A 24-year-old absolute beginner's log (Cycle 1)

despair89

Member
Hello friends,

First of all thank you to those that helped me start of my first cycle back in this thread:
http://thinkmuscle.com/forum/showthread.php?41350-Absolute-beginner-with-no-experience
I started out without any lifting experience except some really sparse and ad hoc trips to the gym every now and then. This is the first time I am following a structured lifting program.
Even then, there are more new questions everyday.

I hope you guys will be able to answer some of my questions/comments below.
All exercises are done 1 set.


1. I have completed my first HST cycle. My verdict are that I have experienced very considerable strength gains unlike previous ad-hoc lifting experiences.
2. In terms of size I also see noticeable improvements especially on the pecs and biceps which is also areas that I am targetting.
3. One issue that I am facing now is due to the fact of the very light weights that I am currently lifting, it can be sometimes hard to maintain a consistent weight increase progression in each 2-week block. For example, assisted machine pull ups only have plates in 5kg intervals. Sometimes I would have to stick with the same weight for 2 days before jumping up a notch.
4. Does it seem weird that in the beginning, my lifting weights for bench, squat, and deadlifts all seem the same? I only found enough strength improvement towards the end that my squat weights started pulling ahead of my benches.
5. The exercises that I used were meant to maximize as many compound lifts to increase overall bulk while still being able to target my intended areas eg. chest, arms, shoulder. However, do you think I should switch some of the core body exercises (one of the deadlifts) to something else? Also, are the hammer pullups I am doing now sufficient for good arm growth or should I swap that out with something else eg curls? I still do think compounds are superior to iso. Both in terms of feeling and results.
6. Do I have to increase the number of sets for some of the exercises? eg. bench or some of the upright rows.
7. I also do two sets of 10 x push ups as a 'cool down' routine after every session. Does it hamper the program in any way?
8. I am also just starting to wrap my head around the science of dieting. My goal is to look more muscular while trying to lose fat, most particularly the "love handles" and belly that I have. Hence I try to eat "clean" meaning really cutting down on carbs (rice in my part of the world) and maximising on solid food that gives protein. Basically I am just trying to substitute the feeling of "fullness" which traditionally comes from rice, to meat and other non-carbs. Generally, I take 4 soft boiled eggs in a day, with boiled chicken breast or canned tuna for lunch and dinner. I only take protein powder on lifting day 30 mins post workout, but not during rest days. I know the above means nothing if I don't start crunching nutritional numbers on my meals, but as a general direction it would be nice if someone could comment on the above? Especialyl on the cutting carbs part.

Again comments and critiques are very welcome. Below is my log sheet:

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1. I have completed my first HST cycle. My verdict are that I have experienced very considerable strength gains unlike previous ad-hoc lifting experiences.
2. In terms of size I also see noticeable improvements especially on the pecs and biceps which is also areas that I am targetting.
3. One issue that I am facing now is due to the fact of the very light weights that I am currently lifting, it can be sometimes hard to maintain a consistent weight increase progression in each 2-week block. For example, assisted machine pull ups only have plates in 5kg intervals. Sometimes I would have to stick with the same weight for 2 days before jumping up a notch.

Yep. This is called zig zag. It's fine. You are a newbie so one load should be effective for quite some time.

4. Does it seem weird that in the beginning, my lifting weights for bench, squat, and deadlifts all seem the same? I only found enough strength improvement towards the end that my squat weights started pulling ahead of my benches.

Not that weird since you are a newbie. Obviously your diet has some problems which is why you didn't gain more strength. After a couple cycles, squats and deads should be ahead of bench, assuming form is correct and you are pushing yourself appropriately.

5. The exercises that I used were meant to maximize as many compound lifts to increase overall bulk while still being able to target my intended areas eg. chest, arms, shoulder. However, do you think I should switch some of the core body exercises (one of the deadlifts) to something else? Also, are the hammer pullups I am doing now sufficient for good arm growth or should I swap that out with something else eg curls? I still do think compounds are superior to iso. Both in terms of feeling and results.

Your program as it is right now is ok. I would probably do some different lifts than that if it were me, but you should probably stick to lifts you are familar with. You may want to drop the conventional deadlifts since you are basically hitting your back with half your lifts and that could get tiring after a couple cycles. I would increase volume on some lifts though. You don't need to worry about arm isolations at this point in your training.

