Blackjack's Gettin' Stronger - The K.I.S.S. Plan - JP Fitness Forums

Blackjack · 09-07-2006, 11:45 AM

Keep it simple, stupid

Need to simplify things. I've got a lot going on that's weighing on me. However, given the issues that others are dealing with (RedLefty & Fish) my problems don't seem all that major so I won't even go into them.

My goal is to simply get stronger. Specifically, my squat and bench numbers are crap and have been crap without any real significant gains in quite some time. I've been so focused on my weight and body composition my actual lifts haven't improved nearly as much as they should have.

Workout - Waterbury Routine from MF a year or so ago (I think)

Day 1: Bench Press - 10X3
Bent-Over Row/Close-Grip Decline Bench Press - 5X5

Day 2: Squat - 10X3
RDL (5X5) / Weighted Crunches (5X10-15)

Day 3: Bike Intervals/Breakthrough Workout/Hypertrophy Booster (Chest)

Day 4: Weighted Pullups - 10X3
Military Press/DB Row 5X5

Day 5: Deadlift 10X3
Front Squat (5X5) / Rev Crunch (5X10-15)

Day 6: Track Intervals/Breakthrough Workout/Hypertrophy Booster (Chest)

Day 7: Off

Notes: My goal is to increase my bench 3RM by 30lbs by end of the year and increase my squat 3RM by 35lbs by the end of the year. Body composition goal is to maintain current bodyfat %. Will hopefully gain some weight though (read, muscle).

Diet

OK...I'm not "shredded" like I should be. I did the GS Diet for 6-weeks but the most progress was in weeks 1-4. I dropped 10lbs in that time and it looks as though in the last week and a half I've gained 3-5lbs back.

The template for my diet for this phase is going to be similar to the GS Diet with some added kcals. Very similar to the Adam's Diet. Not counting calories every day. May do a FitDay entry occasionally to see where I'm at. But will mostly adjust depending on gym performance.

Food selection will be as follows: eat nothing that comes in a package. It's that simple...meat, cheese, eggs, veggies, fruit, etc. (yeah, I know that all this stuff technically comes in a package, but you know what I mean - all items in the perimeter of the grocery store.) Fruit will only come in PWO window. Exception to the rule: right before and after workouts I'll be drinking 100% Whey Shakes.

Supps

Multi-Vitamin - recommended dosage (2/day)
Creatine - recommended dosage (5g/day)
Flameout - recommended dosage (4caps/day)
Greens Plus - 1-2 servings per day
Power Drive - wanted to try this so I bought a tub (It's not that expensive) will start with the recommended dosage 1 per day before workout.
Hot-Rox - will work on combination of this with the Power Drive to get best results in gym.

Doesn't look that simply now that I've written it down.

Oh well...

That's the plan...let me know your thoughts.

Thanks.
Ted

Blackjack · 09-07-2006, 11:54 AM

10X3 Bench - 185lbs for all reps. Last ones were a struggle. A little shoulder pain. Need to work on my form. Will increase 5lbs next week or increase 10lbs and do 8X3.

BOR/Dec Cl Grip Bench Superset (4X6) - Changed to 4X6 - not paying attention I did 6 reps on first set so I stuck with that. Did 115 on BOR. Pretty easy, concentrated on form will increase 10lbs next time. I'm doing Decline Close-Grip Bench Press instead of Dips as the program suggests - I don't have a dip station so this is the best I came up with. Did 135lbs all sets/reps. I'm going to keep this at this level until I get up to these numbers with my BOR...balance issues.

Additional Notes: I have domestic issues. This workout makes too much noise for my wife to sleep in our bedroom right above my workout area. (I got the stomp on the floor upstairs this morning) May need to shift this to a weekend workout and do another during the week to minimize the noise level - moving weights on/off the bar and such. I did do a General Warmup that consisted of a 2X bw squat/pushup/swiss ball ab curl/reverse pushup circuit. Tried the Power Drive this a.m. Doesn't taste the best and didn't feel that much of an impact. May add one Hot-Rox and see how that works.

