Curtis - Just starting out..

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Curtis

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Curtis - The Start.

My Journal.

Some of you may remember my username from the beginning of last year. Unfortunatly in march/april I stopped training because I just got rapped up with my girlfriend etc, what a huge mistake!

I've now joined back at the gym a week last saturday (split up with that bitch end of september), so 10 days ago. And I'm really wanting it this time! Easy to say, But I can just feel in within me that I want to change myself for the better! Haven't made much progress yet so but I feel my strength going up, and now I'm started to higher the numbers in my exercise/lifts (Slowly but surely lol).

I'll update this every few days, or every day if I get chance. Working and college etc may get hard though.

I'm not expert in this stuff, and just a newb really. Today I've eaten:
-11am small pack of chicken
-12:30am Tuna and cucumber butties
-1:30-4pm 350g of peanuts
-5pm chicken breast(approx 150g or so)
- 6-7 10/20 plain crackers
-8:30-10pm(had a long shower lol) Gym!
-10:30pm gammon (not eating the fat)

And water threwout the day. Looking to get more in in the morning looking at that.

In the gym I did:
1 mile of walk/run intervals 3mph walking 6mph running.
Deadlift - 3x8 27.5kg
Chest fly - 1x8 7.5kg, 2x8 10kg(might have be 12.5 but hardly any difference)
Dumbell press - 1x8 10kg, 2x8 12.5kg
Lat Pull - 1x8 35kg, 1x8 42.5kg, 1x5 50kg (my old lat pull max when I had been training for 3-4 months so REALLY pleased with that, even though I didn't do the 8.)
Seated Row - 1x10 30kg, 1x8 35kg, 1x5 42.5kg
Leg Press - 1x8 65kg, 1x8 72.5kg, 1x8 80kg
Leg Raises - 3x8
Then 0.4m run at 6mph!(Just to finish me off)

I haven't even touched my bicep/triceps yet with isolation lifts, done some shoulder press's prior to the weekend, but I find it hard to integrate them in once I've done my big lifts, my shoulders don't last for very many sets.

I haven't got any pictures of myself at the moment, I'll get them sorted very shortly (I warn you it's messed up though!:azzangel: . My nips and ribs are messed up so, something I want to improve on with chest mass. )

I took a reading of BF% etc tonight but it's incorrect (Or atleast I think it is, I doubt I've gone up 4.5% in 9 days!), So my first one from 9 days ago.

Body Stats - 11/01/09
Weight - 60.2kg
Height -1.79m
BMI - 18.7
BF% - 16.3%
- Fat Mass - 9.8kg

No I'm not lifting heavy by any means compared to a bodybuilder, but for me that's where I'm at atm. I don't lift lighter than I can, whats the point?

I'm striving to be different, ambition is why I live. I don't want to just be another one of many, and I'll do whatever I can not to be!
I'd love to do ironman, become as big as I possibly could naturally, climb everest and visit every country in the world, but that'll hopefully come in the years to come.

I don't expect people to reply to this, Thank you very much if you can point out improvements in what I'm doing, it'll all be appreciated.

My journey begins.
 
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Today's been ok, had afew temptations to eat badly though.

Started today out as:
9am cereal + milk
12pm 3 eggs (2 yolks) and half bag of carrots (about 150-200g)
1:00pm tin of tuna
2:30pm Half pack of plain crackers
4:30 small bag of chicken (like chicken bite thingy's)
6:00pm pack of cooked ham, about 200g ish approx
9pm chicken breast
10:30pm pint of milk

And water throughout the day.. About 2-3L.

Not really great, but better than pizza, chocolate crisps etc. Trying to hit more carb food in the morning than at night, and eating the meat etc after I've had the energy stuff. Before I found myself eating pasta etc at night, and I don't want to put on too much body fat so :) Tomorrow I'll be trying to eat more between wake up and 12 mid day aswell!

Gym tomorrow :D Will be going at night so will keep track of what I lift.
 
I just writen all this stuff out and then I knocked something and it went back :(

Anyway today has been bad.. IMO anyways. Had someone bring up some of the past which pissed me off, along with my eating being quite bad..

