Drewlander’s BodyBlog

So you wanna know how my week was last week?

HORRIBLE!

I honestly have not had ANY time to lift this week AT ALL! 7AM-6:30PM I’m in the clinic, 6:45PM-9:45PM I had to work on a project and eat dinner while doing so, gym closes at 10 PM, and I try to get to bed b/w 10 and 10:30. At least my diet isn’t horrible. I hope next week is better. I’m off to the gym now to kill my back/lats. This is frustrating.  Any tips on how to make the most of my workouts if I were to only have 4 good days of workouts a week (hoping that this is not a typical week for me)?

Andy

I’ve decided to switch my routine up again, so I’m giving German Volume Training a try again.  I think I’m ready for it this time, and hope to keep with it for at least 6 weeks, shooting for 8 weeks.  I kinda worked with the some of the routines online and modified the workouts with some advice people gave me, as well as what I feel I need to work on the most.  As of last night, I have made a 4-day split, with 2 days of cardio/abs on the "off days", with Sunday taking completely off for a full recovery.  I will try to post my daily progress on here.  Here’s what I did today (Monday):

Time: 6:30-7:30 AM

Compound lifts:  10 sets x 10 reps (2 exercises, supersets)     lift count: 4-0-2
Isolation lifts:  3 sets x 10 reps (2 exercises, supersets)          lift count: 3-0-1
Incline Barbell Bench:  95 x 10, 95 x 10, 95 x 10, 95 x 10, 95 x 10, 100 x 10, 100 x 10, 105 x 10, 105 x 10, 105 x 10
Bent-Over Barbell Rows (alternating overhand and underhand grip):  95 x 10 (10 sets)

Machine Pec Flys: 100 x 10, 100 x 10, 100 x 10

Machine Reverse Flys (rear delts):  75 x 10, 75 x 10, 75 x 10

Abs:  1 set of each of the following, to failure:

Weighted cable crunch (60 lbs)
Weighted decline crunch (15 lb dumbbell)
Roman chair leg lifts

Weighted side bends (45 lb dumbbell)

I don’t rest between each exercise (ie. between one set of incline bench and one set of rows).  I only take about a 30-45 second rest between each set of supersetted exercises.  I take about a 2 minute rest after the core exercises before starting the isolation exercises.

Also, the suggestion is to do about 60% of your max when doing the 10×10 lifts.  I dont know what my maxes are currently, because in the past, maxing out has been horrible for my joints and I dont want another injury.  So I just guess what I feel a challenging weight will be for me, while still achieving perfect form and going slow on the eccentric part of the lift.  If that weight is too easy/difficult, I adjust accordingly.

If there are any questions about how I do my routine, feel free to ask.

Thanks everyone for your motivation!

Andy

After two days from injuring my shoulder (it snapped when i was beginning to do incline dumbbell bench press last Friday), the pain had subsided for the most part.  The doc put me on 14 days of Aleve just as an anti-inflammatory in case I needed an MRI.  After a week, my entire range of motion is back to almost normal.  The only thing that bothers me is when I lift my arm past 90 degrees upward, my shoulder pops.  This also happens when I try to push things, like hand soap out of a wall dispenser.  Yes, it hurts.  But once it pops, I can continue to move my arm upward and so on.  My thoughts are that I have a tendon that snapped out of place and is now moving back and forth over the end of my clavicle.  I went to the doc yesterday (Friday) and he thinks the same as I do.  He’s going to have me go to one day of physical therapy so they can show me some shoulder strengthening exercises I can start on my own when I go to the gym before class each day.  He expects a QUICK and full recovery in about 4-6 weeks.  He also noted that I may have a very slight rotator cuff tear, but hopefully PT will help that if it is present.  He wants to know if I’m not back to normal within 4 weeks.  If not, then I’ll get an MRI.  As of right now, he doesn’t think I need to get an MRI, especially if we’re right about the tendon thing…I agree with him (plus, I don’t have the $$$ for an MRI).  So, I start PT this week and I’m looking forward to at least strengthening my shoulders up, which I should have been doing all along (shame on me).  And just for a side note–having nicely-developed deltoids does NOT mean you have strong shoulders…only your small little rotator cuff muscles will strengthen your shoulder joint.

