Puny guy's plan on getting stronger

[thomas87]

Okay, I'm a rather puny guy, stand 6,2" weighs in at 187-189 pounds. Been training for a good half year now, but I think it'll be better if I log my training -- so that' why I'm doing it . My goal is to shape up my body and give it a respectable amount of muscles. Make it look better. I do have a little layer of flubber, in which I will try to get rid of later. I've been running the below program for 1 or 2 months now. Been making good progress in some exercises, others I've not been making so good progress. Overall, I'm making progress. The last weeks, maybe month, I've been very strict on having a good form on the exercises. I feel I've gotten the movements in most of my exercies, but my stiff legged deadlift , still needs to be worked on -- I just can't feel a burn in my hams ... Lately, I got the movement on deadlift worked out, so now I'll gradually work my way up the weights.


Day1:
Inclinepress/Benchpress: 1*12-17
Pec dec/Incline Dumbell Press: 1*15-20

Barbell Press to Front/Arnoldpress: 1*12-17
Clean/Smith press behind neck: 1*15-20

Close Grip Bench/dips: 1*12-17
Pressdowns/Skullcrushers: 15-20

Day2:
Stiff legged deadlift /sumo squats: 1*12-17
Leg curls; 1*15-20

Leg press, pushing with toes/ standing calf raises: 1*12-17
Calves on a leg press: 1*15-20

Leg press/Squats: 1*12-17
Leg extensions: 1*15-20

Day3:
Barbell Curl/Dumbell Curl curl: 1*12-15
Preacher Curl/Cable Curl: 1*15-20

Rack chins/Close-Grip Pulldown, using alternate grip: 1*12-17
Close-Grip Pulldown/Rack Chins Behind Neck: 1*15-20

Bent Over Rows/Deadlift: 1*12-17
Seated Cable Rows: 1*15-20

 

[thomas87]

Today I had a go with my feet. I had been looking forward to this day, since I enjoy the
leg presses.

Stiff legged deadlift (12-17): 17*90 -- I need to figure out the movement. I can feel a great stretch in my hams, but I can't see how I'm working out these muscles. I'm stretching them, tho -- which is good since I'm stiff as a log.

Leg curl(15-20): 15*33 -- I hate this exercise. The machine I'm using is out of date, and I dont feel confortable at all. Took 15 reps just as a warm up.

Leg press, pushing with toes (12-17): 17*287 -- I like this exercise. I think I'll manage to load the press with 310 pounds, next time.
Calves on a leg press (15-20): 20*220 -- I have been struggling with the movement on this exercise. Decided to use a lesser load and get movement right. Worked greatly! Felt a decent burn.

Leg press(12-17): 15*375 -- my favourite exercise of the day. As the other exercies, I use 3-5 seconds on the negative part, and explosive in the positive. At the end of this exercise my feet were burning! I think I could have pulled out a 16th, but rep 15 had me -- I just had to give up. I crawled to a bench where I could sit down and relax. I got a feeling of being on the verge of vomiting, and I was so sick. It lasted for 30 minutes.

Leg extensions(15-20): 10*60. If I hadn't been so beat up in both psych and legs, I'd been able to pull at least 18 reps.

My feet were shaking badly when I drove home. Made to myself a decent protein shake. I don't think my body wants to experience such a strain again. Therefore my quads will be stronger, the next time I work out my feet

 

[Duncon76]

Do you do any MMA or any other sports?

 

[thomas87]

I attend kickboxing classes twice a week, each session lasting 90 minutes. I just started -- 2-3 months ago. I was inspired by Pride and UFC. Can you imagine that ? I live in a small town in Norway, where fighting clubs are very limited. We got kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do and Judo. I want to combine Kickboxing with Judo or preferably wrestling, unfortunately there are only 7 days a week .


Yesterday, the same day I worked out my feet, I also had to attend a kickboxing class. It was very heavy, especially in the beginning, when we were doing some basic stuff. Left, right straight, hooks and uppercuts went by OK, using the feet was horrible in the beginning. Luckily, we just had a few minutes of basics before we went on to the Thai shields?(shields, in which your partner holds it up and you punch and kick -- what are they called?). I learned a new combination, which I found pretty effective and powerful: Left sidekick --> right backkick. I felt I got the hold of it and that I could apply some decent power in the kicks. Cool combination. Then there was left pushkick --> straight left, straight right--> right kick to the side. I think the coaches like this combination, because we've been doing them for some time now. I need to work on my kick going to the side of your opponent(what are such kicks called?). At the end with had some serious stretching, which I badly need. Pain, but defintely worth it. A great session, indeed.

 

[Duncon76]

I asked since your strength program is more of a bodybuilding program, not for strength and more athletic, geared for sport. If size is one of your interests, nothing wrong with that, you can still get big without doing bb programs..Take a look at some other people's log's on the forum to give you some ideas..)))

