JonJaper's workout log

[JonJaper]

Thanks Fuglydude. I measured % bodyfat using a coin-operated machine in a drugstore which measures bioelectrical impedance. It's one of those machines where you stand on it and hold metal handles, and then the machine works out a reading.

I don't know a place which does caliper testing but I guess I could buy my own set of calipers and self-check if I really wanted to.

 

[JonJaper]

Still resting and bulking. Gonna eat even more as it's around Christmas time.

feelsgoodman.jpg

 

[JonJaper]

Ok, rest period is over, now I'm starting the 2nd 8 week cycle.

This 2nd cycle slightly differs from the first one, but the big three (squat, deadlift and bench press) are still included. Instead of back/biceps, legs/abs, and chest/triceps/shoulders split in the 1st cycle.... it's back/calves on one day, chest/shoulders/abs on another day and thigs/biceps/triceps on the last day in this workout cycle.

The split seems strange at first as I would have thought that muscle groups that work together in an exercise should be grouped together in 1 workout day (such as chest and triceps, or quads and calves, + back and biceps). But I guess this split is different as it is trying to hit the muscle groups separately. Since my body has been conditioned by the first 8 week cycle, I guess my muscle groups are able to be hit more often than once a week (e.g. my triceps will get worked on chest day with the bench press, AND they'll also get worked on tricep day...hence twice a week).

My diet is still the same as I've posted before. I'm back on creatine, and using Jack3d as a preworkout stimulant.




So here goes, the first day of my 2nd 8-week workout cycle:



Today was back/calves/forearms day:



Warmup: 5 mins on that 'exercise bike for arms'
2 warmup deadlift sets, 110 pounds, 10 reps.

Max effort deadlifts: 2 sets, 253 pounds, 6 reps to failure.

Kroc rows: 2 sets, 66 pounds, 10 reps to failure. Will increase the weight next week to one where I fail at around 6 reps.

Assisted chinups: 2 sets, 18 pounds assistance, 7 reps to failure

Dumbbell shrugs: 2 sets, 143 pounds, 10 reps to failure

Seated machine calf raises: 3 sets, 198 pounds, 10 reps to failure

Dumbbell wrist curls: 1 set, 2x26 pound dumbbells (so 52 pounds in total), 5 reps to failure

 

[JonJaper]

Hope everyone's had a good new year!!

Thursday (29th December) was chest/shoulders/abs day:

5mins warmup on the 'exercise bike for arms'
2 sets incline DB warmup, 2x22 pound dumbbells, 10 reps

Max effort incline DB press: 2 sets, 2x44 pound dumbbells (88 pounds in total), 7 reps to failure

Assisted dips: 2 sets, 18 pounds of assistance, 7 reps to failure

Barbell bench press: 2 sets, 100 pounds, 5 reps to failure

Military press: 2 sets, 2x38 pound dumbbells (so 76 pounds in total), 6 reps to failure

Dumbbell side laterals: 1 set, 2x22 pound dummbells (so 44 pounds in total), 12 reps to failure

Weighted decline crunches: 2 sets, holding a 33 pound plate, 8 reps to failure

Hanging leg raises:1 set, bodyweight, 17 reps

 

[JonJaper]

Friday (30th December) was thighs/biceps/triceps day:

I'm still weighing in at 138lbs and 19% bodyfat. I'll use these stats to compare my progress at the end of the 2nd 8-week workout cycle.


5 mins warmup on a crosstrainer (to get blood flowing to the arms and legs)
2 sets warmup squats, 88 pounds, 10 reps

Max effort squats: 2 sets, 176 pounds, 7 reps to failure

Dumbbell lunges: 1 set, 2x44 pound dumbbells (so 88 pounds in total), 7 reps to failure

Stiff-legged deadlifts: (my back is better so I'm gradually bringing the weight up): 2 sets, 154pounds, 10 reps

Leg curls: 1 set, 110 pounds, 5 reps to failure

Barbell curls:2 sets, 66 pounds, 7 reps to failure

Cable pushdowns: 2 sets, 57 pounds, 7 reps to failure

Standing hammer curls: 1 set, 2x28 pound dumbbells (so 56 pounds in total), 7 reps to failure

Overhead dummbell extensions: 1 set, 1x44 pound dummbell, 6 reps to failure

 

[JonJaper]

Wednesday (4th of January) was back/calves/forearms day:



Warmup: 5 mins on that 'exercise bike for arms'
2 warmup deadlift sets, 110 pounds, 10 reps.

