Today in Taran's Body (Log)

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

This is a log of Taran’s training. I will start with some information about who I am and my training history.

I am 5’11", 22 years old and I have been training on and off like an asshole since I was 18. In that time I had a few relatively useless personal trainers at extremely useless fitness clubs.

I made very few gains in that time. Early this summer I undertook a personal project. I found that person inside of me. I found that person who was weak, who was a coward, and who was a pathetic sloth and I killed him.

He died in the first weeks of june and I am a different person. In that time I have dropped from a fat 201lbs in early june to a much stronger 188lbs in mid july. In mid july I committed to bulking. I am now 207lbs.

Monday - Lower
-Squat 5x5 (then:115 now:190)
-Front Squats 3x5
-leg curl 3x10
-Calves 3xfailure

Wed - Upper
-BP 5x5 (then:115 now:155)
-close grip benchpress 3x5
-pull ups 3x5 (negatives atm)

Fri - Lower
-deadlift 5x5 (then:115 now:190)
-Seated Rows 3x8
-Bent Over Row 3x5

Sat - Upper
-Military Press 5x5 (then:70 now:100)
-Skull Crushers 3x5
-ez-curls 3x5

I have been doing this workout for 1 month. My previous workout had no lat or shoulder work (see here http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1213996&pageNo=0#1213996 ). This lead my bench to stall at 155lbs for quite a while and accounts for my, comparatively, low military press. Yesterday I defeated the 155lbs benchpress.

My diet is quite simple. I eat food. I eat lots of food as long as that food isn’t meat. I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. So I eat eggs and dairy but I do not consume flesh. I do this for primarily ethical and ecological reasons, so save your health arguments. I have been trying to consume 4L of milk a day, and have been largely successful in doing so.

Supplement wise I am focusing on the vegetarian basics. I have a low carb whey protein, a gainer (post workout drinks), creatine, multi-vitamin, iron, zinc, magnesium, and flaxseed oil.

My goals are also quite simple:
Short term I want to bulk to 225. If I am comfortable with my body fat at 225 I will set a new short term weight goal.
Long term I want to be as strong and healthy as I can possibly be.

If anyone has any questions, comments, or advice I am quite happy to hear it.

2

[quote]Taran wrote:
I won’t write 3 entries and then disappear. [/quote]

Start it up and prove it, then.

3

Man up and just do it screw what we think

4

[quote]Phill wrote:
Man up and just do it screw what we think
[/quote]

Done.

5

Thursday sept 21
Weight (with clothes)
207lbs > 208lbs
I am quite happy to see my weight steadily increasing. I hope to reach 225lbs by december and at this rate I should be able to.

Deadlift (5x5)
190lbs > 195lbs
I am having some grip trouble as my weight moves up. I have some ironmind grippers that I am considering getting back into, though im not sure it would help. Other than that I am very excited about having some weights move into the 200lbs zone. Progress is a great feeling.

Seated row (3x8)
100lbs
bent over row (3x5)
115lbs
As I haven’t been doing these for very long I am still getting used to them and figuring out where I am at. I feel like I could have gone a fair bit heavier on my seated rows. My bent over rows are about where they should be if I want to maintain decent form, which I do.

I also just got an mp3 player. Music is the best thing to happen to my training since food. Being able to listen to some good hard music, instead of the crap on the gym radio or the mindless chatter of the people around me, really helps. I don’t like that I need music to shut off my mind but I consider it acceptable for now.

6

Friday sept 22

Weight 208lbs>209lbs (with clothes)
Oddly enough I weighed in at 2lbs heavier today than I did on tuesday, no complaints though.

Military Press (5x5)
100lbs>105lbs

Skull crushers (3x5)
75lbs>70lbs
My form last week was poor, today was much better.

EZ-curl (3x5)
75lbs>80lbs
These are really begining to aggrivate the spot where I broke my arm as a child. I am seeing the doctor next week to discuss the bony bump that has formed.

I am starting a grip program called KTA tomorow. I made a half assed attempt at it last year but I didn’t get far. I will complete it this time. While the focus of the program is on grippers I am hoping there will be carryover to my holding grip.

7

Monday sept 25

Weight (with clothes)
209lbs>210lbs

Squat (5x5)
190lbs>200lbs
I am really happy to have hit 200lbs on a weight. I should be squatting my body weight within a few weeks, Im stoked.

Front squat (3x5)
145lbs

seated calf raise (3xfailure)
135lbs
reps 10, 10, 8

leg curl (3x5)
165lbs

Things are going really well. I am very happy with my lifting and body weight progress.

I had my first “squat rack curler” experience today. Thankfully he was curling on the smith and not the one real rack the gym has. Normally I dont’ pay any attention to other people when im training but it was really hard to not gawk at this guy. He spent the whole time I was working out going back and forth between smith curls and tri-extensions. Though he did work in on my front squats. He was doing a lift that looked like a cross between a lunge and a barbell front squat, if anyone knows what that is I am curious to hear it. He just called it a “squat”.