9am - Pint of milk
11am - bowl of pasta
12am - half pack of crackers (with butter :( )
2:30pm - Chicken breast
5pm - other half pack of those crackers (with butter :( Poo poo)
7pm - chicken tortila's (is that the name? Like chicken wrap things in a sauce with onions etc)
8:30-10pm gym
10:20 - pint of milk +tuna

Water throughout the day..

I am pleased with workout..

1mile split walk/run
Deadlift 27.5 for 3x8 (30kg bar on saturday!)
Chest fly - 10kg I think for first set, 12.5 for 2nd/3rd. 15kg on saturday!
Shoulder press - Dont know why I did them here, stupid, hurt alot later. 10kg dumbs I think, not really lifted on shoulders before. (Going to do them after seated row etc but before bicep/tricep stuff saturday)
Lat pull - 47.5 for 8, 50kg for 5 (keep working at that, and hopefully raise it above 50 in a week or two.)
Seated row - I think I did 37.5 for 2x8 and then hit 4 on 40kg. (Try get more reps in at 40kg.)
Calve thingy wierdo machine, 3x8 on whatever weight. (Just keep pushing hard)
Bicep hammer curls - 10kg dumbbells, 3x8 (12.5kg saturday)
Tricep curls (not right, narrow grip with a barbell, cant remember the name) - 15kg bar for 3x8 (want to hit 17.5 saturday)
Leg raises 3x8 (Struggled with them tonight, really tired by the end)
Shrugs right at end aswell, 1x8 with 10kg bells, just to finish off :)
I think that's right, should be anyways.

Got abit annoyed in the gym with people coming too close to me, I **** myself when I was laying down with dumbbells in hands ready to start my set of chest flys and I see a barbell swoop around my line of sight towards the roof :|

The guy seemed friendly when he glashed eyes though, with a simple "Alright mate", no hard feelings, I guess I was like that at some stage when I'd never been to a gym before much.

First time I've done any isolated lifts on my bicep/triceps and shoulders (except couple of sets last week), arms are really springy and have that feeling to them :)

Anyway, off to bed in 20-30 mins to get my 8 hours, got to be up tomorrow for assignments in college and working so. I don't know if my eating will be any better tomorrow but I'll have my chicken breast, cooked meat eat and pasta if I can, will try take some oranges with me or something I think.

One day closer to where I want to be, Just keep pushing the weight up higher, and keep consistent.

I'm enjoying myself :)
 
Hey! Curtis! Sup?! :beerchug:

Have a great journal going on here!

Going to be busten' it up this year, aint' sha?

YEA!.....

Much luck my friend,

Chillen
 
Thanks for the replies guys, however today has been even worse.

Woke up, had a pack of polo's from 9-11 ish.. didn't eat anything properly till 12:30, abit of a cereal without milk. 2 chicken breasts about 3 and then a garlic bread with donner meat and cheese about 9-10 so.

I've just been annoyed all day though really, had to finish assignments in for today and worked from 4-12, but really just ****ed up all night so I'm gonna tell my boss not to pay me for those hours.

Anyways tomorrow shall be a better day, off to bed now and hopefully won't wake up till 10 ish, not sure if I want to hit the gym in the morning after wake up or in the afternoon/evening.

May go about 6 PM though, gym closes at 8, so hopefully will die down later on. Then go at 1pm sunday, go to work for 4 so.

Sounds like a plan!

Fcuked off my friends who I signed up again with anyways lol, I text them whenever I'm going (every other day mostly) and all I get it "Already bin" "Nah cba" etc, rather smoke weed than workout.:sleeping:

They are machine gods though, "I'll do 50 of these then another eh.. 30 of those.." Your not going to get anywhere mate.

And when I try to tell them about how to train in sets and reps, along with freeweights being better than machines and they just call me a nerd etc so fcuk it, my progress is all I care about.
 
No update for yesterday, was abit of a pointless day.. Was just about to go to the gym to find the washing hadn't been done and the clothes I had out for the gym had been robbed and thrown in there aswell so was majorly pissed off.