Take care everyone!

Andy

Hi everyone!  Just wanted to let you all know how grateful I am to have such encouraging and motivated friends on here!  I have found that my first year of medical school (last year) is a joke compared to this year…and this is still just my first week of class!  I have class for about 7 hours a day, with a lunch break and about 5 minute breaks each hour.  The amount of info they lecture on each hour is TREMENDOUS!  Needless to say, I’m already behind this week by about 2 days of work (so I probably shouldn’t be on here, but I wanted to update).  I have revised my study habits a bit and have gotten some advise from the M3s (third-year students), so I know how to study more effectively and efficiently without having to study today’s lectures, then reading 50-60 pages of very detailed info (in very fine print, no less) about tomorrow’s lectures.

On a lighter, and probably more interesting note, I’ve started by lifting regimen this week!  I have a membership at a gym here by the river (appropriately called "Riverplex").  I am going each day at 6 AM (waking up at 5:30) and have not missed a day!  I will plan on going Monday through Friday and am currently doing a 5-day split, one body part each day, with abs included on the shorter days.  That is, unless XNickEdgeX has some good advice for me later on (lol).  I have to keep my lifts quick with little rest time between sets, because I’m giving myself about an 1.5 hours to change, lift, shower, get dressed, and drive to the medical school.  Also, I have reinstated keeping track of what I eat each day so that I can  make sure I’m eating enough.  I tend to forget to eat when I’m busy, hahaha.  So far, I’m doing well in that area of my life.  I’m no longer on a restricted carb diet, cause I really need the carbs for continuous energy of both body AND brain.  So, I’m getting roughly 3000-3500 calories a day, around 300 g carbs, around 250 g protein, and around 100 g fats.  And trust me…all the food I’m eating is very good and good for me!

So there’s my update of my life thus far.  Oh yeah, my ‘new’ Section 8 apartment took some time and money to make it look good, but I really like it now.  (Yeah, since I’m technically below poverty level, I get to live in government-subsidized housing for single elderly/disabled people right across the street from the school and the 2 hospitals…they keep several spots open for med students and me and 20 of my good friends live here, which is very convenient…and FREE!).  As far as communicating with you guys, I likely won’t be on this site much at all for awhile (maybe on the weekends), so I won’t be answering questions about my diet/exercise regimen cause that takes too much time to respond to.  I’d love to hear from you all and how things are going, though, so feel free to comment on my wall, just know that it may be a few days before I respond.

Thanks again for your friendships and support!

God’s peace!

Andy  =)

Ok, so I have been doing a 5-day split (which is not yet posted, but I will post it if ppl want) for about four weeks now.  I’m still in my bulk phase, so I’m not really losing any fat, just trying to put on muscle w/o gaining a lot of fat, so it’s a relatively clean bulk.  I must say, the 5-day split is the way to go!  I’ve definitely gotten a lot stronger in the past month.  It may not show in the pics cause I’ve still got a nice layer of fat on muscle, but I can definitely tell when I’m lifting and the pump is awesome!  Also, I’ve reached my goal!  I wanted to get up to 170 and here I am!  I’ve still got pretty much a whole tub of CytoGainer left, so I’ll finish that up and then it’s cutting and cardio for me for the rest of the summer (and maybe for good…who knows).  I wish I could take some pics while I’m still pumped so I can compare them to when I’m not (all my pics are from either my off days or about 1.5 hours after each workout).  Oh well.  Comments are appreciated.

