Starting OVT - Training Log

Training Logs
1

Age: 17
Height: 5’6"
Weight: 165lbs
BF%: 11%

Hello, i finally gave up lurking and decided to join the forums. I have been lifting for about one and a half years, but only about half of that has been serious. My main problem is being unable to stick to a single program for more than two weeks, so this is some kind of failsafe, a reminder, something to keep me on track.

I’ve no idea of my bench, deadlift and squat stats since i have not been training with standard equipment, i just recently gained access to real gym equipment (Squat Rack, Dip/Pull-up Station/Bench) and am very eager to start.

I will post my afternoon workout later in the day. My goals are to put on around 20 pounds of muscle in under 10 months, and i’m following a standard high-protein, high-carb, low-fat 4000 kcal diet.

2

Day 1 - Tuesday, May 27, 2008

First time with real weights, my uncle bought an elite set of Powerblock Dumbbells, and i fell in love with them!

I mostly followed the Optimized Volume Training to the letter, but switched out some exercises because of lack of equipment.

A1. Dumbbell Flat Bench Press
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 75 lbs

A2. Dumbbell Flyes
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 35 lbs

B1. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 55 lbs

B2. Dumbbell Incline Flyes
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 25 lbs

C1. Lat Pulldown
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 125 lbs

C2. 1-Arm Rowing
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 85 lbs

T-Bar Row
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 135 lbs

I guess those are pretty low numbers, but i have to admit dumbbells beat the crap out of buckets and toolboxes.
I replaced the last 2 exercises (Bent-Over Row and Seated Cable Rows) with the T-Bar Row, and is, by far, my favorite exercise so far.

Since this was my first real workout, i ran into some trouble. For example, i’m so short i couldn’t unhook the lat pulldown bar and bruised my hip doing dumbbells presses, it’s kinda hard getting them in the right spot xD All in all a brutal workout, and i can’t wait for Thursday’s training!

3

Good luck, bud! I’m thinking of starting this program, as well. Keep updating the post with your workouts. I’m curious to see how it works for ya! I’ll post a thread when I get started on it.

Hawk

PS- In regaurds to the bruised hips from DB bench…Try putting the DB’s on your knees and rock back onto the bench (while keeping them on the knee’s) until in position. When you finish the set, keep the DB’s extended and bring your knees back up to the them and rock back up :wink:

4

Thanks for the tip, although i reckon having bruised knees has other unfavorable connotations in this country XD

My father, a former bodybuilder, recommended folding a towel and tucking it in under my pants to cushion the blow, but i think i’ll try out your method, thanks!

Actually, i’ll just drag his ass to spot me.

5

Day 2 - Wednesday, May 28

Leg Day

A1. Front Squats @ 180 lbs
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

A2. Lunges @ 110 lbs (55 lb DB’s)
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

B1. One-Leg Squat @ 65 lbs
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

B2. Leg Curl @ 135 lbs, 90 lbs on last two
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

C1. Sumo Deadlift @ 265 lbs
5, 5, 5, 5, 4.5

C2. Romanian Deadlift @ 215 lbs
5, 5, 5, 5, 3

Holy shit. That’s pretty much it. I honestly thought all that talk about leg day wasn’t for real. Front Squats were brutal, i was half expecting to walk away and find my entrails splattered on the floor, jettisoned explosively from my behind. Yeah, gross, but i almost shat my liver out.

I tried much higher loads, and started doing reps, but my father walked in and promptly yelled at me, lowered around 50 lbs and told me to watch my form. I could barely stand up after the third set. One-Arm Squat was tricky, my legs were quivering and i was having a hard trouble balancing, but i managed to finish.

Deadlifts. Oh boy, i don’t really know what to say about them, i just screamed a lot and managed to finish the sets, on the last set, i was just huffing and puffing, sweating buckets and wishing for it to end, couldn’t finish them, my mind was still going but my body refused to budge.

I drank a massive PWO Surge shake and walked upstairs dragging myself along the stair rails, and just fell into a crumpled heap in my bed.

It was awesome. My chest and back are throbbing with dull pain, the good kind of pain i reckon, from yesterday’s workout. I’ll just go lay down now.

6

Day 3 - Off Day

Well, i’m proud of being able to say “My Quadriceps are very sore”, it makes me look cool. Actually i could barely walk let alone shuffle through the stairs, i just gobbled tons of Fish Oil, ate clean foods and tried not to move a lot.