TODAY!
1/2 mile run, wasn't really in the mood for going the gym when I went so wasn't really pushing it.
Deadlift - 3x8 30kg bar (Like I wanted to, really pleased and was a push for the last set.)
Chest fly 3x8 10kg (Read the story at the bottom why I didnt go heavier..)
Dumbell Press 3x8 10kg (also related to the story)
Lat Pull - 1x8 47.5 1x8 50kg (Fwarr was hard, but loved every second of the pain) 1x2 57.5kg (Never lat'd so much, and will be working towards more reps in future sessions)
Seated Row - 1x8 35kg 1x8 42.5kg 1x4 50kg (Never pulled so much, was pleased but really hard pull, still loved it though.)
Shoulder Press 1x8 10kg (little extra just to finish them off)
Dumbbell squats -2x8 10kg db's (I'm not sure if I hold the db's properly, ontop of my shoulders, but use full range of montion all the way down to 90 degrees and back up straight)
Leg Raises 3x8 (getting easier and easier every session, reason why I talked to the trainer for another core exercise)
Jack Hammers (I think there called this..) 2x8 (was apsolute agony, but I'm going to work more and more on these and hopefully get 3x8 done by the end of the week, and hopefully be able to do them easier by end of next)

That's it. No isolations etc. All exercise's using 2 hands, are 10kg each hand for example, so 20kg extra weight for the squats for an example.

Today has been ok food wise, no enought mass though, and i ate a pack of cookies though in a urgent need for food in a petrol station while out on the road. Went to visit my brother 45mins and hour drive away and hadn't eaten in like 3 hours, was dieing for it.

Anyways in the gym tonight were the typical lunatics. I don't mean to sound like a smart ass, know it all, or gym god. But these people really have no idea on gym ettitique and how to behave, and the reason for being in the gym.

I start off my chest flys with 10kg dumbbells and I have people walking around me, going to the wrack of dumbbells etc getting what they need. I'm resting an a guy on the bench next to me has the 12.5kg dumbbells doing a set of shoulder press's fair enought. With his mates hanging around texting, chatting away etc behind and all of that. Making jokes of being able to clean and jerk (badly) a 5kg barbell. Then he moves onto a different type of dumbell (like iron ones I think, instead of the rubber surround ones).

Anyways I'm just about to get the 12.5kg dumbbell's when there gone from the wrack. If someone is using them then fine, but the group had them just underneith the bench they were using. There was only one though.. I was sat there wondering where the other one was and if I should be a **** and interrupt his set to ask if he's not using them, and where the other one is. Anyways once I finish 3 sets with 10kg that I settled with because I wanted to mind my own business, I find one 12.5kg dumbbell on the 10kg slot, labelled clearly, and the other was replaced by a guy afew mins later.

Was annoying that they cleared off once I'd gone to do my lat pull's near all the machines, bad timing fail tbh.

Anyways, I've lifted as heavy as I could and pushed myself to a alittle bit higher boundary. Tomorrow is rest day with 13 hours worth of work LOL, hardly rest. But tuesday night will be the next in the gym..

I just can't wait to make progress now and show my friends that doing 100 crunches, using this machine 60 times, that one 30 and smoking weed, drinking alot doesn't help you out.
 
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Today is over with, and overall quite happy with how it went.

Ate decently, had a full pack of chocolate digestive biscuits, but had a good 100g+ of protein though so :/

Anyway, tonights workout:
0.7m run at 7mph (faster than I've ran before)
Chest Fly 3x8 12.5kg (weight I wanted to use, will be working towards 15kg by this time next week)
Deadlift 27.5kg (under the weight I wanted but the 30kg barbell was no where to be seen, want to get downstairs and use plates with olympic bar soon, may ask trainer to take me down and show me etc)
Chest Press 3x8 12.5kg (bloody hard, but progress!)
Dumbbell Squats - 2x8 12.5kg
Lat Pull - 1x8 42.5kg 1x8 50kg (really heavy set, but what I wanted to lift!) 1x2 57.5 (SO SO heavy, thats pritty much my body weight, maybe afew kg's less, but still, going to be going pull ups soon I think)
Seated Row 1x8 35kg 1x5 42.5kg 1x3 50kg (Ouch.. :) )
Leg Raises 3x8 (getting easier every session )
Hammer Jacks 2x8 (Agony, apsolutly, so so painful inside, but I still love it :) )

Anyways, I guess my confidence was knocked today as I asked the trainer about deadlifts from a deficite, he said they were irrelevant because he was too tall, and the step up blocks in the gym at like 4inches height, so the normal set weight barbells downstiars would be too small I guess, maybe downstairs with the bigger weight plates. He also showed me deadlift form, and shown that I've been going to low (parallel) on my deadlift, so I'm going to be going through all my exercise's and checking form in the next couple of days before gym again ..