6. Do I have to increase the number of sets for some of the exercises? eg. bench or some of the upright rows.

Go up to 2-3 sets on Squats, Bench, Pullups and Dips. You can keep the other stuff at 1 set probably.

7. I also do two sets of 10 x push ups as a 'cool down' routine after every session. Does it hamper the program in any way?

That's fine.

8. I am also just starting to wrap my head around the science of dieting. My goal is to look more muscular while trying to lose fat, most particularly the "love handles" and belly that I have. Hence I try to eat "clean" meaning really cutting down on carbs (rice in my part of the world) and maximising on solid food that gives protein. Basically I am just trying to substitute the feeling of "fullness" which traditionally comes from rice, to meat and other non-carbs. Generally, I take 4 soft boiled eggs in a day, with boiled chicken breast or canned tuna for lunch and dinner. I only take protein powder on lifting day 30 mins post workout, but not during rest days. I know the above means nothing if I don't start crunching nutritional numbers on my meals, but as a general direction it would be nice if someone could comment on the above? Especialyl on the cutting carbs part.

You need to download and read the book, focus on the diet sections. You can't build mass and lose fat simultaneously unless you are an absolute newbie or very obese. You are going to lose your newb card very quickly here, so I would focus on one thing or another. There is no point in cutting bodyfat when you are tiny. You aren't even fat, just because your abs are not visible does not make you obese. Put some muscle on your frame first and you will look way better.

Don't ever use the term "eating clean" ever again.

Cutting carbs is terrible for strength gains as well as muscle gains.

You aren't eating nearly enough. Are you tracking your bodyweight? You need to be. Track your calories too, or else. Go to http://www.myfitnesspal.com and make an account, it is an idiot-proof way of tracking calories. Take your protein shakes you talked about prior to your workout, not after. Preferrably both before and after, but if you can only do one, then do it before, not after the workout. Take those shakes every day. You grow on your off days, not the days you lift. Nutrition on the day after training is absolutely critical.

Assuming you don't have a highly physical day job, you should be eating at least 2400 calories a day. You'll want between 150-180 grams of protein minimum every single day and no less than 280 grams of carbs a day, top that off with about 60 grams of fat per day. Increase the volume as I stated above and eat this diet every day. Do that for 2-3 cycles and report back.
 
Thanks Totenz.

I grabbed your recommended literature and realized how newb I must have sounded in my first post.
Method 2: 66 x 24 x 1.2 + 600 (desk job with exercise) = 2587 cals

Anyways, my exercise log for 23.9.2013

Cycle 2
Day 1, 15's

Bench: 2 x 15 x 25kg
Squat: 2 x 15 x 25kg
Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 25kg
Stiff-leg Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 25kg
Upright Row: 2 x 10kg
Assisted Hammer Pullup: 2 x 15 x -35kg
Assisted Lat Pullup: 2 x 15 -40kg
Assisted Tricep Dip: 2 x 15 x-30kg
Sit up: 1 x 30
Push up: 2 x 10


My food log for 24.9.2013:
1. I take one ham sandwich + 1 banana + 1 protein shake in between main meals and before bed, namely 11.00am, 4.00pm and 11pm (no shake).
130924.jpg


More to come.
 
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Great job with the diet that day. Pretty much perfect. Keep that going and you should make some great gains over the course of your next few cycles.

Glad you downloaded the book, I hope it helps you out.
 
Log for 25.9.2013 (Wednesday)

Cycle 2
Day 2, 15's

Bodyweight pre-workout: 71.2kg

Bench: 2 x 15 x 27.5kg
Squat: 2 x 15 x 27.5kg
Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 27.5kg
Stiff-leg Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 27.5kg
Upright Row: 2 x 10kg
Assisted Hammer Pullup: 2 x 15 x -35kg
Assisted Lat Pullup: 2 x 15 -40kg
Assisted Tricep Dip: 2 x 15 x-30kg
Sit up: 1 x 30
Push up: 2 x 10


Started out still a bit sore from Monday's lift.
15's are quite tough especially the two pullup exercises, towards the end of the sets. (10th - 15th reps). I can feel the acid.
Benches are up there with the ones I struggle as well. Squats and deadlifts are manageable still.
Gotta stick it through but not sure how I can do the increased weights over the coming days.


