This morning, I attempted to perform four sets of five, with my last two sets at 175lbs (My weight is currently 155-157lbs). The clip below is of my last set. I know my last rep was pretty shaky, but let me know what you think of the set as a whole!
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Front Squat 5RM
Front Squats have become an essential lift in my training. Not only does this exercise emphasize the quadriceps, it also reduces the pressure that is put on the lower back.
This morning, I attempted to perform four sets of five, with my last two sets at 175lbs (My weight is currently 155-157lbs). The clip below is of my last set. I know my last rep was pretty shaky, but let me know what you think of the set as a whole!
This morning, I attempted to perform four sets of five, with my last two sets at 175lbs (My weight is currently 155-157lbs). The clip below is of my last set. I know my last rep was pretty shaky, but let me know what you think of the set as a whole!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Pasta Sandwiches
Because of my Italian background, I have a huge love for pasta. However, a normal pasta and meatballs dish wouldn't necessarily fit into my daily macro goals. I know for a fact that I couldn't cut out pasta from my food regime entirely. Thus, I created a "pasta sandwich."
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Ingredients:
2 ounces of Barilla Whole Grain Penne
1/2 cup of Barilla All Natural Pasta Sauce
1 slice of Reduced Fat Provolone Cheese
1/2 cup of Boca Meatless Ground Crumbles
1/2 cup of Kale
2 slices of Country Hearth 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat
This meal comes out to be 530 calories for 90 grams of carbs, 36 grams of protein, and 9.1 grams of fat.
Because of the high carb content, I eat this meal approximately 40 minutes to an hour after training.
Let me know what you think!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Strength Program: Week 3/4
As most of you guys know, I am currently lifting for strength. I created a 10-week strength program with the intensity of the compound exercises increasing every two weeks before attempting to hit a new max for each lift. After completing the first two weeks of the program (and hitting new 6-RM's & 8-RM's for various exercises in the process), it was time to start the third and fourth week of the mesocycle.
Changes to these two weeks: Compound exercises drop from 4x6-8 repetitions to 4x5 repetitions. The assistor exercises (as well as every lift on back and bicep day) stay at 4x10/12 or 3x10/12.
Changes to these two weeks: Compound exercises drop from 4x6-8 repetitions to 4x5 repetitions. The assistor exercises (as well as every lift on back and bicep day) stay at 4x10/12 or 3x10/12.
| Monday(Chest/Tris) |
| Bench Press (4x5) |
| Incline Bench (4x5) |
| DB Flys (3x10/12) |
| Skull Crushers/Close Grip Combo (3x10/12) |
| Overhead Pulley Tricep Exts (3x10/12) |
| Dips (3xF) |
| Leg Raises (2x25) |
| Tuesday (Back/Bis) |
| Bent Over BB Rows (4x10/12) |
| Lat Pulldowns (3x10/12) |
| One-Armed DB Rows (3x10/12) |
| Barbell Curls (4x10/12) |
| Dumbbell Hammers (3x10/12) |
| Standing DB Concentration Curls (3x10/12) |
| DB Forearm Twists (3x20) |
| Decline Sit-ups/Med Ball Twists (2x25) (Each) |
| Wednesday (Legs/Shoulders) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Barbell Squats (4x5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Barbell Deadlifts (4x5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Step Ups (3x10/12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leg Extensions (3x10/12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leg Curls (3x10/12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leg Press Calf Raises (3x25) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clean and Press (4x5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DB Shoulder Press (3x10/12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DB Front Raises/Lateral Raises (3x12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bent Over Rear Delt Raise (Head on Bench) (3x12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cable Crunch (3x25)
|
I started week 3 yesterday (Monday), and hit a new 5-RM max on both flat-barbell bench (195), as well as on incline-barbell bench (155). Really excited about the gains that will come!
Friday, May 23, 2014
A Bodybuilding Type Lunch
For the past three months, my lunches were made up of the same food: two grilled chicken fillets, two sweet potatoes, and a mix of vegetables. Although this meal was extremely bodybuilding-friendly, it got boring....fast.
Being back home from school has allowed for me to make a much needed change to my lunch in what I consider to be a creative way. I LOVE Hispanic food, and wanted to create a meal that not only showed that, but fit well into my daily macros.
Thus, I came up with the idea of "Bodybuilding Chicken Tacos"
Ingredients:
6 ounces of Tyson Oven Roasted Chicken
1/2 cup of Brown Rice
1/8 cup of Reduced Fat Marble Jack Cheese
2 Tablespoons of Pico De Gallo
1/2 cup of Kale
1 Multi-Grain Flat-Bread Tortilla
The macro intake for this meal is roughly: 545 calories, 59 grams of carbs, 60 grams of protein, and 12.2 grams of fat.
Including this meal in your diet can definitely help add more variety to what you eat on a daily basis. Let me know what you think!
Being back home from school has allowed for me to make a much needed change to my lunch in what I consider to be a creative way. I LOVE Hispanic food, and wanted to create a meal that not only showed that, but fit well into my daily macros.
Thus, I came up with the idea of "Bodybuilding Chicken Tacos"
Ingredients:
6 ounces of Tyson Oven Roasted Chicken
1/2 cup of Brown Rice
1/8 cup of Reduced Fat Marble Jack Cheese
2 Tablespoons of Pico De Gallo
1/2 cup of Kale
1 Multi-Grain Flat-Bread Tortilla
The macro intake for this meal is roughly: 545 calories, 59 grams of carbs, 60 grams of protein, and 12.2 grams of fat.
