It takes a lifetime to make a man...

[omfgapolarbear]

And this is to be my Journey through the next six months of that lifetime. Once six months have ended, I will look at my progress, reset my goals, and move on to the next Journey.

Somethings about me, before I begin. I'm a sixteen year old guy from Virginia. I've been seriously weightlifting and bodybuilding for roughly six months. Before that I spent two years in the gym, which did me the good of losing a lot of weight, but I regret wasting it, because I could of made so much progress strength-wise. Oh well, shit happens, wipe and move on.

During late childhood and my earliest teen years, age seven to about fourteen, I was a chubby kid, then a fat kid, then a borderline obese kid. In eighth grade I was five foot six and I weighed two hundred and thirty five pounds, at least thirty percent bodyfat. By tenth grade a somewhat improved diet and a lot of cardio had gotten me down to a skinny fat one hundred and fifty pounds. And I looked like SHIT. I looked like I was anorexic and wasting away. One day, I just got sick of it. I looked up weight lifting on the internet, because as far as I knew, that was how people got big and strong. I was naive at that point, but I learned. Slowly at first, it took me another six or seven months after that to learn enough to become serious enough to make any good progress.

Early august I started a serious run through of Rippetoes. Did it untill September, and make some very good progress on my lifts, especially my squat and deadlift. When I started rippetoes my lifts were:

Flat Bench 3X5X95
Squat 3X5X185 with terrible form
Deadlift 1X5X135 with, again, terrible form.

The first two weeks were devoted to fixing my form, and then after that I was devoted to pushing my lifts up to decent levels before I even thought about moving past rippetoes. At the start of October, I felt like I had reached that point. My lifts had improved vastly, to:

Flat Bench 3X5X145
Squat 3X5X225
Deadlift 1X5X255

I moved on to a three day split (Legs/Shoulders, Chest/Tris, and Back/Bi's). I kept the Big Three as strength based lifts and only worried about higher reps for accessory work, which I still consider the sized based lifting I do.

Two weeks ago one of the trainers at the YMCA I lift at approached me. An amateur bodybuilder, recently winning his first two contests, he told me he'd seen me train and thought that I had alot of potential with a little guidance. I was skeptical, but the guy had a great physique, and only wanted to help me with form and design a better routine with me, so I decided fuck it. I've been working with him twice a week for the last week, and will two more times this week. Then I am out on my own again, with a new split and new goals.

Over the next six months I want to:

First, Gain ten pounds with as minimal gains in fat as possible.
Second, add, at the least, twenty five pounds to my Big Three.

That's it. Simple, somewhat challenging but not disheartening goals, for with which as time progresses I will modify and add to, setting monthly short-short-term goals to accompany them.

Within the next few hours I will post the maintenance workout I had today, in which I simply covered the muscle grounds I'd been neglecting this week due to working on my new routine. Come Thursday, when I have all five days of my routine set, I was post them all here in one post for critique and opinion.

Also within the next few hours, hopefully, will come a set of now pictures, as well as, if anyone is interested, pictures of what I looked like when I started in august.

[omfgapolarbear]

Still no pictures. Soon, though.

Yesterday was a general maintenance day that morphed into an arm day;

Flat Bench 3X5X150
Back squat 3X5X250
Incline Press Machine 4X8X55 (on each side) Not a fan of machines, but I was trying a new gym and this is all they had
Preacher Curls 4X12XEZBAR+5+2.5on each side
Tricep Pulldowns w/ V handle 4X8X80
Barbell Curls 4X8X60
Kickbacks 4X12X35
Hammer Curls 4X8X30
Behind the Back Dips 4X12XBW+30 (plus burnout set at end, body weight plus 20, gave out at sixteen, fifteen seconds, another six, fifteen seconds, three more)
Cable curls with rope 4X12X60

Headed in to the gym in a few hours for a real leg day. What I got on the plate:

FrontSquats or BackSquats 3X5
"Quad Squats" 4X12-15 plus burnoutset
Leg Press 4X8-12
Leg Extensions or hack squat (depends on what I feel like) 4X12-15 {extensions} or 4X8-12 {Hack Squats}
Leg Curls 4X12-15
Still Legged Deadlift 4X8-12

[omfgapolarbear]

Fuckin' leg day. Gotta love it or hate it.

Front Squats 3X5X170 (personal record, but I feel like I coulda gone to 180 atleast)
Quad Squats 3X12X225
Leg Press 2X15X400 (Feet Close) 2X12-15X485(Feet Wide)
Leg Extensions 4X15X60
Leg Curls 4X15X35
Stiff Legged Deadlifts 4X12X135
Calf Raises (leg press) 3X15X190 BurnoutX150 (got 22)

Good day. Except for the quad squats, I really don't like them that much anyway, debating switching them out for hack squats.

