time for a change

M

mcFreid

0
Hi,

Here are my stat's to start (a very detailed version of all of this is provided in my journal - http://training.fitness.com/journal/build-me-ongoing-journey-28-37451.html):

Age: 19
5'6"
140lb
6.4% body fat (according to Omron Handheld Analyzer, and I doubt this number simply because I don't look anywhere near 6.4%. However, around a year ago when the Omron Handheld Analyzer clocked me in at 9.6% I got professionally caliper tested by two different trainers at two different gyms and both also gave me those numbers within 0.2%)

Fitness Routine (details in journal):
Monday: 2 mile run(13:11 time), 20 minutes elliptical, 10 minute walking at incline
Tuesday: full body workout (described in detail in my journal)
Wednesday: 5 min warmup jog, HIIT (sprint for 30sec, jog for 1min), 10 min cooldown jog
Thursday: same as Monday
Friday: same as Tuesday
Mon, Wed, Thurs Nights: 3x20 Pushups, 3x20 Sit-ups
Sunday Nights: 1xfailure Pushups, 1xfailure Sit-ups

Diet (details in journal):
3 meals a day, around 40% protein, 40% carb, 20%fat -> around 2100-2200 calories

Progress Photos:
in journal


With that said, I begin...

I have been dedicated to reconstructing my body for nearly 2 years now. I started from simply needing to lose weight to now feeling as if I want to constantly be in the the best shape of my life (that is every week I am better physically than the week before). And yet, for nearly a year now I have seen very little change.

My continuing image that I use to mentally drive myself has been this ripped body with a sketched in stone six-pack. But, I'm not that. I have noticed my abs appear under some conditions, but the progress towards greater definition has been very slow. The only nice results I have seen are some more definition in my legs, back, and arms along with various veins starting to pop out.

Progress has also been slow with fitness. My weights have not increased significantly in a long time. I attribute this mostly to the fact that I am trying to still cut body fat so I can get that defined six-pack. But there could be other issues that I haven't discovered. On the other hand my performance with cardio has increased and my 2 mile time continues to drop (something I am very proud of). In the end though, I want faster progress and after nearly 360 days of only increasing marginally in most categories it is becoming quite frustrating.

And now I feel like it is time for a change in routine. Winter is coming and I will most likely have to get rid of my Wednesday HIIT routine as I do it outdoors on the track (it's already becoming frustratingly cold for that). So, I figured since I will have to change that why not reevaluate my entire cardio and lifting sessions. I am now here asking for any advice you have.

But, please, remember my goals before giving it. I have no interest in becoming "huge". Yes, I know this doesn't happen over night. I know it takes many years. But, just be aware that my goal is not to go that route. Instead I want to be ripped, and overall physically fit. I want to be that person who if you say drop down and give me 100 pushups, I can do it no problem. Or if suddenly my friends say hey lets race a mile, I will beat them. Or if I'm going to go lifting with some wrestling people I know I want to be able to put up a weight that doesn't embarrass me. I want to have this with a body that looks good naked, that screams just by gazing at it that all of the above can be done with it. That is my goal. Now what do you recommend?


Thanks for taking the time to read this (if you read the whole thing),
Michael
 
more weight training. you won't get HUGE unless you eat enough to feed the growth.

but 1 fullbody workout a week, and then some pushups a few nights a week is something your body is completely adapted to.
 
Malkore,

My current weight training is 2 full body workouts a week, not 1. I'm a little confused by what you mean by "body is completely adapted to". Please understand that for each session, both cardio and lifting, I push myself to the max. I don't know how your body can get adapted to that. It's not like the exercises are becoming easier, for if they were I would progress and thus make them harder.

JohnnySolo,
I looked into this awhile back and the one thing I found it was lacking was strength training. I felt like it would be a great cardio routine, but I wouldn't build up much muscle to get the definition that I'm looking for. I've also looked into crossfit, but without any trainers or guidance here I felt sort of lost on how to do 90% of the movements.

Thanks for all the replies,
Michael
 
I’m a little confused on the amount of muscles you would like to pack on. You may want to drop some cardio for a time and lift heavy. You will absolutely hate doing this, I can tell. You’re a super fit guy and this would feel so different to you, slow and fat. But if you insert something like 3 bulk months into your year, you could add mass. I don’t think you would have a problem dropping any extra fat that might build, and as some say, you might not gain any fat on a bulk. But your running would suffer during the bulk and you would have to feel slow as you try to get your speed back after.

Body builders need this kind of cycle too. They need to bulk and then rip it up.
 
Johnny83,

I've looked more into crossfit, and I just don't think it's for me. I'm very much a man of routine and the idea of a workout being different every day is just not appealing to me. I would rather have a structure so that I can measure progress and build from there. Thanks for the suggestion though and I may end up taking a few ideas from crossfit and implementing them into my routine anyway.