The plan is clean eating today...no cheats!

galya · 09-07-2006, 12:37 PM

How about insulation? That will solve the problem.
Otherwise, I like the way you're eating, we are kind of in the same boat. It's simple, it keeps you lean. Eat when hungry

Enjoy the new routine!

finboy · 09-07-2006, 01:29 PM

Nice plan and goals. Good luck with the domestic issue. It's all about compromise.

-fin

Blackjack · 09-07-2006, 03:23 PM

Yeah, it's been an ongoing thing since I started working out at home. Compromise...we couldn't afford for me to workout at a gym so I bought some equipment over time and have a pretty decent set up. I don't want to workout in the evening becuaes it takes time away from wife/kids. So I go to bed early and get up at 4:45am to workout, but I make too much noise. Maybe getting lazy and fat is an option...

Anyway, the insulation is something I've thought about before and really need to just try. One of the problems is that I have a homemade squat rack that's actually bolted to the floor joists in our basement. So the sound carries through that upstairs. Not sure if insulation will help that. Maybe some type of fiber between the squat rack posts and the actual joists themselves...maybe.

What the problem truly is that my wife has sleeping issues and is generally awake at that time of day so she's sensitive to any noises in the house and she can't get back to sleep. If she's asleep she usually won't hear me. It's hard to argue with a pregnant woman that's only gotten 4-5 hours of sleep. It's best I find a solution...Thanks for the input.

Ted

Blackjack · 09-08-2006, 02:48 PM

No workout today...ended up sleeping from 10-12am and staying up with my son from 12 until almost 4am. I just don't function on 4-5 hours of sleep like I used to. So I didn't even make it into work until noon today.

Diet pretty much stayed on track though even though I will be way under in kcal today.

I'm thinking I will change my 7-day training cycle around so I lift on Sat/Sun/Tue/Thur and do HIIT on Mon/Fri and take Wed as off day. That'll help my "domestic" issues listed above.

I'll post my workouts this weekend.

Thanks for checking in!

Ted

RedWifey · 09-08-2006, 08:47 PM

Hey Ted! Glad to read your log.

What's up with baby boy (sorry I don't know his name) that he was up from 12-4?

Jackie decide he wasn't taking a nap today (he's all stuffy) and Samantha is almost out of napping age, so off to the gym we went. I'm doing a 4 week TT for Women, and I felt MUCHO better after my workout.

I can sympathize with your wife's sleep problems. I have awakened almost every hour of the night for WEEKS. It makes for miserable nights, and harder days. I hope working out will be the answer to my prayers as this isn't sustainable for that much longer.

I think "some type of fiber between the squat rack posts and the actual joists themselves" would work, if I am visualize what you've built correctly.

Compromise is always good! Keep up the good work! Remember that one of the reasons you work out is to be healthy and present for your family...which is hard because it takes more time away from them. You'll find the balance, and then the baby will come and you'll have to find it again. But rest assured: YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Take care!

Jamie

Blackjack · 09-11-2006, 11:21 AM

His name is Benjamin and he just turned two in August.

Glad to hear Jack is doing better for you guys. We aren't sure what's going on with Ben and his sleeping. He kept us up quite a bit these weekend as well. My wife is having a lot of pain on the outside of her hips all the way down her legs, especially at night. She's due with our second boy on November 26th. Those issues, and Ben's sleeping issues aren't making for a very productive family these days. But he slept through the night last night so maybe that's a step in the right direction.

Thanks for checking in!
Ted

Blackjack · 09-11-2006, 11:25 AM

Maybe not...

Did squat workout on Saturday.

10X3 Back Squat with 195lbs. This is a lot of weight for me. Form was good on all sets. Will increase 10lbs next time and decrease sets to 8 and work my way up from there.

4X6 RDL / 4X15 Wt'd Ab Curl
Did 184lbs on RDL - felt pretty good. Will increase 10lbs as well. Ab curls, used a 45lb DB on chest. Will use 50lb next time.