The top of my left calve while cooling down, I think it picked it up before hand, but had alittle bit of pain. Rest it as much as..

I think I got my confidence knocked abit today, still trying to improve diet, but there seems to be so much different information on the internet about whats best, and trainers in the gym saying different aswell.

Personally, I think it should just compound it, and put on mass as I'm a skinny guy. Eat as much protein as I can, get tons of carbs in and just eat eat eat, not caring about putting some BF on, I'll burn it off in 3/4 months time in a month of two heavy cardio and low carb, so it doesn't get too high, then pile it back on as quick as I can!

Tomorrows a new day, I'm happy with how today went though, night.
 
Calve has been hurting all day, and haven't eaten really much at all because of having a fill-in at the dentist, numbed my mouth for 3 hours and couldn't eat so. Thinking about having a day off tomorrow and just go swimming instead of lifting.

Plus I had some bad food again. Going to eat my chicken breast now and then sleep in an hours time but Im really not looking forward to it :(

I guess I'll just have to think about the time I spend in the gym and the energy I love to feel, that's why I'm eating it.

Progress progress progress.
 
Hi Curtis and welcome to the forum. :)

I see you have a trainer and im curious why he/she doesnt have you doing all of the major lifts (squats, deadlift, bench press, pull ups or chin ups, military or dumbell press) and why you arent working your shoulders???

Best of luck with your fitness journey and if theres anything i can do to help let me know.
 
Hey mate, thanks for your reply, it's given me motivation to type out what I did tonight lol.

Anyway he's not really my trainer, but one of afew trainers that work at the gym that are free to use as of, I usually pop over and find the specific one I first got talking to and ask him afew questions at the end of my work.

I've asked him about doing compound lifts etc and he said it's a really good way to start, but I really need to get downstairs into the free wieghts room, but it's where all the big guys hang out so it's abit unnerving for me being abit skinny and young at first when it's busy.

I think I'm going to book an appointment in with him so he's not stuck else were about an hour before they close on saturday or something so it's nice and quiet, then get squat/deadlift/bench with olympic bar :)

I think it's my hamstring on the left leg thats playing up abit, and I was in two minds weather to lift tonight but I thought I've got to progress, just take it easy on legs.

anyways:
0.7 walk/run (about 0.3 run tbh :/ )
Lat pull 1x8 42.5 1x6 50kg 1x3 57.5kg
Seated Row 1x8 35kg 1x6 42.5kg 1x3 50kg
Chest fly 2x8 12.5kg
Dumbbell Press 2x8 12.5kg
Dumbbell Squat 3x8 12.5kg
Shoulder Press 3x10 10kg (I think it was 7.5 on my left though, read the story below)
Hammer Curls 2x8 10kg
Leg Raises 3x8
Then just a 0.2 mile cool down walk.

Anyway was working on my shoulders on my own pritty much in one corner of the gym and my left feels wierd. Can't remember how I realised now but once I'd done my sets I realised I had a 7.5kg dumbbell, and a 10kg dumbbell. Some wanker had put all the dumbbells back in the wrong place on the wrack and so that got messed up. Pritty sure it's only my shoulder press that got messed up by that though.

Going to weight myself saturday I think..

I can feel that I've put abit of muscle on, but I still think I'm not training right :azzangel:

I've got used to going the gym about 8:30pm though so I can be in there when it's quiet. Maybe I'll get used to going in 40 mins from closing time and going in the freewieghts room, get squats/deadl/bench done then go home right when it closes and get a shower, food and sleep as quick as.

