I was going to hold off on this log for a while because I am still traveling. But my main fitness goals these days is to train for the rest of my life. My cholesterol is off the roof and I have history of family illness (all my grandparents have been dead for 10+ years). So I was thinking that this would
be the perfect time to start a log. I will be traveling and I will be forced to find ways to hit the gym or at least go running.

Background

At 18 I was super skinny (natural ectomorph). Not only small body frame but metabolism off the roof. I weighed 118 pounds on my 18th birthday. Senior year in high school the gym coach had us go to the weights section. There I vividly remember putting a 5 pound weight on each side of the 45lb bar and trying to bench press. Could not do a single rep!!! I lowered the weight to just the bar and cranked out a few reps.

That was a turning point in my life. My little brother had gotten into weights before me and was making some gains. So I started sneaking off to the gym trying to get close to the weights my brother was using so we could train together. I would take these digusting 2000+ calorie milk protein weight gaining shakes that they use to sell. I was lactose intolerant so I would end up on the floor writhering in stomach pain. I became obsessed with weightlifting (more so bodybuilding) and read anything I could regarding muscle gain. I did many things wrong however I did take plenty of protein. I was probably taking 250+ grams of protein at 118 pounds. Very little of the excess calories got turned into fat. By my freshman year in college I was 149 and still around 12% bodyfat.

I trained like an animal every summer after college. I would gain around 10-15 pounds of lean body mass and then promptly lose half of it during the college year because I couldn't afford to eat 4000+ calories a day. I was still obsessed with exercise science and even almost majored in it but came to my senses and did engineering instead. By the end of my 5 years in college I peaked at 175 and still around 12% bodyfat (my abs were always visible). I had gained 50lbs of lean body mass and people could tell (got accused of roids a couple of times). My lifts were half decent but nothing impressive. Pure strength was never a goal of mine but my routines were always based around the big 3 so I did make some decent gains

Bench 255x2
Squats 375x1
Deadlift 375x1


Fast forward to over 10 years later. At the beginning of this year I was 181 at 22% bodyfat. In the last decade I have averaged around 20 days of training a year. Luckily I kept a bunch of my lean body mass gains but did gain plenty of fat. Worst of all, my cholesteral is off the roof (315+). And not just LDL, but triglycerides are like 400+. I guess all those cheeseburgers and beers had finally caught up to me. My precious metabolism had finally slowed.

So time for a new start. Time to train for life. Time to reach my genetic potential.

Goal #1 Be healthy

Can I lower cholesterol levels enough with dietary changes and aerobic exercise? Or will I need pills for life. Will find it soon

Goal #2 Approach genetic potentical for lean body mass

The max I have reached previously is around 155. My guess the maximum I can possibly reach without steroids is probably 165. At the beginning of this year I was 140 so I had kept a large part of my gains. Remember that my wrists are less than 6.5 inches, there is only so much muscle I can carry before tendons and other stuff starts falling apart.

Goal #3 Be Strong

This goal is not as important. If I can reach previous highs I would be happy. I am super wimpy right now so if I get close to previous highs I will probably be 160 lbs Lean Body Mass

Log is going to be bodybuilding heavy. I have been catching up on my knowlege base. So sick how things change over the years. I use to read everything I could get my hands on when I was in college (from muscle mags to fitness journals to university studies). Twelve years later things have changed in the fitness world. But last few months I have read tons and tons of info and have consolidated some of my old voodoo stuff from years ago. I have read most of Lyle's stuff twice and have caught up on all the new studies regarding supplements, nutrition, and muscle growth. One big suprise for me has been all the studies regarding BCAAs and EAAs before a workout. 15 years ago it was widely believed that some CHOs (carbs) preworkout was all we needed. Now all these studies point to amino acis preworkout. So much that I ordered a big tub from amazon.

I have to admit some of my bodybuilding voodoo is still there so I apologize ahead of time. For example I still really believe that flexing and posing helps a ton in the mind muscle connection and therefore helps you target your muscles more efficiently when weight training. So don't mind me while I say I flex in the shower.

My first workout was Feb 10th. Started off somewhat slow getting back into the game. Most of my lifts are less than 50% of what they use to be. Legs are especially weak since frequent layoffs tend to ignore them best.

I mean what part do you think I am going to workout after a long lay off? Of course all broscience practitioners will agree, "Let's workout Chest dude."

Measurements on March 17th
Weight - 177

Waist (around navel) - 35.5"
Wow, that's a shocker to me. I wear size 32 pants, what gives? Well I am measuring around the fattest part (navel), but still. I claim to be ectomorph with 35.5" waistline?? Disgusting. Feb 10th I was definitely over 36"!!!

Arms - 14"
Too small. Especially bicep

Calf - 14.5"
Embarrasingly small

Chest - 41"
Gross. My taper is 41" chest down to around 34" to smallest part of my waist. Again,
despicable.