Max effort deadlifts: 2 sets, 259 pounds, 6 reps to failure on the 1st set, 5 reps to failure on the 2nd set.

Kroc rows: 2 sets, 70 pounds, 10 reps to failure. Will increase the weight next week to one where I fail at around 6 reps.

Assisted chinups: 2 sets, 18 pounds assistance, 7 reps to failure

Dumbbell shrugs: 2 sets, 143 pounds, 11 reps to failure

Calf raises on a Smith machine standing on a platform: 3 sets, 275 pounds, 10 reps to failure

Barbell wrist curls: 1 set, 55 pounds, 5 reps to failure

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.

 

[JonJaper]

Thursday (5th January) was chest/shoulders/abs day:

5mins warmup on the 'exercise bike for arms'
2 sets incline DB warmup, 2x22 pound dumbbells, 10 reps

Max effort incline DB press: 2 sets, 1st set = 2x44 pound dumbbells (88 pounds in total), 7 reps, didn't go to failure. Wasn't intense enough so I went to 2x48 pound dumbbells (so 96 pounds in total), 5 reps to failure.

Assisted dips: 2 sets, 18 pounds of assistance, 8 reps to failure

Barbell bench press: 2 sets, 100 pounds, 6 reps to failure

Military press: 2 sets, 2x38 pound dumbbells (so 76 pounds in total), 6 reps to failure

Dumbbell side laterals: 1 set, 2x22 pound dummbells (so 44 pounds in total), 12 reps to failure

Weighted decline crunches: 2 sets, holding a 44 pound plate, 9 reps to failure

Hanging leg raises:1 set, bodyweight, 17 reps

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.

 

[JonJaper]

Today was thighs/biceps/triceps day:

5 mins warmup on a crosstrainer (to get blood flowing to the arms and legs)
2 sets warmup squats, 88 pounds, 10 reps

Max effort squats: 2 sets, 181 pounds, 7 reps to failure

Dumbbell lunges: 1 set, 2x48 pound dumbbells (so 96 pounds in total) , 7 reps to failure

Stiff-legged deadlifts: (my back is better so I'm gradually bringing the weight up): 2 sets, 198 pounds, 6 reps

Leg curls: 1 set, 110 pounds, 5 reps to failure

Barbell curls:2 sets, 66 pounds, 7 reps, wasn't intense enough so I did a forced negative to failure at the end of each set. I will increase the weight next week.

Cable pushdowns: 2 sets, 66 pounds, 5 reps to failure

Standing hammer curls: 1 set, 2x30 pound dumbbells (so 60 pounds in total), 7 reps to failure

Overhead dumbbell extensions: 1 set, 1x48 pound dumbbell, 6 reps to failure

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.

 

[JonJaper]

Today was back/calves/forearms day:



Warmup: 5 mins on that 'exercise bike for arms'
2 warmup deadlift sets, 110 pounds, 10 reps.

Max effort deadlifts: 2 sets, 264 pounds, 6 reps on the 1st set, wasn't intense enough so I went to 275 pounds, 5 reps to failure on the 2nd set.

Kroc rows: 2 sets, 75 pounds, 10 reps on the 1st set, wasn't intense enough so I went to 79 pounds, 9 reps to failure on the 2nd set.

Assisted chinups: 2 sets, 18 pounds assistance, 7 reps to failure

Dumbbell shrugs: 2 sets, 148 pounds, 10 reps to failure

Calf raises on a Smith machine standing on a platform:The Smith machine was busy so I used a seated calf-raise machine (the one which puts a lot of pressure on the knees, horrible machine),3 sets, 44 pounds, 10 reps. Next time I'll wait for the smith machine, no matter how long it takes, or do other exercises while I wait to save time.