 

[thomas87]

Yeah, it is a bodybuilding program. I just thought I'd grow big first, and afterwards I'd put some stamina in the muscles. For now, my goal is to simply get bigger, nicer curves -- so on, I bet you know what I mean . Undressed and in the morning, I'm about 183-185 pounds. I'm looking towards 200, before I aim at more stamina based program (is that a correct English phrase?).

Or would an alternative program give me the same growth benefit and still put stamina in my muscles? I personally don't think so, but if there is, hell -- show me that program at once .

I appreciate your input, Duncon -- thanks

 

[thomas87]

What a crappy day at the gym. I had a backfall in the progress.

Benchpress: 15*145 --I have only increased by one repetition every 12 day. A man whose been 36 years in the bb-world said that since the bench is an exercise for the pecs, you ought to have a wide grip. I've been using a grip slightly wider than the shoulders, so from now on I will starting using a wide, wide grip. Also I felt the exercise great in the pecs, which I haven't while using a narrow grip. I can't believe I didn't figure this out myself.

Incline Dumbell Press: 14*44 -- decline in progress. 12 days ago I did 19*44. But I must point out to myself, that since I used a wide grip on the bench I used the pecs a lot more than I've done earlier.

Arnoldpress: 9*26+5 -- what is this bullshit. 12 days ago, I did 17*22 with ease I recall. Now I struggled from the very beginning.
Smith press behind neck: 12*33+4 -- Yeah great, last time I did 14*33.

dips: 1*12-17 -- I had postive progress with my triceps. GREAT!! I dont really do dips, but a similar movement in which I sit on a bench and my feet are on the other bench. Dunno what the exercise is called in English. Had progress nonetheless
Skullcrushers: 15*18. Last time I did only 12*18. I use dumbells.

I'm not seeing any special progress, but that might be ascribed to the kickboxing training I had yesterday. Last time I had this drill it went before any kickboxing day, so I was basically refresehed then. I will run this program for another month or two, to see if I have any progress. If I don't, I'll switch to another program -- simple as that.

 

[thomas87]

I tried something different today. Did many sets, few heavy reps and short pauses under a minute. Here is how it went.

Bench: - warmed up with 20 kilos and 40 kilos for some reps. Numbers are in kilo.
70x6, 80x5, 85x3, 90x2(!). I did 90x2 pretty easy, and the some seconds later I pulled of 70x9(If I had a spotter on that set, I might have pulled off a tenth). 12 days ago, I could only do 70x10. I choose to call it progress. I'm not far away from the milestone, 100 kilos. I planned pulling it off before the new year, but I must give it some extra weeks. I need to say that my form is very good (the coordination isn't 100%, but it will be better with time), and I really feel that 100 kilos isn't far away now

Incline dumbell bench: Did 25x6 for 4 sets. I made sure that I had 100% ROM. Went pretty good. The coordination is far from perfect on this exercise. I have to get used to those dumbells, the sooner the better. .

Dumbelll shoulder press.: 18x4x4x4x3x4x3x2. I used minimal with pauses. I am so much stronger on the right side -- damnit. Left side failed a couple of times. Form is far from OKAY, but it will be better.

Upright row: 30x9x6x5x6. I know how this exercise is done, it isn't too complex in my opinion. It's just that ... - my left wrist is fucking pathetical weak. Years of wanking has made the right wrist strong -- left has been inactive for ten years and the result is clearly seen now. Fuck it, I need to work out my wrists more.

Shrugs: I didn't beat my trapezius the way I wanted with the upright row so I thought I'd kill them using shrugs. I did heavy load, light load, full range of movements reps, cheaty reps and minimal movement reps. I got them hard and took off my shirt. Jezzz, I love that muscle. Though, right traps is bigger than the left one . Whatevet, it will evem out with time.

Dips: BW x 5x5x3x2x1. I never thought I were able to do this exercise before I tried it out, a couple of days ago. Decided to do them today and I like them. I think they work my chest and triceps -- at least I could feel it in my triceps.

Bench, narrow grip: 50x3x4x3(failure trying 4)x3(failure on forth)x3x4, 40x7. I figured that if I should pull out that forth, I need to be really explosive on it. I can't use 70 or 80% or max force, I need to use 100%. Funny how the triceps suddenly decides do bail on me ... reps are feeling okay and easy, but all of a sudden you're failing. funny ...


I dunno if this work out will do anything, let's hope so.

some days ago I worked out my feet. Did Squats, 70x6, 80x5, 90x2(failure on third), 80x3, 80x3. Half superset: 40 kilos, 10 reps for 5 sets -- using 20 secs pauses. I brought a friend who has done some training, he looked at my form and pointed out that I need to go a little deeper. For 6-7 months now, I have been using the 90 degrees angle. I found out that I was very, very, very weak at the bottom. The day after my gluteus and quadriceps were so fucked that one could have thought that I had been butt fucked a previous day. A new experience that my gluteus was so bad -- probably because I went deeper.

I need to update this log a bit more often -- sigh. I just need a new routine that will make me stronger.