JohnnySolo,
I want to pack on enough muscle as to be above average if that makes sense. I just don't want to be considered "weak" in any kind of meaningful way. It should be noted that I already do lift heavy (at least relative to what I am capable of), but maybe more volume like you're suggesting is needed. I've tried bulking before and it just didn't work out for me. I did it last year for 2-3 months and went from the high 140's to 160lbs. My strength did increase, but I just wasn't feeling comfortable with the way my other performances were turning out plus I didn't like how my physique was changing. I ended up cutting afterward and noticed no apparent difference than from how I started.



With that said,

I've been tinkering around with a workout plan that is more dynamic and hopefully will help me achieve my goals. Here's a quick rough draft, let me know what you think:

Squats 3x5
Bench Press 3x5
Deadlift 3x5
Shoulder Press 3x5
Pull-ups 3x5


long run
Elliptical
Pushups
Abs

Burpees
Box Jumps
Lunges
Dips
Chin-ups
Core

short run
Bike
Pushups (different from earlier)
Abs (different from earlier)

Squats 3x5
Bench Press 3x5
Deadlift 3x5
Shoulder Press 3x5
Pull-ups 3x5
 
I'd only do squats on one day and deads on another, not both. But they should be real heavy as with your bench and shoulder press. Heavy enough to require at least 3 minutes recovery before you even think about doing your next set.
 
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I did "Thursday" of my routine today. It was definitely a change from normal. I started off with a bang by running a 5:59 mile time. I then switched over to the bike and went at a light pace for 5 minutes before starting a HIIT session. It was the first time I did HIIT on the bike. I increased the intensity to "level" 5 and did sprints of 30 seconds followed by a light pace for 60 seconds. I did 10 intervals and by the end I was exhausted to a quite drastic degree (though not quite as much as sprints outside that I used to do on Wednesdays -- I really wish the weather wasn't getting so cold so fast). I'm not sure if I would do the bike again though. Maybe I'll try a different version at the gym as there are a few varieities, but whichever one I was using I found it uncomfortable after awhile.

After the HIIT I went into a small circuit of pushups and ab exercises. I initially was hoping for 3x20 normal pushups and then 3x10 diamond. I ended up failing early on the normals on the 2nd and third set. And I had to decrease the diamond pushups to 3x5. It was an awesome feeling though to be on that rush from cardio and then going into pumping your muscles till failure. I'm not sure if this is really a good method at all for growth, but I have to say it felt good in a painful kind of way.

I also did a few variations of ab and oblique exercises. I started with leg raises on a roman chair where I tried to do 3x10. I could not do this! I attetmped it all the same, but by the end I was barely pushing half of a ROM. After this I was going to do oblique twists with a medicine ball, but it felt weird and easy (afterward I found out I was doing it wrong). I switched over to doing medicine ball crunches as well as oblique crunches.

Overall it was a pretty interesting day, but I'm still not sure in the end if it will achieve what I wish. I've been looking more and more into which seems to be a unique mixture of training that would be perfect for me. I'm a little confused on what exactly their "Met-Con" portions consists of and if it is any kind of specific routine. If someone experienced could explain it to me that would be awesome. Also, even if you have no idea what it is as I don't, let me know still if it sounds like it would fit the kind of lifestyle I'm looking to achieve.

As for diet I have bumped up my carbs somewhat for the last few days. I will continue to do this and measure the results on my weigh in. From there I will adjust depending on my needs.
 
JohnnySolo said:
I'd only due squats on one day and deads on another, not both. But they should be real heavy as with your bench and shoulder press. Heavy enough to require at least 3 minutes recovery before you even think about doing your next set.
Click to expand...

Johnny,

I do squats and dead on the same day right now and have not noticed any problems. I always go heavy and by that I mean an extra 2 1/2 pounds and I would have to bail. As long as I rest myself between the two movements, I don't see to run into issues.
 
mcFreid said:
Johnny,

I do squats and dead on the same day right now and have not noticed any problems. I always go heavy and by that I mean an extra 2 1/2 pounds and I would have to bail. As long as I rest myself between the two movements, I don't see to run into issues.
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How much rest between? if it's somthing you can go back to in under 3 minutes, it's not heavy enough. Get a spotter and pack on the weight.

A few days ago I did 5x5 with 275 bench. the other day I cut out my 3 min rest and did 2min or 1.5 min, I only got 275 for 5 on the 1st set, then it droped off to 4, then 3. I didn't have as much rest to recover. If I gave myslef the extra rest time I could have gotten 275 5x5 again.

Rest more and push heavy every set. That is what you need to grow and get bigger, your body will get big under heavy loads
 
What about the first working set? I mean I guess I could rest more, you can always rest more, but if I can't lift an ounce extra on my first working set then how does that correspond to me being able to lift more on the sets after?
 
Reading your training from earlier, that is not a way to get big (if you want to work for that). That is training I need, to cut.

You go at training hard and fast. To put muscle on you need to slow down but add heavy intensity. Do a search of people that have extra mass, they don’t do killer cardio and HIIT like you do practically daily.

You are genetically geard for being lean and mean, you need to work real hard to put on mass. That means training for mass which will feel wrong for you. Just like I need to train more like what you are doing with cardio and HIIT, but it isn’t something I’m comfortable with, me being inclined to heavy and slow training.
 
mcFreid said:
What about the first working set? I mean I guess I could rest more, you can always rest more, but if I can't lift an ounce extra on my first working set then how does that correspond to me being able to lift more on the sets after?
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I'm guessing that you can put on more....I could be wrong. Get a spotter and put on more weight. If you get your set, rest plenty then put more on. Do that every set.

