focusing on holding contraction and stretch at the bottom

 

6: super set- 3 sets of pull-ups + push-ups til fail of varying grips and hand position (6,8, 7  pull-ups) (15, 21, 20 pushups)

Diet was on point of 1.5g protein/2g carb/fat per lb. Also my bathroom scale broke, so time for a new one!

[iRyan2015]

These past few days have been emotionally and mentally AND physically a struggle. Lately I've been receiving both praise and extreme hate and discouragement about my goals, and all I've done since once weighing nearly 300 lbs 4 years ago. And the one thing I've learned is the challenge of growth-to keep going when you get knocked down, and I accept today's challenge.

This entire week has been devoted to muscle confusion- yesterday was chest/tris. Today is arms and back, which means triceps training back-to-back. This week's legs day has left my crippled with super heavy squats followed by super heavy stiff-legged deadlifts. Can't walk still, which has been a long time.

Let the challenge continue!