That type of seated calf raise machine is BAD NEWS for your knees, my knee joints hurt after using this :http://www.workouthealthy.com/assets/images/Deltech/DF805.jpg

As opposed to this one, which I don't mind using: http://www.exercise.wsu.edu/exercise_images/87.jpg


Barbell wrist curls: 1 set, 55 pounds, 10 reps to failure...this was too light, I'll increase the weight next week.

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.

 

[Fuglydude]

Deads are coming along nicely! I bet you could pull 315 for a single quite easily! Keep it up man... I'll be impressed if you can get your DL co-efficient up around 2.6-2.75! Its' a lot easier for lighter guys to acheive these co-efficients than fatties like me!

 

[JonJaper]

Deads are coming along nicely! I bet you could pull 315 for a single quite easily! Keep it up man... I'll be impressed if you can get your DL co-efficient up around 2.6-2.75! Its' a lot easier for lighter guys to acheive these co-efficients than fatties like me!

Yeah I'm definitely gonna keep at it... despite idiots at the gym that can put you off (see my next post)....if it ain't broke don't fix it LOL.




Yesterday was chest/shoulders/abs day

5mins warmup on the 'exercise bike for arms'
2 sets incline DB warmup, 2x22 pound dumbbells, 10 reps

Max effort incline DB press: 2 sets, 2x48 pound dumbbells (so 96 pounds in total), 5 reps to failure.

Assisted dips: 2 sets, 15 pounds of assistance (less assistance = progress), 5 reps to failure

Barbell bench press: 2 sets, 100 pounds, 6 reps to failure

Military press: 2 sets, 2x38 pound dumbbells (so 76 pounds in total), 6 reps to failure

Dumbbell side laterals: 1 set, 2x22 pound dummbells (so 44 pounds in total), 12 reps to failure

Weighted decline crunches: 2 sets, holding a 44 pound plate, 10 reps to failure

Hanging leg raises:1 set, bodyweight, 17 reps

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.

 

[JonJaper]

Today was thighs/biceps/triceps day:

5 mins warmup on a crosstrainer (to get blood flowing to the arms and legs)
2 sets warmup squats, 88 pounds, 10 reps

Max effort squats: 2 sets, 1st set was 187 pounds, 7 reps, didn't go to failure and had a lot of disruption from idiots during my first set (see below) so I went up to 192.5 pounds, 5 reps to failure.


:cuss: ***RAGE MOMENT*** :cuss:

While I was doing my first set, some f*cking idiot (old guy, fat belly, skinny arms, benching 44 pounds and being spotted by a girl) comes up behind me WHILE I WAS SQUATTING and tries to spot me without me asking him to. When I squat to failure, I put bars on the squat rack which allow me to safely set the barbell on the safety bars at the bottom of my squat. Yet this wise guy comes up behind me so close that I can't even get my butt out far enough...disrupting my squat.

Another idiot (new year's resolutionist probably) comes up to the side of me while I was squatting and he comes up so close to my side that the bar hit him on the shoulder as I came down to squat...I was so mad that I yelled at him LOL.

And to top it all off, some dumbass who works at the gym comes up to me at the end of my first set and tells me to take it easy and not to grunt etc. I tell him that's not possible because I work to maximum intensity and to failure on my sets.

:cuss: ***RAGE MOMENT OVER*** :cuss:

While it made me furious at the time, I won't let it get to me or affect my workout. Because idiots are gonna be everywhere in life, you can't avoid them completely so the best thing to do is to learn how to deal with them and not to let them bring you down.