Legs have been very sore yesterday and today. No workout yesterday due to lack of sleep Saturday night.

Diet - I don't want to talk about it. Not too pleased with myself. Going to hit it hard this week and try and maintain some self-control next weekend.

Blackjack · 09-11-2006, 11:34 AM

Workout

1. Foam Roller - legs especailly quads and glutes. Need to work on some more. Still very sore.
2. Breakthrough Workout - 8-10 reps (Core Strengthening Routine)
3. Hypertrophy Booster - Chest - Decline DB Bench Press - 100reps with 20lbs (ea). Need to increase weight, did 50 reps with first set. Will bump it up to 30lbs. Enough f'ing around.
4. HIIT on bike. 5 min warm-up; 20 min intervals (35min work/85sec rest); 5 min cool-down
5. Static Stretching - chest & lower body.

Time started - 5:15am; Time finished - 6:20am.

New 7-day training cycle...starting on Sunday

Sun - Squat workout
Mon - HIIT/Breakthrough/Hypertrophy Booster #1
Tue - Pull-Up workout
Wed - Off Day - light cardio/stretching/foam roller/Breakthrough/etc.
Thur - Deadlift workout
Fri - HIIT/Breakthrough/Hypertrophy Booster #2
Sat - Bench Press workout

Going to have to be pretty flexible with domestic situation. I find that with a 4-day split, it's actually more flexible becuase you can do two workouts back-to-back w/o any problem take a couple days off and do two more or you can space them out better. As long as you get your training days in - all is good.

Blackjack · 09-12-2006, 12:02 PM

Did the 10X3 workout with pull-ups today. Failed on 8th set (bw only) and only did 2 reps so I switched to chin-ups for final set. Once I can do 10 sets with strict form (from dead hang, pulling up to top of chest) I'll start to add weight in 10lb increments.

Followed that up with 4X6 of BB Military press & DB Row. Did 95lbs on M-Press. Will add 10lbs for next time, but these irritated my shoulder a bit so I may end up switching to a 1-arm DB press. Did the first two sets of the DB Row with 65lb DB but form broke down on my left arm so I cut it back to 50lb DB to complete. Will stay at 50lb next time and keep form more strict.

Was pretty bummed yesterday with my bodyweight. I weighed in a 112.5lbs which would be about an 8lb increase in just a few weeks after the GS diet. But this morning I was at 108.5lbs. Not sure how one's weight can swing 4lbs in 24-hours. That seems like a lot. May be the scale? But I need to stay off the scale and worry more about eating clean and getting stronger.

Thanks for checking in...Ted

galya · 09-12-2006, 12:13 PM

Water games. How tall are you?

TrainingGirl · 09-12-2006, 01:14 PM

Benjamin is adorable! I understand what your wife is going through. I was on complete bedrest for 6 weeks with Justin. It's hard to constantly sleep on your side and deal with the hip pain that goes along with it. Unfortunately, I don't really have much to offer in the way of relief. I just constantly switched sides. The pain completely disappeared after he arrived.

Blackjack · 09-12-2006, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by galya

Water games. How tall are you?

6'-4" = 76" = 1.9304m

Blackjack · 09-12-2006, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrainingGirl

Benjamin is adorable! I understand what your wife is going through. I was on complete bedrest for 6 weeks with Justin. It's hard to constantly sleep on your side and deal with the hip pain that goes along with it. Unfortunately, I don't really have much to offer in the way of relief. I just constantly switched sides. The pain completely disappeared after he arrived.

The funny thing is that this is our second and she had none of this with our first one. I would have thought that would be more of an issue with your first baby, but everyone has said all pregnancies are different so...

She's borrowed one of those body-pillows and that seems to be helping quite a bit. Unfortunately, there isn't much room for yours-truly with that thing so I've been banished to the basement office to sleep on the futon. So now I literally sleep about 5 feet from the gym! A refrigerator and my shaker cup and I'll be all set for my 5 a.m. workouts!