My food log:
1. Ran out of bananas today so substituted with cheddar cheese slices inside bread. Still pretty much the same meals as yesterday.
2. I noticed I am going overboard with the protein at the expense of carbs, mostly due to whey shakes (2 scoops before workout, 2 scoops after). Should I reduce or keep it that way?

130925.jpg


More to come.
 
higher protein is alright, I would like to see your carbohydrates a little higher but keeping your protein where its at is OK. So if what you are doing now is easier for you to maintain then just keep doing it, you are getting pretty much enough carbs as it is.
 
26.9.2013 (Off day)

1. Took 3 scoops of whey instead of 4.
2. Took an unusually high amount of sugary stuff at night. How bad is taking in carb from simple sugars (during non workout periods)? I understand that most carbs should come from complex sources during 'less physically active' periods, and liquidy sugary stuff to be reserved near workout times?
3. I think that my food intake is not distribtued evenly across the day in the sense that I'm piling up a large chunk (40%) of my daily caloric needs during after work hours (after 7pm-1am). Is that a concern? I know in the book it is mentioned that meal frequencies/ distribution does not factor much into the larger scheme of things. Any thoughts on this?

130926.jpg
 
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2. This isn't going to be a big deal. More sugars can be good at a times, especially when trying to gain weight. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

3. Actually, later in the day might be better. Studies seem to show that concentrating calories in the later part of the day might be beneficial. It's not 100% yet. See 'Intermittent Fasting' for an example.
 
You grasp of diet and nutrition is great for a beginner. Totentanz is excellent at this, and by following his advice, you will make much greater progress than a majority of trainees who waste months or years training, because of their ignorant dieting approach. As far as training, because you are a beginner, I would like to see you focus on increasing your strength. At the end of every HST progression cycle, I think it would be of great benefit for you to keep trying to push up your 5 RM for several weeks. Once you've stalled out and can no longer make load increase, you'll have a new, higher 5 RM to use for your next cycle. This will speed up both your neural strength gains, as well as allow you greater loading of the muscle tissue, which will speed up hypertrophy gains. Most of us do this, even if we're not beginners, but ESPECIALLY beginners should do this, as their potential to increase strength rapidly is the highest during the novice stage.
 
28.9.2013

Missed the gym tonight due to unforeseen delays at work.
Will have to make it up first thing tomorrow Saturday morning. It would have been 60 hours since my last lift.

Also, thanks Toten and Sci for the heads up, much appreciated.
1. Tuna sandwiches for snacks today instead of lunch meat.
2. On a curious note, I'm starting to think if there might be possible inaccuracies in my diet numbers. For example, sometimes I take lunch/dinner outside and can't be sure if the chicken breast is really 100g. Or, when I chop up some watermelons at home I can nigh be sure if it's 100g or 125g. What do you guys usually do, weigh your foods on a weighing machine? Admittedly this is only an issue for 'ad-hoc' or 'non-packaged' food items. This is of course not a problem with labeled products such as canned tuna or whey powders.
3. I've no doubts that with the lifts I'm doing now I'm hitting as many parts of the body as I can, with the exception of the mid-section. The constant 30x situps I'm doing right now just came across to me like post-workout afterthought in comparison to the deads/squats/pullups. What's a good compound exercise for mid-section that can be fit put in practice well the principle of progressive loading? I'm thinking of knee raises at the moment. There are a couple of fancy ab machines in the gym but I'm more inclined to believe in free weights / gravity the further I learn.
Thanks.

Consumption:
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Whats the "food diary" link? Seems like a good set up and a lot easier than my chicken scratch and paper I go through daily
 
28.09.2013

Cycle 2
Day 3, 15's

Bodyweight pre-workout: 71.6kg

Bench: 2 x 15 x 30kg
Squat: 2 x 15 x 30kg
Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 30kg
Stiff-leg Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 30kg
Upright Row: 2 x 12.5kg
Assisted Hammer Pullup: 2 x 15 x -30kg
Assisted Lat Pullup: 2 x 15 -35kg
Assisted Tricep Dip: 2 x 15 x -25kg
Sit up: 1 x 30
Push up: 2 x 10

Food log:
130928.jpg
 
How do you link the your daily food for page onto here?