[Firefist]

good to have ya on, funny name ya got there haha.

hacks are great imo, and i swap them out with squats every once in a while for some variety.

keep it up buddy.

[Firedrake]

Welcome to the Journey. I started when I was 14, too, and got serious at 16. Did one competition when I was 18, then the Army screwed up my back. Now I'm looking at getting back on stage at 56.

You're doing some good work, and have made solid progress already!

You have a great start! Keep it up!

[omfgapolarbear]

Thanks to both of yall, its a great encouragement to get response from people who've been around.

Firedrake, I actually plan on competing the summer after my senior year aswell.

Today is shoulder day. Be back with a report later.

[omfgapolarbear]

Shoulder day report

Seated Military Press 4X12X95
Seated DB press 4X12X30
Lateral Raises 4X15X15
Rear Delt Rows 4X15Xwhatever the short barbell weighs plus twenty on each side
Rear Delt Flys 4X15X15
Front Raises 4X15X30

Good workout all around. I'm not so happy with the military press as an individual exercise; I wanted to use a higher weight and force the last few reps, but I didn't have a spotter so forced reps on any exercise would of been difficult.

Wore my yellow Animal Iconic T today, starting to feel like I can wear it with pride, which is the only way it should be worn. Finally starting to fill out a medium, don't look so much like a drowned rat as I used to. Working to earn that nickname.

I've decided FUCK THE SCALE. All it does is lie to you. The only things that will tell you the truth are the Mirror and the Bar.

[omfgapolarbear]

Chest/Tri today. Pretty good workout.

Incline smith bench 4X12X125
Flat DB Bench 4X12X30
Cable Flys 3X8-12x35
Incline DB Flys 3X8-12X20 (way to light)
Inward angled Pushups 3Xfailure
Rope Pulldowns 4X8-12X60
Behind the Back Dips 4X8-12XBW+20
Machine Tri Extensions 4X12-15X60

Thinking about my workout and thinking, how is it with the lack of real strength sets? Considering adding in a big three 3X5 day once a week, but I'm undecided as to whether that would benefit or hurt.

Anyway. Back day thursday. Finally; Been waiting all week.

[Firefist]

some good workouts man. i wouldnt worry too much about switching up the program unless youve been doin it for a while. id throw something like skullcrushers or a machine close grip press in there, in place of one of your current exercises to add a little more beef to ya triceps. thats alot of stuff you got goin on in there. how long does it take you to finish?

[Firedrake]

This looks like a pretty good routine, bro -- I wouldn't change it unless you go a month or more without seeing progress. At your age, you'll grow with almost any routine, and I'd rather see you developing solid habits than worrying about changing things up too quickly. That's something that got drilled into me when I was your age and getting excited about different routines I saw in the magazines.

Keep going! You're doing great!

[omfgapolarbear]

Thank yall both.

My workouts generally take 45 minutes to complete. Leg day takes about an hour.

I'm not really thinking of changing my routine any, more so adding a strength day, where I'd simply do something like

Bench 3X5
Squat 3X5
Deadlift 1X5

Sort of a singular rippetoes day, to maintain low rep strength.

Anti-Asian - The Machine extension is a close grip behind the head extension, but truthfully I didn't feel quite as satisfied with the intensity of the triceps side of the workout as I did with the chest side. I'll probably throw in close grip bench presses next week and see how I like it; other then that I'm very satisfied with my current routine.

[omfgapolarbear]

Backday (training coach was sick today, did my old back set, new one coming soon)

Deadlift 3X6-8X225
Pulldowns 4X9-12X140
Bentover DB Rows 4X8-12X55
TBar Rows 4X8XBar+3Plates (I guess 180 or 225, but I'm not exactly sure)
Seated Cable Rows 3x8-12X130
Barbell Curls 3X6-8X55
Preacher Curls 4X8-12XEZBAR+five per side

Cut biceps short today because I was in a rush and, honestly, I'm more concerned about my back anyway.

[Firedrake]

. . . and your biceps got some work with all that pulling as it was!

Great stuff!

[omfgapolarbear]

Thank you for the continued support.

Had a shitty, stressful afternoon. Threw in 4 sets of twenty cheat pullups (door style) to combat the stress.

[Firedrake]

Thank you for the continued support.

Had a shitty, stressful afternoon. Threw in 4 sets of twenty cheat pullups (door style) to combat the stress.

