- Jan 30, 2010
- 1,246
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Dear all,
I'm not sure whether or not this is kosher, but I'd like to ask for your help understanding my lifting routine (gains, and lack thereof), lifestyle, and general place in life as I edge towards what I think will be 'mid life'.
Here is what my lifting looks like - I started in December of 2016 and I am a 36 year old male, 183 cm tall and I weigh roughly 82 kilograms. I am using the Westside for Skinny Bs (3) routine:
Monday: Dynamic Effort Lower Body
(i) Vertical Jump training - about 5 sets of 3 jumps where I basically jump as high as I can and try to have good landing form (my gym does not have boxes for the jumps onto boxes)
(ii) Bulgarian split squats - front leg elevated. I use 6kg of weight in each hand and perform 3 sets of 10 squats for each leg. This is one of my most challenging exercises and I take a decent break between each set because I feel my heart rate skyrocketing during this exercise (it feels harder than deadlifts - more on that later).
(iii) 45 degree hyperextensions - I do 3 sets of 10 repetitions holding a 20kg plate for added difficulty.
(iv) sit-up variations - right now I'm doing 3 sets of about 20 normal sit-ups - I find myself quite tired by this point and the situps are definitely not something I put a lot of effort into because I don't have much left.
Tuesday: Maximum Effort Upper Body
(i) Bench press - I work up through 5 sets roughly like this: 5xbar; 5x bar + 5kg; 5x bar + 7.5 kg; 4x bar + 10kg; 3x bar + 12.5 kg (this is my current maximum). I feel incredibly weak in the bench press in terms of looking at my lifts as a whole, and it takes me quite a while to see gains here.
(ii) incline dumbell bench press (palms out, 30 degree incline): 2 sets of max reps, first set 16 x 10kg (in each hand); second set around 12 x 10kg in each hand.
(iii) Superset - horizontal pulling/rear delt:
I do seated cable rows pulling 50 kg x 10 for 4 sets; and I couple this with seated db power cleans with 8kg x 8 reps for 4 sets. Comment: I've seen big gains in the rows since I started.
(iv) DB Shrugs - I do 4 sets of 10 reps with 18kg in each hand
(v) Zottman curls - I do 4 sets of 10 reps with 8kg in each hand (I find it very hard to increase weight in this exercise)
Thursday: Maximum Effort Lower Body
(i) Deadlifts - I work up to my maximum lift like this: 5x 40kg (plus bar); 5x 50kg; 5x 60kg; 4x 70kg; 3x 80kg. The 80kg feels like quite a limit to me and it's actually hard on my hands, I feel the calloused areas form in the max lift specifically
(ii) Bulgarian split squats - I do 3 sets of 10 reps holding 12.5kg in each hand. As with the dynamic effort lower body day, this seems to really wreck me quickly - and is much harder for me as a movement than deadlifts (unsure if this is normal, or it's because I've just deadlifted...)
(iii) 45 degree hyperextensions - I do 3 sets of 10 reps holding a 20kg plate.
(iv) situps - again, not much to talk about here, 3 sets of around 15 each set. I'm normally gassed completely by this point and the hyperextensions seem to tank my abs too.
Friday: Repetition Upper Body
(i) Chin-ups: I do 3 sets of 10, with 30kg HELP from a plate that my knees rest on.
(ii) Superset - lateral pulldowns + seated db power cleans. I do 4 supersets of 10 reps with 40kg on the lateral pulldown (behind my head) and 8 reps or so with 8kg for the seated db power cleans.
(iii) DB lateral raise - I do 4 sets of about 9 reps each with 4kg in each hand - I find these very difficult
(iv) Traps/Arms superset: DB Shrugs + Zottman curls: I do 4 sets of 10 reps, with 18kg for the shrugs, and 8kg for the Zottman curls. On days where I lower the assistance for chinups, I have to drop the weight for the Zottman curls, e.g. it was to 6kg the first time I did chin-ups with only 30kg help, from the 35kg help I had before.
I don't do the grip training because my grip is already tired from the deadlift day the day before.
On the lifestyle, ever since I started lifting I find I need WAY more sleep. I was asleep last night at 21:30 hours and woke up at 06:25 to get ready for work and it's always a struggle - always. Even with about 9 hours of sleep it always feels like I need more, and I do sleep much more during weekends (if I go to sleep at 22:00 on a Friday night I wake up at 09:00 on Saturday morning naturally without an alarm). Should I be alarmed at the amount of sleep I seem to need?
I do smoke, and I know I should stop. I smoke roughly 4 cigarettes a day, more if I go out drinking during the weekend with buddies.
I try to eat well: on workout days I have a protein shake with 4 tablespoons of organic free range grass fed whey isolate + a bit of magnesium powder, mixed with a chopped plum and half milk/water (I puree it). I have this 1 hour before I work out (lunch time, at 12:30 hours). I eat lunch around 14:00 hours and try to get quality quinoa salads with broccoli, chili, peas, etc from a local vegetarian restaurant, and then try to have a good dinner around 19:00 hours. On my rest days (wednesday, saturday and sunday I am not very active but I do go for hikes with my wife sometime, and I'm more liberal in my diet and do eat cinnabons sometimes or brownies for dessert, or pasta, fried chicken, etc).
I have always been a 'skinny fat' guy with disgusting manboobs, belly fat, and skinny arms. It's something I am trying to change now as I head towards old age, though it's a bit late.
So, this is roughly where I am now guys and gals. If you have any suggestions about the way I'm lifting or living my rather sedentary life please have at it.