Looking forward for tomorrow’s arm workout, actually, i dread it. I’d rather lay down all day, but i don’t want to disappoint you two lurkers over there reading my log xD

7

Day 4 - Biceps/Triceps

A1. Barbell Curl
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 90 lbs first 3, 80 on last 2

A2. Dumbbell Curls
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 35 lbs each DB(Slow Tempo)

B1. Preacher Curl
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 60 lbs

B2. Hammer Curl
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 35 lbs each DB(Slow Tempo)

C1. Weighted Dips
5, 5, 5, 5, 4 @ 65 lbs

C2. Decline Tricep Extension
5, 5, 5, 5, 3 @ 35 lbs each DB (Slow Tempo

D1. Lying Triceps Extension
5, 5, 5, 4, 3 @ 35 lbs each DB

D2. Cable Pressdown
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 115 lbs (Slow Tempo)

Awesome workout today, i couldn’t stretch out my arms afterwards. I am very lucky that my father supervises my form, i was doing sloppy BB Curls: Hip swaying, not breathing, arching back, the works. Once i lowered the weight and started concentrating on the stretch at the bottom, i could REALLY feel my arms being worked.

Weighted Dips were a bitch, i had to improvise with my weight belt, a 25 lb disc and a pull-down cable. I also wore a 40 lb vest. I was sweating buckets at that point, but i refused to stop before finishing, i mostly tried not to hit total failure, which is why i didn’t go for the whole 5 reps in some sets.

Now i hope my arms won’t throb with pain tomorrow. Actually, i do, means i did it right, i guess. Going to sleep now, i’m exhausted.

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Also for those looking for a couple of chuckles this is me 5 years ago. I look younger but maybe it’s because i have adorable cheeks.

Day 5 - Off Day - Friday, May 30, 2008

This is a snapshot of my current diet.

Meal 1
5 Egg Whites
2 Whole Eggs
1 cup Oatmeal
1 medium sized apple

Meal 2
7 oz chicken breast
1 cup oatmeal

Meal 3
6 oz Tuna
4 slices wheat bread

Meal 4 (PWO Shake)
90 grms Dextrose
45 grms Whey
Total 580 calories

Meal 5
1 Cup of Oatmeal
1 Large Sweet Baked Potato
2 Turkey Burgers

Meal 6
8 oz fish
1 large Sweet Potato

Meal 7
1 cup Cottage Cheese
2 spoonfuls of Flax Oil
Assorted Greens

Total Calories: 4000
Protein Intake: 350
Carb Intake: 460

It’s a bitch following the diet, but i’m not giving up any time soon. Good thing i kept my fat-kid eating habits, i’m not having any trouble keeping up with all the food.

Actually today was a really crappy day diet-wise. Girlfriend day, just ate a couple of Mulitas (Meat, melted cheese and assorted veggies in between a couple corn tortillas), ate a bowl of Teriyaki and rice, a hasty breakfast shake consisting of oatmeal and Metabolic Drive and a very damn tasty Club Sandwich. I just try to keep eating every two hours.

I am not one of those frat boys that is afraid of losing sight of his abs, but i’m opting for a clean 3-pound a month bulk as i absolutely hate cardio and the less excess BF i have to burn off, the better.

9

Day 6 - Shoulders - June 01

A1. Military Press
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 90, 85, 80, 80, 80 lbs

A2. Incline Lateral Raise
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 25 lbs

B1. Alternating DB Shoulder Press
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 45 lbs

B2. Front Raise
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 25 lbs

C1. Incline Lying DB Row to Neck
5, 5, 5, 5, 4 @ 55 lbs each DB

C2. Incline Rear Delt Raise
5, 5, 5, 5, 3 @ 25 lbs each DB (Slow Tempo)

Oy, shit. That hurt, a lot. I heard a lot of pops and cracks, it was scary. I stopped reps and started warming up, first.

What can i say… Uhm… Shoulders are a horrible muscle to train, it’s very painful, at least for me. I took a nap afterwards and when i woke up i felt like i was hit by a truck. Can’t wait for next week :smiley:

10

Day 8 - Chest/Back

A1. Dumbbell Flat Bench Press
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 80 lbs

A2. Dumbbell Flyes
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 25 lbs

B1. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 65 lbs

B2. Dumbbell Incline Flyes
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 25 lbs

C1. Lat Pulldown
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 135 lbs First 3, 125 lbs last 2.

C2. 1-Arm Rowing
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 85 lbs

T-Bar Row
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 145 lbs

Great workout! Much more intense and disciplined than last week’s, i got the technique down on most of them, all my lifts went up by 5-10 pounds, and i was drenched in sweat when i finished. And to the guy that recommended the knees up method to keep me from beating myself to death with Dumbbells, it worked great. Only thing that went down was flies because i concentrated way more on having a quality stretch and controlling the movement.
Damn, i just realized tomorrow is Legs day. God save me.