I hear that -- I've been doing stretches on the doorframes around the office when no one was looking . . .

[Firefist]

great back workout. some good volume in there and key exercises.

hey we all have shitty days! haha im havin a shitty month, but once this semester is over, its allllllll good.

[omfgapolarbear]

Since I switched over from a strength based routine to a more body building based one, I've noticed less DOMS, is this normal? The weights down to fit the rep ranges, but the intensity remains very high.

[Firedrake]

Since I switched over from a strength based routine to a more body building based one, I've noticed less DOMS, is this normal? The weights down to fit the rep ranges, but the intensity remains very high.

Your body can adapt to almost anything, and if you're using lighter weights, if nothing else, the joints may be happier. Your soreness will come back as you bring the time under tension up during the exercises.

[omfgapolarbear]

Ah, I see.

Those damn rest days suck, but tomorrows leg day, thats something to look foreward to. Getting in some good carbs and protein today, gotta have that energy for tomorrow. On a bulk, so I'm allowing myself some freedom in my food choices, as long as the food is relatively clean. Thai tonight, from a small local restraunt, which mainly contains a hell of a lot of beef, onions, and bell peppers in a broth over rice. Delicious and pretty damn clean for eating out.

As I testiment to not only how the scale lies, but how out perspective lies and changes, I weighed myself yesterday and had one of the many sessions bodybuilders have in front of the mirror. I've gained twenty pounds since august, when I weighed 150 wet, borderline eating disorder and disgustingly skinny fat. I'm up to one seventy now, I look so much better, and in the last month it looks like I've gained some size and my body fat has gone down. That is the pleasure from bodybuilding right there.

[omfgapolarbear]

Leg day today. I'm still pumped as hell, this has been the best leg day to date, and possibly the best workout I've had to date.

Front Squats 2X5X185, 1X3X185 (Grip slipped), 1X1X190
Hack Squats 4X8X225
Leg Press Narrow Stance 2X12X3pps, Wide Stance 2X8-12X4PPSplus10
Ham Curls 4X12-15X40
SLDeads 4X8-12X140
Calf Raises 4X12-15X210

Pumped the entire time, focused the entire time.

Feels like I could of repped out with 190 pretty easy on the front squats, and I'm really hopping it'll only be a month or two untill I hit a two plate front squat, atleast for a single.

[omfgapolarbear]

Shoulder day. Another great workout and another personal favorite of mine.

Rear Delt Rows 4X15X65
Rear Delt Flys 4X15X15
Seated Military Press 4X12X105
Seated DB press 4X12X30
Lateral Raises 4X12X20
Front Raises 4X12X30
DB shrugs 4X15X60
Barbell shrugs 4X12-20X245

[Firefist]

WOW! what volume man! awesome work man.

[omfgapolarbear]

Debating with myself whether to rest today or go and have a back day.

[Firedrake]

Debating with myself whether to rest today or go and have a back day.

Well, how does your back feel? If it feels ready, then go destroy it!

[omfgapolarbear]

Well, how does your back feel? If it feels ready, then go destroy it!

My traps are a little worn, but I don't think they'll be a problem. I'm debating adding a fst-7 style set for lats because mine are lagging disgustingly behind the rest of my body

[omfgapolarbear]

Finshed back day. Gonna write it up in a bit, when I have time, but I'm pumped as fuck right now. At the end of my workout I had fifteen minutes before my ride got there, so I decided to max out my front squats, see what I could hit. Hit 225 for 1, exhausted. Could probably of put up more fresh. Great feeling.

[omfgapolarbear]

Deadlift 1X5X225 Not feeling it today
Pulldowns 4X9-12X140
Bentover DB Rows 4X8-12X60
TBar Rows 4X8XBar+3Plates (I guess 180 or 225, but I'm not exactly sure)
Seated Cable Rows 3x8-12X140
Seated DB curls 4X12X20
Ez-Bar-Curls 4X12Xbar plus ten per side

[omfgapolarbear]

Woke up early today to get my chest/tri day in. Got play practice and hopefully some shit with a girlie this afternoon, didn't want to fuck up my schedule. Feel better this most mornings, actually. Might move most of my during the week workouts to this time.

Incline Smith Bench 4X8-12X105 (up from last week)
DB Flat Bench 4X8-12X35 (up from last week)
Cable Flys 4X8-12X30
Incline DB Flys 4X8-12X20
Pushups to failure, feet above head
Cable Pulldowns 4X8-12X50 (less then last week, stricter form)
Above the head Tricep cable pulls* 3X8X40

*I have no idea in hell what this exercise is actually called, Its the one where you take the robe handle of the cable machine and have it above your head, and move it almost like the bastard child of a kickback and a tri extension, except in reverse and above your head instead of behind it.