Including this meal in your diet can definitely help add more variety to what you eat on a daily basis. Let me know what you think!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
A Bodybuilding Type Breakfast
I wanted to do some different types of posts, and write about what meals I normally include in my own "bulking diet."
I typically train in the mornings, so breakfast typically takes place 30-40 minutes after lifting. Since this meal takes place almost right after training, I make sure to consume both simple and complex carbohydrates. This is done to maintain blood glucose levels, as well as to start the protein synthesis process.
For breakfast, I currently eat:
3 Large Grade A Eggs
1/2 cup of Quaker Steel-Cut Oats
1 Extra-Large Banana
If it wasn't for the banana pieces, I don't know if I could handle the oats.
The macro-nutrient intake for this meal is roughly 645 calories with 89 grams of carbs, 30 grams of protein, and 20 grams of fat.
Some people might think that the carbohydrate intake in this breakfast is too high; however, because the meal is consumed after training, the high amount of carbohydrates are needed.
As a way to increase the protein intake of this meal (at the expense of a little fat and more carbs), I'd suggest adding a small glass (6-8 ounces) of chocolate milk.
Be on the lookout later this week for more posts similar to this!
I typically train in the mornings, so breakfast typically takes place 30-40 minutes after lifting. Since this meal takes place almost right after training, I make sure to consume both simple and complex carbohydrates. This is done to maintain blood glucose levels, as well as to start the protein synthesis process.
For breakfast, I currently eat:
3 Large Grade A Eggs
1/2 cup of Quaker Steel-Cut Oats
1 Extra-Large Banana
If it wasn't for the banana pieces, I don't know if I could handle the oats.
The macro-nutrient intake for this meal is roughly 645 calories with 89 grams of carbs, 30 grams of protein, and 20 grams of fat.
Some people might think that the carbohydrate intake in this breakfast is too high; however, because the meal is consumed after training, the high amount of carbohydrates are needed.
As a way to increase the protein intake of this meal (at the expense of a little fat and more carbs), I'd suggest adding a small glass (6-8 ounces) of chocolate milk.
Be on the lookout later this week for more posts similar to this!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Strength Program
With the school semester finally over, I can dedicate more time to this blog!
After finishing the Arnold Blueprint a few weeks ago, I decided that my latest mesocycle would be to lift for strength before beginning a hypertrophy period. I believe that a strength phase before lifting primarily for muscle growth is essential because as a result of increased strength, one should be able to lift lighter weights for more repetitions. Thus, with this way of thinking, hypertrophy should be further enhanced.
The strength program I have created lasts for ten weeks. The intensity of each exercise increases every two weeks, while the repetitions decrease. For these first two weeks, the repetitions for compound exercises are six to eight, while assistor lifts will be completed for 10-12 reps. For every back and bicep exercise, the reps will be for 10-12, as I'm hoping for growth in these two areas. The intensity of the compound exercises is currently 77%-80% of my 1-RMs.
Note: This is the first two weeks of the program, I will post the remaining increments of the program as I complete them.
Friday (Back/Bis)
After finishing the Arnold Blueprint a few weeks ago, I decided that my latest mesocycle would be to lift for strength before beginning a hypertrophy period. I believe that a strength phase before lifting primarily for muscle growth is essential because as a result of increased strength, one should be able to lift lighter weights for more repetitions. Thus, with this way of thinking, hypertrophy should be further enhanced.
The strength program I have created lasts for ten weeks. The intensity of each exercise increases every two weeks, while the repetitions decrease. For these first two weeks, the repetitions for compound exercises are six to eight, while assistor lifts will be completed for 10-12 reps. For every back and bicep exercise, the reps will be for 10-12, as I'm hoping for growth in these two areas. The intensity of the compound exercises is currently 77%-80% of my 1-RMs.
Note: This is the first two weeks of the program, I will post the remaining increments of the program as I complete them.
| Monday (Chest/Tris) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bench Press (4x6/8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Incline Bench (4x6/8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Machine Flys (3x10/12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Skull Crushers/Close Grip Combo (3x10/12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overhead Pulley Tricep Extensions (3x10/12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dips (3xF) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Decline Med Ball Sit-ups (3x25)
|
Friday (Back/Bis)
| T-Bar Rows (4x10/12) |
| Lat Pulldowns (3x10/12) |
| DB Bent Over Rows (3 second pause) (3x12) |
| Barbell Curls (3x10/12) |
| Incline Dumbbell Curls (3x10/12) |
| DB Concentration Curls (3x10/12) |
| DB Forearm Holds (3 for 45 seconds) |
| Decline Med Ball Situps (3x25) |
| Saturday (Legs/Shoulders) |
| Front Squats (4x6/8) |
| Barbell Deadlifts (4x6/8) |
| Leg Extensions (3x10/12) |
| Leg Curls (3x10/12) |
| Smith Machine Barbell Calf Raises (3x25) |
| Military Press (4x6/8) |
| DB Bradford Press (3x10/12) |
| DB Isolated Front Raise/Lateral Raise (3X12) |
| Bent Over Rear Delt Raise (on bench) (3x12) |
| Leg Raises/Med Ball Twists (2x25) (each) |
Let me know what you think of this, and what you think can be done in order to improve the program as a whole!
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