God Bless and keep on keepin’ on,

Andrew

Ok, so I have been doing a 5-day split (which is not yet posted, but I will post it if ppl want) for about four weeks now.  I’m still in my bulk phase, so I’m not really losing any fat, just trying to put on muscle w/o gaining a lot of fat, so it’s a relatively clean bulk.  I must say, the 5-day split is the way to go!  I’ve definitely gotten a lot stronger in the past month.  It may not show in the pics cause I’ve still got a nice layer of fat on muscle, but I can definitely tell when I’m lifting and the pump is awesome!  Also, I’ve reached my goal!  I wanted to get up to 170 and here I am!  I’ve still got pretty much a whole tub of CytoGainer left, so I’ll finish that up and then it’s cutting and cardio for me for the rest of the summer (and maybe for good…who knows).  I wish I could take some pics while I’m still pumped so I can compare them to when I’m not (all my pics are from either my off days or about 1.5 hours after each workout).  Oh well.  Comments are appreciated.

God Bless and keep on keepin’ on,

Andrew

And here’s my exercise routine for another couple weeks…I’ll be looking for another one soon (help, please?) while I’m still in the bulking mode, and want to add some pounds and good muscle.  All my exercises are done with dumbbells cause that’s all that is in my lousy gym….and they only go up to 70 lbs…suck!  After the beginning of May I’m going to a new gym, so they got more equipment, so I can lift more.  For now, 5 to 70 lb dumbbells are sufficient for most of my lifts, but I’ve noticed I can lift a lot more if I’m lifting with barbells than I can with dumbbells.
 Monday & Thursday

Exercise (#sets x #reps)

Bench/Incline Press(6×8)
Weighted Dips(3×12)
Military Press(4×10)
Lat Raise(4×10)
Front Raise(4×10)
Reverse Raise(4×10)
Shrugs(5×10)
Abs–3 exercises, 3 sets of 20-25

Tuesday & Friday 

Full Squats(5×10)
Deadlift(5×10)
Calf Raises(4×12)
Chin Ups or Lat Pulls(5×10)
Bent-Over Rows(5×10)
DB Curls(4×8)  –I use two DBs and try to simulate a barbell…lol
Weighted Dips (4×8)
Reverse Curls(4×12)
Skull Crushers(4×12)

Alrighty…so I’m trying to make some good gains without getting real fat.  Then, I plan on doing a little cutting…but I’ll burn that fat when I get there.  So far, I’ve been lifting 4 times a week (monday, tuesday, thursday, friday) and eating a heck of a lot of calories for me.  Just so you know, before I began bulking, I was lifting on and off, but never really saw any gains.  When I added up all the calories I was eating, it was a massive 1800 per day…that’s it!  NOW, I’m getting about 3500 per day.  My daily intake consists of the following throughout the day, with some variation each day:
Food            Calories/Carbs/Protein/Fat
milk&cereal        200    33    15    0.5
protein shake     130    3    24    1
snack bar-oats&honey    200    27    5    8
snack bar-pnut    190    14    7    12
turkey&roast beef sandwich    280    36    23    8
banana    200    51    2    1
cottage cheese    80    5    13    1.5
carrots    35    9    1    0
protein bar    190    17    20    6
post-w/o shake    750    123    50    6
w/16 oz milk    160    22    16    6
chicken    240    0    42    8
pasta    280    40    10    5
baked beans    160    33    6    1
almonds  170    5    6    15
casein protein    190    2    40    3
Totals:  3455 cals    420 g carbs   280 g protein   76 g fat
Like I said, this varies by day, but usually only my dinner is what is different.  I’m only about 3 weeks into my bulking phase.  I started at 155 lbs. and now I’m at 164 lbs.  I’m hoping by the end of May I can be around 175, then I can start cutting (which I’ll need some advice on later cause I’m not sure at all what to do then).  Thanks to all that’s keeping me in check.  I’ll take any comments/suggestions/praises/insults that you wanna throw at me.  Peace.

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