[Firefist]

i believe the exercise you are doing is called the rope french press.

btw....fst-7 is the best thing thats happened to my workouts. the first time i did it, it was with chest, and it was the wierdest soreness ever, like a deep soreness. definitely a good method to try.

[omfgapolarbear]

i believe the exercise you are doing is called the rope french press.

btw....fst-7 is the best thing thats happened to my workouts. the first time i did it, it was with chest, and it was the wierdest soreness ever, like a deep soreness. definitely a good method to try.

I donthink I really understood it when I tried it, I'm going to reresearch and reapply next workout.

[Firedrake]

Woke up early today to get my chest/tri day in. Got play practice and hopefully some shit with a girlie this afternoon, didn't want to fuck up my schedule. Feel better this most mornings, actually. Might move most of my during the week workouts to this time.

Incline Smith Bench 4X8-12X105 (up from last week)
DB Flat Bench 4X8-12X35 (up from last week)
Cable Flys 4X8-12X30
Incline DB Flys 4X8-12X20
Pushups to failure, feet above head
Cable Pulldowns 4X8-12X50 (less then last week, stricter form)
Above the head Tricep cable pulls* 3X8X40

*I have no idea in hell what this exercise is actually called, Its the one where you take the robe handle of the cable machine and have it above your head, and move it almost like the bastard child of a kickback and a tri extension, except in reverse and above your head instead of behind it.

Great work! Triceps have to be wiped after that!

[omfgapolarbear]

Actually, my tri's take a beating and bounce right back. My chest is definitely feelin it though.

Gonna go in for leg day today. My week is scheduled something like this, workout wise.

Two days on
One off
Two on
Two off

the last day on before the two off is ALWAYS leg day. The rest of the week deends which muscles feel up to it and which don't. I avoid doing chest and delts right next to each other, usually.

[Firedrake]

Make It Happen! Let's see some serious damage to the legs!

[omfgapolarbear]

Leg day. Not so happy with this one, but it didn't suck

Front squat 1X5X195 (Just wasn't feeling it)
Hack Squat 4X8X265
Quad Extension 4X12-15X70
Hams Curl 4X8-12X40
SLDead 4X8-12X160
Calf Presses 4X15X210

I had a limited amount of time and my body just would not fuck with front squats correctly today.

[Firedrake]

You got some good work done . . . sometimes that what it takes!

[sunny_max]

atleast you got it done bro...thats what counts.....solid work in here...count me in.....

[omfgapolarbear]

Shoulder Day.

Seated military press 4X12X95
Rear Delt Row 4X8-12XShortBar plus twentyfive per side
Rear Delt Fly on machine 4X12X70
Seated DB Press 4X8-12X35 (last set was forced to be a drop set, got 6 with 35, another three with 30, and another four with 25)
Front delt raise 4X8-12X35

Realized halfway home I forgot Lateral Raises and Shrugs, but I can hit those tomorrow right before or after back day.

[Firedrake]

Nice work -- your shoulders will be reminding you of that work tomorrow!

[omfgapolarbear]

Took today off, simply to busy. Tomorrow, back day. Gonna destroy it.

My workout schedule is very flexible. As long as I get four workouts and three rest days for every seven days, I'm content.

[omfgapolarbear]

Was gonna do back today, but then, about ten minutes away from the gym, I decided fuck it I feel like Chest day today. Best idea I've had all week. Great fucking workout, got a fantastic pump all around, even in my chest where I almost never get the pump)

Incline Smith Bench 4X8-12X130-135 (First two sets were 130, then I decided it wasn't heavy enough so I added more weight) Up from last week
Flat DB Bench 4X8-12X40 Up from last week
Cable Flys 4X8-12X40 up from last time
Incline DB flys 3X8-10X25 (same as last time)
V handle tricep push downs 4X8-12X90
Rope overhead Tricep pull (whatever the fuck its called) 4X8-12X50
Machine behind the head extensions 7X8-12X50

Pumped as shit the entire way though. I feel great. Some cute little YMCA employee girl was staring for the last half of my workout, always makes ya feel good.

[Firefist]

yup yup, always good to listen to your body. ive done those switch up days too. sometimes, it just feels right. nice pressin man.


oh yeah, i hear ya on that one. though 99.9% percent of the time, im in the fuckin zone while im training, there are some really really attractive girls who work at the rec, and every once in a while, ill catch them checkin me out through the mirrors midset, i always get 2-3 more reps.....hahaha.

keep killin it bro.