Neck - 15.3"

One of my best bodyparts. Traps and neck grows like a weed

Thigh - 23"

No comment at this time. Have no idea what this means yet.

I measured my waist at like 32.5" the other week and my 32s were falling off my waist. I could hold the wasitline out like it was one of those before/after weight-loss pictures.

The waist measurement is so akward. I am using army bodyfat calculator a bit right now so I measure around navel. Today its around 34". But other parts of my waist are 33". But 32inch pants fit super loose on me right now.

If your waist around your navel is 32.5" shouldn't you wear like 30" pants? My older bro has 40" waist (navel) and he wears 36" pants. Stupid jeans companies are in cahoots to make us think we are skinnier than we actually are.

I bought some Iphone app in March to keep track of weight, measurements, and strength. Here is my first tracked workout

March 18th
Legs
Smith squat (LOL)
140 x 10 (LOL)
180 x 6 (LOL)

Not counting weight of bar since it varies on smith machines. But still very LOL. What happened to my legs? Significant atrophy that's what.

Leg extensions
150 x 11
150 x 11

Leg curls
160 x 9
160 x 8

Stiff legged deadlift
125 x 8
125 x 8

I dropped the SLDL from my workout and switched over to RDL. I swear 15 years ago no one use to RDL but now that's what everyone does. I have good flexibility so always liked SLDL but for many reasons have indeed switched over to RDL in my latest workouts.

One thing I have not changed is that almost all my exercise are done to failure. The two exceptions are squats and bench press. I am too much of a wuss to take squats to failure (I feel like I am going to faint). And since I don't have a spotter, not a good idea to take bench to failure.

I doubt I will ever train without going to failure every set. If its not to failure I consider it a warmup. This has always been my bread and butter growth igniter. I have seen some stuff by Lyle Mcdonald and other people that training to failure leads to overtraining and its not necessary. Fack that. I don't want to hear it. I train to failure and not many people have my intensity at the gym. That's my bread and butter, probably never going to change it. I gained 50lbs lbm doing it that way and I am going to reach my genetic potential doing it that way.

March 20th workout
Assited widegrip pullup
-30 lbs x 9
-30 lbs x 9
Note its -30 pounds not +30 pounds. Wimp city.

Hammer Strength Lat Pulldowns
55 x 7
55 x 7 (wimp city)

Tbar Rows
75 x 8
75 x 8 (embarrassing)

Dumbell pullover (stupid accessory exercise)
55 x 12
55 x 12

Barbell biceps curl
50 x 12
60 x 8

probably, but that would involve me going shopping for new jeans, not gonna happen

Good luck with your goals loco. Are you following a particular program? If so, which one? If not, why not?

bodybuilding logs are cool, but I'm pretty sure smith machine squats are against the Geneva convention of h+f.

Yeah that's pretty much ban worthy.

I am traveling a bunch right now. I started working out in February. In that time I have worked out at

* at least 5 different hotel gyms
* gyms in four different countries
* a few LA Fitness locations
* One gym in Atlantic City
* Two different YMCAS

Probably some other random gym. Going to have to do with whatever equipment is available, including the smith machine. Point is though I am going to keep at it and reach my goals no matter the equipment, location, or whatever excuse my mind tells me for not working out. I also currently don't have a set routine because of this same problem of not having a home base gym.


* Note I always wondered what the hate with the smith machine was? Then I saw some EMG studies and understood the hate. These EMG studies were not available back in the day. So yes, if possible avoid smith machine. It performs worse than free weights exercise in probably every equivalent exercise ever invented. So what should I have done instead of smith machine squats? Lunges or probably one legged squats would have been better. Biggest dumbells available were 50 lbs. So yeah next time you see some one trying to do one legged squats with a 50lb dumbell at some random hotel, then you have found me.

March 23rd
Dumbell Incline Bench Press
55s x 10
55s x 10
55s x 7

Hammer Strength Incline Press
150 x 4
150 x 4

Usually don't go this low on the reps

Cable crossovers
70 x 12

Usuless accessory exercise. But last month I supersetted cable crossovers with dumbell bench press because the dumbells only went to 50 and I really think this is useful when gym equipment not suitable. Pre-exhaust with isolation movement and then move quickly to compound movement (a la Arthur Jones or whatever guy he got it from).

Dumbell shoulder press
35sx8
35sx5 (failure way too fast, shoulders probably getting exhausted)

Machine side laterals
70 x 8
70 x 6, 50 x 6, 40 x 6 (one giant drop set with no rest)

Lying Barbell tricep extensions
50 x 11
50 x 7

very little rest. This exercise eventually causes me elbow tendonities in April. Beware. But it also give me massive triceps with only two sets per week. Its probably just genetics though (I have decent traps, triceps, glutes). I'll post some pictures this week, but the glute pictures will only be for my most ardent followers.

you db press 70s but incline bench 55s? Or is the shoulder DB press 35s?