Brand new to ExRx.net as of a few days ago. Excited by not only the great reference material on the website itself, but also by the intelligence and attitude of the "regulars".
About me
22, college student (so that means I have to deal with crowded weight rooms and dining hall food - not the best environment for this sort of thing!). I'm a quarter-inch shy of 6', and have been weighing in around 178lbs.
Experience
Lifted weights for football in high school, usually followed a 5x5 format on most of the basic lifts. Scrawny until about junior year, discovered whey protein and creatine and bulked up. Actively weight trained until I went away to school.
Other than the occasional guilt trip once a month or so, didn't touch a weight for 4 years!
About a year ago, started going back twice a week, which picked up to about three times a few months later.
Since January, I have been going 4+ times a week. Until last week, I have been doing a very standard uppers/lowers routine. Switched out of it because I felt that more of a split was more appropriate now that I'm going much more frequently than when I started again a year ago.
So far I am two days through my new program, a 4-day split, and feel incredible.
Diet
Over the past few weeks, I have cut sugar out of my diet completely. Other than two glasses of milk, half a glass of orange juice, and (infrequently) a tiny cup of black coffee, I only drink water.
While the dining halls do not serve whole wheat bread (too expensive I guess?), I plan on making the change from multi-grain to whole-wheat this week when I start bringing my own damn bread to the cafeteria. Multi-grain just feels way too dense to me.
A typical day of food for me is an Odwalla bar, salad, bananas, peanut butter, almonds, turkey and Swiss sandwich (sometimes roast beef to mix it up), and grilled chicken. Seems pretty plain, but there's not much I can do with no kitchen! I'm actually very content with my diet, am rarely hungry, and let myself eat whatever I want (in moderation) probably only once every other week at this point.
Note to self: I should be drinking more water. Probably only getting five or six glasses right now.
Supplements
Multi-vitamin and fish oil, whey protein shakes (I mix my chocolate Isopure with peanut butter, banana, and water. Amazing) once per day, but increasing to twice a day starting next week.
Have never used creatine for more than three weeks at a time, have been off creatine for a couple of weeks, but may experiment with it again after I get a hang of my HIIT program. Which brings me to...
Cardio
I've noticed many guys here don't wish to do cardio, but I had always been unsatisfied with a ripped upper body but no flat stomach to complement it. They say that last bit of extra fat on the lower abdomen is the hardest to get rid of, and boy, they aren't kidding! Getting rid of that is a goal of mine over the next two months.
Current Routine
Again, started this at the beginning of the week. Still making modifications based on how I feel, and of course, the suggestions that I read on ExRx. My workout is a 4-on, 1-off split. Here is what I've done so far this week, along with my weights and reps:
Tuesday, April 14: Back & Biceps
Back (Lats) – Cable Pulldown 3x10 @120lbs
Back (General) – Dumbbell Bent-over Row 3x10 @50lbs
Back (General) – Seated Cable Row *Probably switching this with face-pulls*
Biceps – Dumbbell Curl 3x10 @ 35lbs *Reached failure*
Bracialis – Dumbbell Concentration Curl 3x10 @ 20lbs
Bracioradialis – Dumbbell Hammer Curl 3x10 @ 25lbs
Wrist Flexors – Dumbbell Ulnar Flexion 3x10
Wednesday, April 15: Chest & Triceps
Chest (General) – Barbell Bench Press 3x10 @155lbs
Chest (Upper) – Dumbbell Incline Bench Press 3x10 @35lbs
Chest (General) – Weighted Chest Dip *Forgot to do this!*
Chest (General) – Lever Seated Fly 3x10 @60lbs
Triceps – Dumbbell Triceps Extention *Had bad form this week, doesn't count*
Triceps – Cable Pushdown 3x10 @57.5lbs
Wrist Extensors – Dumbbell Radial Flexion
Thursday, April 16: Thighs
Quadriceps – Lever Seated Leg Press (lower platform) 3x10 @190lbs
Hamstrings – Barbell Straight Leg Dead Lift ** Lower Back** 3x10 @bar+50lbs
Quadriceps - Dumbbell Lunge 3x10 @20lbs
Hamstrings – Cable Lying Leg Curl 3x10 @70lbs
Quadriceps – Barbell Bent Knee Good-morning (Glute) 3x10 @bar
Hamstrings – Weighted Hip Extension (45 degree) 3x10 @0, once with med ball
Hip Adductors – Lever Seated Hip Adduction 3x10 @70lbs
Hip Abductors – Lever Seated Hip Abduction 3x10 @70lbs
HIIT Workout *Reached failure at 7th short interval
This is what my HIIT program consists of:
5 minute warmup, Ten 15-second sprints with about 2 minutes break in between, Four 60-second sprints with about 4 minutes break in between. Will try to do this three times per week.
This is what I've got planned for tomorrow:
Shoulders/Calves/Abs
Deltoid (Front) – Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Calves (General) – Lever Seated Calf Extension
Deltoid (Side) – Barbell Upright Row
Calves (General) – Lever Seated Calf Press
Deltoid (Front) – Dumbbell Front Raise
Deltoid (Rear) – Dumbbell Rear Delt Row
Trapezius (Upper) – Dumbbell Shrug
Hip Flexors – Weighted Decline Sit-up
Tibialis Anterior – Lever Seated Reverse Calf Extension
Abdominals
Neck Extensors
Neck Flexors
Obliques
This week, it is important to me to use light weights to make sure that I am performing each exercise properly. Next week I'll start adding weight, so no judging yet!
You can post your comments on this thread:
http://exrx.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=50250#50250
-Matt F
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