[omfgapolarbear]

I listen to my body alot. I'll get five reps into a lift and decide I'm not feeling it today, put it down, and pick a different lift for the same muscle group (Flat bar bench instead of DB for example, or back squats instead of my typical front squats). To me, mind muscle connection is incredibly important, especially for a bodybuilder. We're training for the muscle, not the lift like powerlifters are.

I don't feel rope pushdowns at all, I cheat to much, so I use the V-bar and it works much better for me. I've decided overhead extensions don't work well for me, I'm going to need to find something else for FST-7.

Chicks been looking at me for a while, if she wasn't in college I'd work harder on it. Best ass I've seen on any chick in there.

Thanks man.

[omfgapolarbear]

Leg day.

Front Squats 1X5X200 Gonna reset next week, down to 185
Hack Squats 4X8X260
Leg Extensions 4X12X80 or 90
Leg Curls 4X12X45
SLDeads 3X8-12X155 (My back was acting up)

Did a little bicep work today, because I had no time on back day.

Single Arm Cable Curls* 4X8-12X30
Incline DB Curls 2X12X20 (had to leave after this)

I've started doing all arm work one arm at a time because my right arm is significantly bigger then my left. Also, with lack of an arm blaster in most gyms, when doing single arm work take your nonworking arm and straighten your hand and place it behind the elbow of your working arm to restrict movement.

[Firedrake]

Very Nice work! I have a similar problem -- my left arm is about 1/2" larger than my right.

[sunny_max]

great work in here buddy....yeah i have heard most of the ppl have the same rpoblem.....i have a better peak in my left arm as compared to right!!

[omfgapolarbear]

Its a huge difference. I haven't measured yet, lost my tape, gonna get one free with my next order at BB.C, but in the mirror it looks like its ATLEAST an inch.

Also, the stalling on my Squats is frusturating. They are my favorite lift, and I'm currently one rep maxing 225 on front and I haven't a clue on back squats. But I can't get more then one set of five for 200 for front. Would spending a month or two with back squats help beat this plateau? I don't feel as if its overtraining or undereating, as I'm still growing AND getting stronger on my other lifts

[omfgapolarbear]

Chest/Tris today

Incline Smith Bench 4XX135
Flat DB Bench 4X8-12X40
Incline DB Flys 4X8X20
Cable Flys 3X8X30
Single Arm Rope Press Downs 4X8-12X40
Above head cable pulls 3X8-12X50
Arm Extension Machine 7X8-12X35

[omfgapolarbear]

Shoulders day.

Seated Military Press 4X8-12X105
Seated DB Press 4X8X30
Lateral Raises 4X8-12X15
Rear Delt Fly 4X12X55
DB Front Raise, 4X8-12X20, last set 25
Shrugs 2X15X225 2X15X245

Feels good.

[kimura9]

keep at it dude. your whole story is very similar to what mine was.

[Firedrake]

Looking pretty solid, bro -- your body sometimes takes time to adapt to a given movement, so you may need to work on consolidating your form on squats, before you can move up. Yeah, I'd work on back squats for a little while . . .

[omfgapolarbear]

Back/Bi day

Dead Lifts 5/3/1 235/240/245
Low Cable row 4X8-12X150
DB Row 4X12X55
Pulldowns 3X8X120
(My back was acting up by this point)
Cable Bar Curls 3X8-12X55
Single Arm Cable Curls 4X12X25
Incline DB Curls 3X8X20

[Firedrake]

Okay: Mr. Bionic spine here wants to know what part of your back is acting up . . .

I never want to see any of our Animals go through what I had to . . .

(Good work today!)

[omfgapolarbear]

Its a very strange sort of burning pain just off center, right above the lower back and below the lat, on the right side. It bothers me occasionally during lat spreads as well. It doesn't happen very much, and I think it is because I occasionally force out my lats farther then they should be going.

[omfgapolarbear]

Unbeknownst to me, until today, A friend of mine I lift with occasionally, who is a powerlifter, has entered me in the Southern Powerlifting Federations Battle in the Valley 2010, a powerlifting meet (surprisingly in my hometown (where I was adopted from)). This gives me exactly seven months to train for my first contest/meet of any kind.

Being a bodybuilder by nature, I have never trained for powerlifting (except for my beginners tenure with Rippetoes), so I did some searching for a basic program and wound 5/3/1. I loved it, the idea, the simplicity, the way the percentages work. So for the next seven months my training will be entirely powerlifting dedicated, look for a new journey from me very soon with a 5/3/1 base (all assistance work will be setup to assist in my continued interest in bodybuilding, however.)