Do negatives if you have to. Don’t let your spotter take the weight off you. They should feather the weight up and make you work the majority of it.

give it a try anyway.
 
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Hey Johnny,

I really apreciate you helping me out here, but I feel like you got some wrong ideas about me. First of all, I don't want to get big. I do want to increase strength, but increasing size is not a huge concern of mine besides wanting to look somewhat more defined (especially in the abs). Also, I am NOT genetically predisposed to be lean and mean. I used to weigh 210 lbs. I gain fat quite easily and if anything am naturally lazy. Sometime after I turned 18 something just switched and I became a different person, at least in mind (not necessarily in body until it became a mind over matter type of deal).

Also please keep in mind that today's workout was not supposed to be for building strength. That's tomorrow where I do, as I have done in the past on my lifting days, plan to lift to my upmost capacity such that the last rep feels impossible and sometimes is. I've never tried having a spotter, but is it really necessary for my lifts? Most of them I feel quite comfortable bailing on if I have to, and I have had to before.

If it isn't asking too much could you look into the crossfitwichita falls program I linked to earlier. I'm curious what yours thoughts are on it pertaining to achieving my specific goals.

Thanks much for helping out,
Michael
 
mcFreid said:
Johnny,

I do squats and dead on the same day right now and have not noticed any problems. I always go heavy and by that I mean an extra 2 1/2 pounds and I would have to bail. As long as I rest myself between the two movements, I don't see to run into issues.
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I've got to agree with solo on that one. Everything I've read so far gives squats / deads / bench their own days.

If it feels fine to you then you're def not going hard enough.

After my squats are done I feel like going into a corner and crying. :bncry:
 
cgrame said:
I've got to agree with solo on that one. Everything I've read so far gives squats / deads / bench their own days.

If it feels fine to you then you're def not going hard enough.

After my squats are done I feel like going into a corner and crying. :bncry:
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Well, all I can speak for is myself. I know that I can't lift more for a fact. It simply is a physical impossibility. I do the 3 sets of 5 reps with the very maximum weight such that my legs would simply crumble underneath me with anything more. But, at the same time, after I'm done I don't get that ultra wornout feeling in my legs. Maybe I'm weird like that, I don't know. Either way a few minutes later and I don't seem to have any problem with going right ahead into another big lift.

In the end though this is really a much smaller detail than the overall larger picture of a workout scheme that will accurately push me towards my goals. Just for clarity here they are again in no particular order: greater strength, greater fitness conditioning (athletics, sprints, running, metabolic conditioning, strength endurance, etc), more defined abs and more toned muscles.
 
Hey no problem.

I know you want to put on some muscle mass and not be all huge. I was just wording things to get through to you. What I was talking about IS what I feel needs to be done to do exactly what you want, to put a little more mass on. To get huge you would need to do what I’m talking about all the time, for years. Understand, you would only do the lifting like I’m talking about for short periods and I don’t think you need to worry about over doing it.

I checked the sight and think it is good for all around conditioning but it’s not going to pack on muscles. I also know you aren’t a Work Out of the Day kind of guy.

You are very good at sticking to a routine. If you can you should find a bulk building routine, cut way back on intensity for cardio (not cut it out), then take 2 months and hammer that thing with lots of rest between power lifts and eating lots of protein. Once the 2 months are up ramp up the cardio and see what you got.
 
johnny83 said:
Hey mcfreid, Ya got me a bit confused bro, and dont take this the wrong way. But when i read your first post, the first thing i did was recommend crossfit-type training for you as it seemed to match your needs of either gainin or cuttin. You then told me it wasnt for you after you looked more into it. But now you said a few posts back that it seems perfect for you. Fill me in bro, just tryin to help ya out here and get ya where ya need to be.
Click to expand...

The crossfit wichita program was different than the standard crossfit one as it combined barbell weight training with conditioning. I didn't realize till just around 5 minutes ago though that in the end its still similiar as what they label as "Met-Con" is not a standard routine, but pertains to their "workout of the day" that constantly varies (why I didn't like the idea of it).

Here's a new battleplan I'm sketching up, let me know what you think:

3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift


2 mile run
Metabolic Conditioning 10min
Core + Abs


3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
3x5 Pull-Ups


2 mile run
Metabolic Conditioning 10min
Core + Abs


3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift


It combines a slightly altered rippetoes starting strength with what I want to keep in basic conditioning. Also note that the lifting days altnerate A, B so that the week after this one two days would be with pull-ups and only one with deadlift.
 
Much like the stronglift 5x5 I used...

I'd suggest you slow the run to easy 7 min miles and get a spotter for the lifts because we want you to pack the weight on the bar for everything.
 
Johnny, I don't think I've seen your routine? What is your basic routine? You can PM me but I know others would like to see it too. You seem to have that balance of strength and over all fitness we all seek.

sorry for the hijack
 
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