8

Your doing it proving it nearing 1 week here keep it up lets see months and years of hard work :slight_smile:

9

Tuesday sept 26

Weight 210lbs (with clothes)

Bench press (5x5)
155lbs>160lbs

pull ups (3x5)
still all negatives

close grip bench (3x5)
135lbs

I am really happy to have moved on from the 155lbs bench, that stagnation was making me crazy.

10

Well crap. I just read “the truth about bulking” and it has messed up my plans.

I have gained 22lbs in about 4 months. So at best 8 of that has been from normal training. I gained 5lbs when I went on creatine. So I have probably put on a good 9lbs of fat. That sucks. I didn’t think i put on that much fat but I guess I did.

So I need to figure out wtf I am going to do now. CT suggests dropping to 10% bf and maintaining that while building muscle.

I have to admit I am quite confused about where to go from here. I am making good progress on my strength with what I am doing now but I don’t want to slow my long term progress. I don’t eat junk and I certainly didn’t see my caloric intake as massive, maybe I will just lay off the 2% a bit and see what happens.

Thoughts? Advice?

11

Well, after reading through the comments on “the truth about bulking” I figured out what I am going to do. I am going to stfu and stop being such a bitch. I am going to switch to skim, ditch the cheat meal, and start doing some cardio.

I am definetly in the chubby kid catagory and if there is no reason to be there, I will leave. Hopefully these changes will lean me out without really screwing my progress. If not, Ill just do more.

12

Right on Buddy, your doing great!

If you eat clean it is almost impossible to eat to much and gain extra fat. Clean food is just so much less calorie dense. You may gain a littl but nothing drastic.

Keep it up!

13

I am really going to try and focus on eating more cleanly. I haven’t been eating much junk but I certainly could be focusing more on my diet. So I am going to do that.

Thanks for the support.

14

Weight (with clothes)
210lbs

Deadlift (5x5)
195lbs>200lbs
Its awesome to be at 200lbs finally. 200lbs bench, here I come. KTA has really helped with my grip, no holding prblms now.

seated row (3x8)
100lbs>120lbs
100lbs was really way too light, 120 feel much better.

bent over row (3x5)
115lbs
I am going to give this one another week or two before putting the weight up. The form still feels weird and I want to make sure I am getting it right.

KTA is going really well. i can close the #1 with some regularity. It is kind of annoying to be in such an awkward stage, closing a gripper once or twice but not enough to make the #2 my goal gripper. Sooooon my precious, we will be grinding the #2 to make our bread…

15

Weight (with clothes)
210lbs

Military press (5x5)
105lbs>110lbs

EZ-curl
1x80lbs underhand (sooo painful on my arm)
2x70lbs overhand (less weight but almost no pain)

skull crushers (3x5)
70lbs

I am harsh choked about this curling business. My arm was fucked after the attempt, I am even starting to get sharp pain a bit now. I am going to HAVE to lay off it a bit. I will go to the walk in clinic tomorow and see If I can get an X-ray set up. Other than that things went well.

I am considering giving the V diet a go in the next couple months. I have quite a bit of tolerance for body fat (I have never seen my abs before so its not like i miss them) but I am chubby beyond where I am comfortable. I may have to take it easy on the upper body lifting for a while so leaning out seems like a good use of that time.

I also would like to be much leaner for xmas time. I will be visiting my friends and family in vancouver then and I would prefer to not be fat for it. I am still toying with the idea and I will read up on it a few more times. Advice is appreciated.

16

I filled the crap out of my 100lbs gripper and started week phase 1 week 2 of KTA.

17

Weight (with clothes)
210lbs>208lbs

Squat (5x5)
200lbs>205lbs

front squat (3x5)
135lbs

leg curl (3x5)
165lbs

seated calf raise (3xfailure)
135lbs
reps: 10 10 10

I was really low enegry today. I am trying to cut calories a bit and its affecting my energy levels.
I had ordered the stuff for the V diet but I had to cancel it after examining my finances. Hopefully sometime soon I will have the money. Guess Ill be loosing fat the old fashioned way.

18

This may be a strange question but how do you build your neck? I am interested in adding some thickness so if anyone has suggestions i would love to hear them.

19

Weight (with clothes)
208lbs

Bench press (5x5)
160lbs

pull ups (3x5)
all negatives

close grip bench (3x5)
135lbs>140lbs

Jog for 10 min

The only really noteworthy part of this workout was the “cardio” I did at the end. Fuck I can’t beleive how bad my cardio is now. The extra fat I have put on while bulking has made me even shittier than I was before. I will definetly be doing some running more regularly now.

20

Went into the doctor for the second time. I now have an x-ray appointment for wednesday. I basically can’t do anything involving my arms for now. I MIGHT be able to do bench, we will see. I guess I am going to be squatting like a mofo for the next while. BAH, this is frusterating.