After I calmed down, I actually reframed this into something positive... you know you are pushing yourself and improving when people around you start to oppose you... people aren't gonna care about someone who isn't achieving or progressing much, they only get intimidated when someone is pushing themselves to the max...take the guy who works at the gym telling me to stop grunting. Was I the only one grunting? Hell no. Others were dropping weights too. And the weights I was squatting were not massive by any account. He didn't go after those guys, he didn't tell them to stop grunting or dropping weights. He went after me as I was one of the few people in the gym that were giving my full intensity. And yeah, maybe those idiots who got in my way thought they could get away with it because I'm the small guy at the gym...but who cares?! This small guy packs a punch!!

If I let people bring me down I'll never improve. In the short time that I've been lifting hard and eating right, I've already noticed gains and this is only the beginning. I'm not about to let others stop me from achieving what I want.


Anyway, back to the workout:

Dumbbell lunges: 1 set, 2x52 pound dumbbells (so 104 pounds in total) , 7 reps to failure

Stiff-legged deadlifts: (my back is better so I'm gradually bringing the weight up): 2 sets, 204 pounds, 6 reps

Leg curls: 1 set, 110 pounds, 6 reps to failure

Barbell curls:2 sets, 77 pounds, 5 reps to failure.

Cable pushdowns: 2 sets, 66 pounds, 5 reps to failure

Standing hammer curls: 1 set, 2x30 pound dumbbells (so 60 pounds in total), 7 reps to failure

Overhead dumbbell extensions: 1 set, 1x52 pound dumbbell, 7 reps, wasn't intense enough so increased to 1x57 pound dumbbell, 7 reps...STILL wasn't intense enough so I'm going to increase the weight further next week.

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.

 

[Fuglydude]

Hahahaha!!! That's a hilarious mental picture man!

I'm sure you'll find it hilarious in retrospect though! Squatting close to 200 x 5 is quite respectable especially if you're going ATG olympic style! How's your squat depth w/ that kinda weight?

 

[JonJaper]

Hahahaha!!! That's a hilarious mental picture man!

I'm sure you'll find it hilarious in retrospect though! Squatting close to 200 x 5 is quite respectable especially if you're going ATG olympic style! How's your squat depth w/ that kinda weight?

Unfortunately I don't go ATG...I go just below parallel so my legs make slightly less than a 90 degree angle at the knee.

LOL yeah it is hilarious in retrospect but on a serious note I would rather be able to perform my workout in peace without all those disruptions.

I know this is supposed to be a workout log but you guys all know that lifting has a huge mental component too, so that's why I'm dumping my thoughts out here:

Interestingly I've already gained my first crowd of haters and I'm by no means big LOL...later that day some guy and his friends were telling me that I don't look like I lift, they look 500% better than me etc therefore grunting during my workout isn't appropriate, if I was bigger then grunting would be appropriate. Apparently you have to be a certain size before you are 'allowed' to grunt HAHA!! I imagined one of those "you must be THIS tall to ride" signs at rollercoaster rides and theme parks...."you must be THIS big to grunt (arrow pointing at a picture of Ronnie Coleman)" :crackup:

The BS that some people come up with...honestly LOL

After further conversation they even tried to claim that all the weight I gained since I started lifting was fat and not muscle. Hell, if these guys are making such an effort to undermine me, I must be doing something right. Like I said before, anyone who progresses or tries hard at anything will meet opposition at every stage. Sounds cynical, but people usually don't want you to succeed, whether you are in a better position than them or worse. Even a small guy at the gym trying hard is too much for some people.

Experiences like that will just motivate me more. I even told that group of guys to keep up with the comments and the insults because while some people would feel down and maybe give up after hearing those things, all it did was make me want to train even harder and stick to my diet more.

 

[JonJaper]

Yesterday was back/calves/forearms day:


Warmup: 5 mins on that 'exercise bike for arms'
2 warmup deadlift sets, 110 pounds, 10 reps.