Diet went well today though, really clean, milk/pasta/chicken/nuts/chicken/burgers with salad (ok not great.)/milk/tuna.

Trying to get more ideas for food over time though. Seen some girls from back in highschool (Very hot rugby playing girls) walking home from college tonight which motivated me alot I guess.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Once again, thanks for the reply, appreciated :)
 
I think you'll be surprised at now helpfull and friendly some of the guys are. A lot of them would like nothing better than to share their knowledge and help out someone new. Dont forget they all started somewhere.
 
Yeah I understand, and I know for a fact that they'll be more helpful than most of the people upstairs are like thinking bicep curls have key.

Was finishing off my hammer curls to finish my workout and some guy comes over, picked up the 25kg bar (There like set weight bars, stupid stuff) and does a bicep curl facing the mirrors. Then he turns 90 degree left and looking in the mirror on the other wall and starts doing bicep curls facing that way. Not really doing them all that great, more of a jerk up and abit of sway and drop the weight controllably :/
Does 8, picks his phone up off the bench he was using and disapears. 5 minutes later returns, picks up the barbell that he just left on the floor and does another set.. disapears again. Anyways I end up putting the barbell back on the wrack of them in the end for him, in his marathon running gear.

Had a cheeky pack of mini eggs, couple of mars bars and half a bottle of sprite today, I should of bought a chicken butty or something but no :( Everything else has been ok :)

Walking home today my left leg was just in agony though, really quite painful. Going to rest this weekend and hopefully it'll be better on by tuesday for a workout. It's not got any better in the last 3 days though, I don't know if the next 3/4 will make a difference.

Really sucks that it hurts :( I don't know if it's over training or not but I've not been going all out, only every other or every 3 days.

Might change routine to rippletoe's starting strength thingy with the 5x5 on just dead/squat/bench.

Think in the last 3 weeks I've made abit of progress yea, but I don't know, will have to decide :/
 
I think it sounds good, will require more and more food though :) Every 3 hours at the moment is tough at the minute lol.

Will put my feet up and stick to the eat eat eat till next week me thinks. Book a time in with the trainer, get my squats right etc (I've never squatted with a bar on my back before) so get form right then weight weight WEIGHT!

Is the book worth looking for? Offer alot of information etc?

Thanks for the reply once again, it stopped me from wondering off to eat crisps, had 3 oranges and an apple instead :confused4:

Milk upon wake up tomorrow, 30-40 mins later pasta, then probably ham butties etc etc.

Off to get my 10 hours :)

Hopefully I can pay you back one day :eek:
 
The book has chapters on how to perform the exercises and what not, but you dont really need it to follow the program.
 
I'll look into it I guess, thanks :)

Was reading up on some tips for newbie's on that t-nation forum, some good stuff there. Some people commented that they wish they had eaten more and got great gains in it optimising there newbieness of their bodies adapting to lifting weights and gaining quickly because of that. I know it doesn't work the same for everyone but atleast I can try a to bulk up for 8/10 weeks and see how it goes.

For the journal, leg is still hurting, ran out of the way of a bus today (LOL) and it gave me immense pain..

Bad quality dark picture of where is hurting..



Right at the end of where my finger(thumb might be) is pressing in there.

I got some half decent pictures of my size, but I dont really want to post them up. They do highlight my main problem of my chest though :/ I hate it atm.
 
Leg was ok this morning, but during work tonight it's just been so painful. Feel like it's getting worse :/

Anyways diet was pritty good today, not in quantity but in quality.

Think all in all I eaten full fried up breakfast (ok but clean but good nutrients with eggs and meat in there) 2 tins of tuna, half pack of crackers, 2 tangerines, 1 apple, 1 chicken breast, 1 pint of milk, 1 pack of cooked chicken, maybe some other stuff but can't remember exactly.

Makes me feel really fresh though :)
 
Was thinking to day that I might if it's still very sharp pain by tuesday, I have to work tomorrow night aswell though, but going to stay off college in the day and just rest it as much as.

REALLY annoying me, don't know why it's so painful.. had a hot bath this afternoon and it was fine all day till I started walking on it. :(
 
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