my new and improved "I WILL BENCH 300" journal - Page 3

**rangers97** · 28-Jun-05, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverick

I was talking about the bench, but the dips were pretty awesome too.

oh ok, my bad! i didnt even think about it like that, lol

**rangers97** · 28-Jun-05, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firehawk

You cant play that OLD card yet dude. Aren't you like 30? You can't start playing that card till you're passing 35!

ok ok, but i will be 31 in september...

i just wish sometimes that working out and bodybuilding was as popular back when I was in high school as it is now...now everyone works out it seems, high school kids galore at my gym all the time, working out with terrible form I might add

but back when I was in high school, the only people who lifted weights were generally the bigger jock/football player/varsity jacket/homecoming king guys--i will say this though, I went to my 10 year reunion 2 years ago, and man, all the big strong tough guy athletes from high school were now like bald and fat! I however, received oodles of compliments as I was a 140lb nothing in high school, now a 200lb lifter, but I digress.....

i just wish i could have started younger, thats all I'm getting at

**.V.** · 28-Jun-05, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangers97

ok ok, but i will be 31 in september...

I however, received oodles of compliments as I was a 140lb nothing in high school, now a 200lb lifter, but I digress.....

i just wish i could have started younger, thats all I'm getting at

Digress, digress... It's good to improve yourself at any age. You apparently deserve the compliments since the others were fat and out of shape. The bald, they probably couldn't help that part.

I was 34 when I got started. Now I'm 36 and in better shape than when I was 20. Wouldn't it be nice to have known at 16 or 18 what we know now though...

**rangers97** · 28-Jun-05, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_welch503

Digress, digress... It's good to improve yourself at any age. You apparently deserve the compliments since the others were fat and out of shape. The bald, they probably couldn't help that part.

I was 34 when I got started. Now I'm 36 and in better shape than when I was 20. Wouldn't it be nice to have known at 16 or 18 what we know now though...

Thats my point...I've been doing this for 6-7 years now, so I wonder where I would be if I had 6 or 7 years on top of that....

but yeah, the reunion was fun...i know the bald they *probably* couldn't help, but it was really nice to have the former homecoming king come up to me and say hello and I was like "Who are you?" you wouldn't believe how bad he looked! LOL....The best comment I got was from one of the best sports guys in my grade, he comes up to me and goes, "what the hell, do you eat like 5 whole chickens a day??" And I replied, "yup and I eat them RAW!" They almost believed that...lol

**Firehawk** · 28-Jun-05, 09:21 PM

yaeh i wish instead of being depressed and sulking in my room every day after school because i was a fat ass , i wish i woulda done something about it back then. I'd prolly be benching 400 and deadliftin over 600 by now.

Of course, that's assuming i got hooked up with the right people back then too.

**.V.** · 28-Jun-05, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangers97

Thats my point...I've been doing this for 6-7 years now, so I wonder where I would be if I had 6 or 7 years on top of that..

I know exactly what you mean there. I feel the same way. I wish I had done the same. Firehawk, I totally get what you are saying too.

I keep stressing diet and exercise to my partner at work. He is only 19 and up to 300 lb. Living with the delusion that most young fat men have, "I'm fat, but there is a lot of muscle under it, so I'm really strong". Finally, I had to bust his bubble the other day and tell him that he is just too weak to lift his end of the stretcher that he isn't that strong and he is with me because I'm the only one there strong enough to do my share of the lifting and pick up his slack.

I keep telling him that with the anabolic advantage that goes with his age, and the huge stores of extra "workout fuel" he has stored on his body - with diet and exercise he could be awesome in only a couple of years.

gcs118 · 29-Jun-05, 02:00 AM

You guys do seriously digress....

**rangers97** · 29-Jun-05, 05:40 PM

ok well back to the topic at hand:
wednesday 6/29

upper back

lat pull downs (plate loaded "leverage" machine) 135 x 7, 7 140 x 6

barbell rows (overhand grip) 185 x 7 195 x 6
felt strong on these, hadn't done them in a while so I was surprised the 195 felt so easy to do, I used to do them underhand grip, but I want to try to do them overhand from now on

close grip pulldowns 200 x 7 210x6
felt really strong on these

t-bar rows 135 x 6
i really like these, but it is an awkward position and it hurts my thighs when I rest on the pad, not to mention my lungs empty out very quickly on these

low cable rows 220 x 6, 6
i WILL get the whole stack one of these days! 2/3 of the way there

shrugs didn't do them--i experimented with a behind the back grip aka "jaster shrugs" and I didn't like it at all and almost dropped the bar and made a fool of myself so I just gathered my belongings and went on my way, nice and inconspicuously....lol

I do have a question ---how many of you guys do a spike after a workout, you know a protein/carb drink right after working out? I am wondering cause I think since I have been doing that, I gained close to 8-10 lbs to get to my current 200....that has to be the reason, cause now I am holding there, even though I am TRYING to cut calories to try to lose the excess midsection fat I have. I can't get rid of it for nothing, and it sucks cause the rest of me is acceptably lean, not ripped, but lean, like my abs would be showing if my midsection was like the rest of me. I am lost. I only consume 2500-3000 calories a day, somewhere in between that and for a 200 lb guy, that works out daily, that doesn't seem too much, but I am not losing anything. Anyone got any suggestions other than cut calories? I dont know what else to cut, I am pretty hungry most of the day as it is with what I am eating right now...should i stop doing the spike? is that contributing to the midsection fat???

**Firehawk** · 29-Jun-05, 05:52 PM

On the t bar rows, don't lay on the pad. Just stand there and lean over it. Maybe that'll help ya.