Max effort deadlifts: 2 sets, 275 pounds, 5 reps to failure.
I noticed I was losing form at the end of the set (arching my upper back, which is bad news), so I got the help of an experienced powerlifter at the gym to critique my form and correct it, and did an extra set of 220 pounds, 8 reps to nail my form. It turns out that I arched my upper back because I had my hips too high up at the start of the lift...I did that because I remembered Ripptoe from the starting strength videos emphasising not to drop the hips at the starting position of the deadlift...guess I took that advice too literally LOL

Kroc rows: 2 sets, 79 pounds, 9 reps to failure.

Assisted chinups: 2 sets, 15 pounds assistance, 5 reps to failure

Dumbbell shrugs: 2 sets, 154 pounds, 10 reps to failure

Calf raises on a Smith machine standing on a platform: 2 sets, 286 pounds, 12 reps to failure

Barbell wrist curls: 1 set, 66 pounds, 6 reps to failure

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.

 

[JonJaper]

Today was chest/shoulders/abs day

5mins warmup on the 'exercise bike for arms'
2 sets incline DB warmup, 2x26 pound dumbbells, 10 reps

Max effort incline DB press: 2 sets, 2x48 pound dumbbells (so 96 pounds in total), 7 reps to failure.

Assisted dips: 2 sets, 15 pounds of assistance (less assistance = progress), 6 reps to failure

Barbell bench press: 2 sets, 104 pounds, 6 reps to failure

Military press: 2 sets, 2x44 pound dumbbells (so 88 pounds in total), 6 reps to failure

Dumbbell side laterals: 1 set, 2x22 pound dummbells (so 44 pounds in total), 13 reps to failure

Weighted decline crunches: 2 sets, holding a 44 pound plate, 11 reps to failure

Hanging leg raises:1 set, bodyweight, 17 reps

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.




Also....I weighed myself and measured my % bodyfat using a coin-operated bioelectrical impedance machine at a drugstore...

I've gone up to 149lbs and my % bodyfat has gone DOWN to 16.7%!!!. I don't know if there's some sort of mistake with the machine ( I made sure my hands were dry before using the machine etc), but if there isn't...then:

4 weeks ago: 19.0% bf and 138lbs = 26.22lbs of fat, 111.78lbs lean mass
Now: 16.7% bf and 149lbs = 24.88lbs of fat, 124.22lbs lean mass

Meaning I gained 11lbs AND lost 1.44lbs of fat!!! Is this even possible? Maybe the heavy lifting, regular eating + the n00b gains has increased my resting metabolism so I'm burning fat.

OR maybe that I'm back on creatine and drinking a lot of water, I put on extra lean mass in the form of water.

Whatever the reason, I'm taking this as a positive step and a sign that I'm doing things right, so I'm gonna keep on going!!

 

[Kerpal]

While I was doing my first set, some f*cking idiot (old guy, fat belly, skinny arms, benching 44 pounds and being spotted by a girl) comes up behind me WHILE I WAS SQUATTING and tries to spot me without me asking him to.

That's happened to me before; I'll be grinding out a heavy rep and some idiot comes running over to "spot" me. Not only are they endangering themselves (what if I drop the weight, are they going to catch it?), but there's nothing more distracting and annoying then someone running up behind you when you're trying to stand up from a full squat with a lot of weight on your back.

I've gone up to 149lbs and my % bodyfat has gone DOWN to 16.7%!!!. I don't know if there's some sort of mistake with the machine ( I made sure my hands were dry before using the machine etc), but if there isn't...then:

4 weeks ago: 19.0% bf and 138lbs = 26.22lbs of fat, 111.78lbs lean mass
Now: 16.7% bf and 149lbs = 24.88lbs of fat, 124.22lbs lean mass

Meaning I gained 11lbs AND lost 1.44lbs of fat!!! Is this even possible? Maybe the heavy lifting, regular eating + the n00b gains has increased my resting metabolism so I'm burning fat.

You probably are, but electronic body fat testers are not accurate, and scales are pointless for anyone who doesn't have to make weight for an athletic competition. Just use a mirror.

 

[JonJaper]

That's happened to me before; I'll be grinding out a heavy rep and some idiot comes running over to "spot" me. Not only are they endangering themselves (what if I drop the weight, are they going to catch it?), but there's nothing more distracting and annoying then someone running up behind you when you're trying to stand up from a full squat with a lot of weight on your back.