Thanking you in advance,
Aristotelian
I'm not sure whether or not this is kosher, but I'd like to ask for your help understanding my lifting routine (gains, and lack thereof), lifestyle, and general place in life as I edge towards what I think will be 'mid life'.
Here is what my lifting looks like - I started in December of 2016 and I am a 36 year old male, 183 cm tall and I weigh roughly 82 kilograms. I am using the Westside for Skinny Bs (3) routine:
Monday: Dynamic Effort Lower Body
(i) Vertical Jump training - about 5 sets of 3 jumps where I basically jump as high as I can and try to have good landing form (my gym does not have boxes for the jumps onto boxes)
(ii) Bulgarian split squats - front leg elevated. I use 6kg of weight in each hand and perform 3 sets of 10 squats for each leg. This is one of my most challenging exercises and I take a decent break between each set because I feel my heart rate skyrocketing during this exercise (it feels harder than deadlifts - more on that later).
(iii) 45 degree hyperextensions - I do 3 sets of 10 repetitions holding a 20kg plate for added difficulty.
(iv) sit-up variations - right now I'm doing 3 sets of about 20 normal sit-ups - I find myself quite tired by this point and the situps are definitely not something I put a lot of effort into because I don't have much left.
Tuesday: Maximum Effort Upper Body
(i) Bench press - I work up through 5 sets roughly like this: 5xbar; 5x bar + 5kg; 5x bar + 7.5 kg; 4x bar + 10kg; 3x bar + 12.5 kg (this is my current maximum). I feel incredibly weak in the bench press in terms of looking at my lifts as a whole, and it takes me quite a while to see gains here.
(ii) incline dumbell bench press (palms out, 30 degree incline): 2 sets of max reps, first set 16 x 10kg (in each hand); second set around 12 x 10kg in each hand.
(iii) Superset - horizontal pulling/rear delt:
I do seated cable rows pulling 50 kg x 10 for 4 sets; and I couple this with seated db power cleans with 8kg x 8 reps for 4 sets. Comment: I've seen big gains in the rows since I started.
(iv) DB Shrugs - I do 4 sets of 10 reps with 18kg in each hand
(v) Zottman curls - I do 4 sets of 10 reps with 8kg in each hand (I find it very hard to increase weight in this exercise)
Thursday: Maximum Effort Lower Body
(i) Deadlifts - I work up to my maximum lift like this: 5x 40kg (plus bar); 5x 50kg; 5x 60kg; 4x 70kg; 3x 80kg. The 80kg feels like quite a limit to me and it's actually hard on my hands, I feel the calloused areas form in the max lift specifically
(ii) Bulgarian split squats - I do 3 sets of 10 reps holding 12.5kg in each hand. As with the dynamic effort lower body day, this seems to really wreck me quickly - and is much harder for me as a movement than deadlifts (unsure if this is normal, or it's because I've just deadlifted...)
(iii) 45 degree hyperextensions - I do 3 sets of 10 reps holding a 20kg plate.
(iv) situps - again, not much to talk about here, 3 sets of around 15 each set. I'm normally gassed completely by this point and the hyperextensions seem to tank my abs too.
Friday: Repetition Upper Body
(i) Chin-ups: I do 3 sets of 10, with 30kg HELP from a plate that my knees rest on.
(ii) Superset - lateral pulldowns + seated db power cleans. I do 4 supersets of 10 reps with 40kg on the lateral pulldown (behind my head) and 8 reps or so with 8kg for the seated db power cleans.
(iii) DB lateral raise - I do 4 sets of about 9 reps each with 4kg in each hand - I find these very difficult
(iv) Traps/Arms superset: DB Shrugs + Zottman curls: I do 4 sets of 10 reps, with 18kg for the shrugs, and 8kg for the Zottman curls. On days where I lower the assistance for chinups, I have to drop the weight for the Zottman curls, e.g. it was to 6kg the first time I did chin-ups with only 30kg help, from the 35kg help I had before.
I don't do the grip training because my grip is already tired from the deadlift day the day before.
On the lifestyle, ever since I started lifting I find I need WAY more sleep. I was asleep last night at 21:30 hours and woke up at 06:25 to get ready for work and it's always a struggle - always. Even with about 9 hours of sleep it always feels like I need more, and I do sleep much more during weekends (if I go to sleep at 22:00 on a Friday night I wake up at 09:00 on Saturday morning naturally without an alarm). Should I be alarmed at the amount of sleep I seem to need?
I do smoke, and I know I should stop. I smoke roughly 4 cigarettes a day, more if I go out drinking during the weekend with buddies.
I try to eat well: on workout days I have a protein shake with 4 tablespoons of organic free range grass fed whey isolate + a bit of magnesium powder, mixed with a chopped plum and half milk/water (I puree it). I have this 1 hour before I work out (lunch time, at 12:30 hours). I eat lunch around 14:00 hours and try to get quality quinoa salads with broccoli, chili, peas, etc from a local vegetarian restaurant, and then try to have a good dinner around 19:00 hours. On my rest days (wednesday, saturday and sunday I am not very active but I do go for hikes with my wife sometime, and I'm more liberal in my diet and do eat cinnabons sometimes or brownies for dessert, or pasta, fried chicken, etc).
I have always been a 'skinny fat' guy with disgusting manboobs, belly fat, and skinny arms. It's something I am trying to change now as I head towards old age, though it's a bit late.
So, this is roughly where I am now guys and gals. If you have any suggestions about the way I'm lifting or living my rather sedentary life please have at it.
Thanking you in advance,
Aristotelian