**.V.** · 29-Jun-05, 06:41 PM

I take a protein/carb combo after I lift. Sometimes I do them after cardio (when I'm not being a cardio slacker). I can still see my abs (barely) - even while trying to bulk. For me, if I cut the carbs throughout the day a bit (not after the workout) and increase the fat just a bit, I burn the abdominal fat off pretty quickly (except that bit of leftover 300lb lard butt loose skin at the bottom).

Have you thought about increasing cardio just a bit, or doing shorter, very intense cardio sessions?

I've been looking over your lifts, you apparently have way more muscle than I do (who doesn't

). Finding that little kick you need to start burning the fat off shouldn't be too hard.

One thought, how long after lifting do you wait before taking your protein/carb PWO stuff? A physician/bodybuilder told me that taking it within 2 hours is OK for most people but that some folks must have it within 30 minutes or it will go straight to fat storage from the insulin spike instead of to the muscle where you want it to go. --just a thought.

**rangers97** · 29-Jun-05, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_welch503

I take a protein/carb combo after I lift. Sometimes I do them after cardio (when I'm not being a cardio slacker). I can still see my abs (barely) - even while trying to bulk. For me, if I cut the carbs throughout the day a bit (not after the workout) and increase the fat just a bit, I burn the abdominal fat off pretty quickly (except that bit of leftover 300lb lard butt loose skin at the bottom).

Have you thought about increasing cardio just a bit, or doing shorter, very intense cardio sessions?

I've been looking over your lifts, you apparently have way more muscle than I do (who doesn't

). Finding that little kick you need to start burning the fat off shouldn't be too hard.

One thought, how long after lifting do you wait before taking your protein/carb PWO stuff? A physician/bodybuilder told me that taking it within 2 hours is OK for most people but that some folks must have it within 30 minutes or it will go straight to fat storage from the insulin spike instead of to the muscle where you want it to go. --just a thought.

I usually take it as soon as I get home. I make a 25g protein, 50 g maltodextrin, 5g creatine mix, so basically I finish it within 30 minutes after finishing at the gym.

I must admit that I am a cardio slacker big time. The new routine that Todd gave me is a max-ot program that requires 5 days a week, so my cardio options are limited to the weekends, or to a couple of times after my workout on the "so called easier" days (meaning not leg day or chest day!). For example, today I rode the bike for 5 minutes after my back workout just for fun. I was afraid to go longer since I didn't have my pw drink with me and i wanted to get home to have it. I also don't think this type of cardio can be intense...maybe on the weekends, yes, but not after lifting....

I have never had a problem before, it's only recently...i never ever did cardio and used to hover around a 33-34 inch waist at 185 lbs. Now my waist is 35 and i weigh 200. It's not terrible, but I really can't see my abs and when I sit down, it's quite discouraging.

you mentioned if you cut carbs and increase fat it keeps you lean while bulking...can you elaborate on that? thanks

**.V.** · 29-Jun-05, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangers97

you mentioned if you cut carbs and increase fat it keeps you lean while bulking...can you elaborate on that? thanks

I can't say that it works for anyone else, but for me, the more fat I eat, the more I burn. I'm somewhat carb intolerant - blood sugar problems, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, quick fat gain, DM2 symptoms (constant thirst, injuries that won't heal) so I keep my carbs to my morning oatmeal (preworkout), PWO dextrose (80 grams) and then the rest of the day eat the more complex high fiber green veggies. I recently tried a high carb bulk and it just didn't work out for me. My carbs probably run around 200g a day while bulking and I can fairly easily burn fat by just doing some cardio or cutting them back for a day or two. When I'm ready to cut again, I'll drop down to 100-150g a day. If I don't cut easily, I'll drop them to 20-30 for a couple of weeks.

Fat slows gastric emptying, keeps you from being hungry, isn't as easily converted to glycogen and glucose and therefore doesn't store as fat as quickly as excess carbs do.

Another thing to check on is your protein intake. You obviously need more protein than the average person, but any more than you actually turn into muscle can be stored as fat rather easily too.

**rangers97** · 29-Jun-05, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_welch503

Fat slows gastric emptying, keeps you from being hungry, isn't as easily converted to glycogen and glucose and therefore doesn't store as fat as quickly as excess carbs do.

Another thing to check on is your protein intake. You obviously need more protein than the average person, but any more than you actually turn into muscle can be stored as fat rather easily too.

so you're saying that I could possibly be eating TOO MUCH protein as well? Someting else to consider I guess huh? Right now I am at about 250-300g per day, maybe more, but not much more. So that's roughly 1.5 g per pound for me as I weigh 200 lbs. I would love to get down to a very lean 185-190 while still keeping my lifts up, that would be a nice place for me to be.

gcs118 · 30-Jun-05, 01:01 AM

You should focus on losing the few extra pounds AFTER you get to the 300 bench. I think the road to repping 300 will be a lot shorter if you just focus on it and eat for it.

**.V.** · 30-Jun-05, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangers97

so you're saying that I could possibly be eating TOO MUCH protein as well? Someting else to consider I guess huh?

That is something that you will have to find for yourself. It is possible though. If you do decide to experiment with different amounts of proteins, fats, carbs - be careful not to let those mighty lifts suffer. It is too easy to lose it quickly if you choose the wrong way to go. Right now, I'm hitting the protein pretty hard and not worrying about storing a bit of fat (never thought I would ever get to do that - especially when I qualified as a featherweight sumo wrestler). I recently made some bad dietary choices and they are partially to blame for strength loss. GCS is right about the repping 300 thing though. You guys who are bigger and stronger than me do get to eat more.