Tell me about it!! It made me so angry!!

In this particular instant the guy was so close to me that he was pretty much rubbing his d!ck up against my ass, it made me think that he might have just been a creepy old guy wanting some action LOL. I don't know about your gym, but in the case of my gym, hardly anyone trains their legs, and when they do, they do stupid quarter squats with terrible form...so when they see a guy going down to parallel AND physically exerting himself, they think something's wrong.

You probably are, but electronic body fat testers are not accurate, and scales are pointless for anyone who doesn't have to make weight for an athletic competition. Just use a mirror.

Yeah I know those electronic testers have their pitfalls and I won't take their measurements as gospel, but using the same machine and noticing clear changes that are bigger than the % error margin of the machine measurements may provide some indicator of progress. And about scales, I like to keep a numerical measurement of progress, it's a lot less subjective than a mirror, plus weight gains come a lot quicker than changes in appearance so seeing progress in weight can give you motivation when you aren't seeing much difference in the mirror.

 

[JonJaper]

Today went a LOT better than last week.

No idiots disrupting my squats!!!

This time I actually noticed a really skinny guy doing squats with awful form, even the personal trainers at the gym were giving him weird looks (he had his feet together, he was not going down enough, almost leaning backwards, not driving with the hips at the bottom etc)... I struck up a conversation with him, asked him how long he's been squatting for, and if he's happy with his technique etc. He said he squatted 2 times before this and that he's happy with his technique.

This might have been selfish...but I thought it was none of my business to interfere and also I didn't really care much as long as he didn't try to disrupt me or tell me how to squat so I didn't bother to tell him about his form...I just said "Ok then, ask me if you need help" and told him that I'm going to failure on my squats so he shouldn't be alarmed by me or try to jump in to help me etc.

I then left him to his ways. The personal trainers are paid to help people with this kind of thing, it's their job to make sure gym-goers are lifting correctly and safely...it's not my problem LOL


So, back to the workout log.


Today was thighs/biceps/triceps day:

5 mins warmup on a crosstrainer (to get blood flowing to the arms and legs)
2 sets warmup squats, 88 pounds, 10 reps

Max effort squats: 2 sets, 192.5 pounds, 6 reps to failure on the first set, 5 reps to failure on the 2nd set.

Dumbbell lunges: 1 set, 2x57 pound dumbbells (so 114 pounds in total) , 6 reps to failure

Stiff-legged deadlifts: (My back is completely better now but I'm still cautious about injuring my back so I'm gradually bringing the weight up and not going to failure): 2 sets, 209 pounds, 6 reps

Leg curls: 1 set, 110 pounds, 7 reps to failure

Barbell curls:2 sets, 77 pounds, 6 reps to failure.

Cable pushdowns: 2 sets, 66 pounds, 6 reps to failure

Standing hammer curls: 1 set, 2x30 pound dumbbells (so 60 pounds in total), 7 reps to failure

Overhead dumbbell extensions: 1 set, 1x61 pound dumbbell, 5 reps to failure

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.

 

[JonJaper]

Today was back/calves/forearms day:


Warmup: 5 mins on that 'exercise bike for arms'
2 warmup deadlift sets, 132 pounds, 10 reps.

Max effort deadlifts: 2 sets, 1st set was 275 pounds, 7 reps, didn't go to failure so on the 2nd set I increased the weight to 281 pounds, 5 reps to failure.


Kroc rows: 2 sets, 79 pounds, 11 reps to failure.

Assisted chinups: 2 sets, 15 pounds assistance, 6 reps to failure

Dumbbell shrugs: 2 sets, 160 pounds, 10 reps to failure

Calf raises on a Smith machine standing on a platform: 3 sets, 290 pounds, 10 reps to failure

Barbell wrist curls: 1 set, 66 pounds, 6 reps to failure

Any numbers in bold represent increases from last week.