11

Day 9
Leg Day

A1. Front Squats @ 200 lbs, 190 on last two
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

A2. Lunges @ 110 lbs (45 lb DB’s)(Concentrated on form)
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

B1. One-Leg Squat @ 70 lbs
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

B2. Leg Curl @ 145 lbs, 100 lbs on last two
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

C1. Sumo Deadlift @ 280 lbs
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

C2. Romanian Deadlift @ 220 lbs
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Oy, shit, i just collapsed after i was done with the Romanian Deadlifts. I really enjoy deadlifts, i think my body frame is ideal for them. That said, my teeth almost shattered from biting down the pain. All my lifts went up by 10-15 pounds, which isn’t that impressive taking in account the fact that i just started training a week ago xD Limping on to tomorrow…

12

Day 11

A1. Barbell Curl
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 95 lbs first 3, 90 on last 2

A2. Dumbbell Curls
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 35 lbs each DB(Slow Tempo)

B1. Preacher Curl
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 65 lbs

B2. Hammer Curl
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 35 lbs each DB(Slow Tempo)

C1. Weighted Dips
5, 5, 5, 5, 4 @ 67 lbs

C2. Decline Tricep Extension
5, 5, 5, 5, 3 @ 35 lbs each DB (Slow Tempo

D1. Lying Triceps Extension
5, 5, 5, 4, 3 @ 35 lbs each DB

D2. Cable Pressdown
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 120 lbs (Slow Tempo)

Oy, shit, screw this i’m going to lay down now, hopefully i can stretch out my arms tomorrow.

13

A1. Military Press
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 90, 90, 90, 85, 85 lbs

A2. Incline Lateral Raise
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 25 lbs

B1. Alternating DB Shoulder Press
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 50 lbs

B2. Front Raise
5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 25 lbs

C1. Incline Lying DB Row to Neck
5, 5, 5, 5, 4 @ 60 lbs each DB

C2. Incline Rear Delt Raise
5, 5, 5, 5, 3 @ 25 lbs each DB (Slow Tempo)

All my lifts went up. Today was a very odd day for me. I’m seeing gains on all my workouts. But sometimes… Uhm, how could i explain it… I feel i have more in me. I for one know i leave nothing at the gym each time i go, i always do my best, my mind never breaks until my body just tells me to stop. It’s just at moments like these that i think “Damn, could i have done more?”. Rest days are terrible like that, when you’re so hyped up you can barely wait for it to be next morning.

So this is why i’m formally suspending OVT. I have no doubts in my mind it is a great program, but it does not meet my needs. And my needs at this moments are very odd ones indeed. I realized i don’t give much of a damn about my poundage, or isometric ballistic vertical momentum or whatever. I just want to lift, lift heavy, lift as often as possible. It’s just those moments where all my so-called teenage angst boils away and i need more of that, i need this or otherwise i will lose my mind. My life is a mess, everything has changed and is alien to me. I am faced with threats and challenges so overwhelming it’s a wonder i haven’t buckled yet. My mind is strong, and i want my body to be strong, as well. The weight room is one of the only places where i can truly feel i am worth something, when the sweat dribbles down my forehead and hits the ground. I love that, i love the pump, i love the results, i love the driven, confident person it has made me.

No more fooling around. No more waking up at middday, skipping workouts or junk food. This is serious now. I will not waste my time seeing potential progress gone to waste for things like ‘insufficient protein’ and ‘catabolic meltdown’. I will deposit my utmost effort into this, this means no skipping workouts, pushing my pain barriers to levels i had never experienced, pushing my mind to its limits. No skipping meals, i will now prepare all my meals in advance, eat with professional timing, do everything right. I will NOT waste my time. Well for those 3 guys that managed to get this far into my long-winded post that are probably asking themselves why the hell am i writing this, i just want to make myself publicly accountable. As of now i am starting this new program. If anyone reads this, i would enormously thank any tweaks and suggestions that might better adjust the program to my needs.

Workout #1 will be done on Monday/Wednesday/Friday.
And will train the following bodyparts

Morning
Chest
Back
Evening
Legs
Abs

Workout #2 will be done on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday

Morning
Shoulders
Upper Arms
Forearms
Calves

Abdominals every day

Workout #1
Chest
Barbell Bench Press - 4 sets: 1 set of 15 rep warm-up and
stripping method on last two sets

Barbell Incline Bench press - Same as above

DB Flys - 3 sets (10, 8, 6)

Weighted Dips - 3 sets (15, 10, 8)

Pullovers - 3 sets of 15 reps

Back

Chin-Ups 4 sets - 10 reps minimum

Close-Grip Chins 4 sets - 10 reps minimum

T-Bar Rows 4 sets

Barbell Rows 4 sets

Thighs

Squats 5 sets
Front Squats 4 sets
Hack Squats 3 sets
Leg Curls 4 sets
Straight Leg Deadlift 3 sets

Calves

Donkey Calf Raises 4 sets
Standing Calf Raises 4 sets

Abdominals

Crunches 3 sets of 25
Bent-Over Twists 100 reps each side
Machine Crunches 3 sets of 25 reps
Crunches 50 reps

Alright. I’m tired, i’ll write down Workout #2 tomorrow. Alarm clock set. Writing all that down, sure seems like a lot. Again any help would be appreciated.