1. Use 'Snip Tool' (part of Windows) to create a jpeg screenshot of your page.
2. I save that jpeg file into my Dropbox folder and link it here as an image.
3. Alternatively, you can use other online image services such as Photobucket, etc.
 
30.09.2013

Cycle 2
15's, Day 4

Bodyweight pre-workout: unchecked

Bench: 2 x 15 x 32.5kg
Squat: 2 x 15 x 32.5kg
Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 32.5kg
Stiff-leg Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 32.5kg
Upright Row: 2 x 12.5kg
Assisted Hammer Pullup: 2 x 15 x -30kg
Assisted Lat Pullup: 2 x 15 -35kg
Assisted Tricep Dip: 2 x 15 x -25kg
Sit up: 1 x 30
Push up: 2 x 10

Food log:
130930.jpg
 
I am imagining that this was a change from your normal diet, how is your stomach and guts holding up?
 
I am imagining that this was a change from your normal diet, how is your stomach and guts holding up?

The main challenge is to avoid 'fulllness' so that I can keep the meals coming in without puking.. That means to organize the meals in such a way that the previous meal has already been digested that I can take in the next meal.. Other than that everything is fine.
Usually go 9am (breakfast), 11am (snack), 1pm (lunch), 3.30pm (snack 2), 7pm (dinner), 8-10pm (workout), 11pm (snack 2)
On some of the days I miss out some of the above (happened to me yesterday and today) I end up missing the calorie target because it just feels too full if I try and replace 2 meals in one.
I think to maintain consistency it's important to find food that taste good also.. I realise that I'm getting tired of some items in my 'menu' already and that just adds to the mental challenge. Time to get creative soon..

3.10.2013

Cycle 2
15's, Day 5

Bodyweight pre-workout: 71.5

Bench: 2 x 15 x 35kg
Squat: 2 x 15 x 37.5kg
Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 37.5kg
Stiff-leg Deadlift: 1 x 15 x 37.5kg
Upright Row: 2 x 15kg
Assisted Hammer Pullup: 2 x 15 x -27.5kg
Assisted Lat Pullup: 2 x 15 -32.5kg
Assisted Tricep Dip: 2 x 15 x -22.5kg
Sit up: 1 x 30
Push up: 2 x 10

Food:
Missed a few snack meals....
131002.jpg
 
The main challenge is to avoid 'fulllness' so that I can keep the meals coming in without puking.. That means to organize the meals in such a way that the previous meal has already been digested that I can take in the next meal.. Other than that everything is fine.
Usually go 9am (breakfast), 11am (snack), 1pm (lunch), 3.30pm (snack 2), 7pm (dinner), 8-10pm (workout), 11pm (snack 2)
On some of the days I miss out some of the above (happened to me yesterday and today) I end up missing the calorie target because it just feels too full if I try and replace 2 meals in one.
I think to maintain consistency it's important to find food that taste good also.. I realise that I'm getting tired of some items in my 'menu' already and that just adds to the mental challenge. Time to get creative soon..


Eating every 3 hours is the way to go when you're trying to consume large amounts of calories. I generally have 3 to 4 meals of food and I thrown in a protein shake in between meals and I sip on bcaa's all day long. One quick tip on getting "tired of some items on your menu" Because you're eating to gain muscle and not simply because you like eating, you'll get tired of no matter what food you eat over time. I'd suggest quick and easy foods that give you want you need and don't get tiresome over time.

1. Chicken thighs (bone and skin out) Eat 4 of these bad boys you're getting a whopping 60g of protein in a sitting. The great thing with them compared to chicken breast is they're always juicy and sweet inside. On some training days I have 8 a day. I've been eating chicken thighs every other day for almost a year.

2. sweet potatoes - 1 medium size potato gives you 60gs of cars and is a great alternative for regular potatoes and taste so much better! I start broiling them the second i get home from the gym. I have a shower, have a a shake 30 minutes later I'm eating lunch.

3. Oatmeal - this bad boy I've been doing every morning for almost a year now. 2 to 3 scoops (depending on what week of hst i'm on) will give you
approx. 75g carb and if you throw in a bit of protein you'll get 30+ g of protein. Prep time 5 minutes max.

4Suppliments - they were created so trainers could get those extra calories with out consuming a stupid amount of food. I don't know how often you drink your shakes, but try getting in a shake through out the day at least twice. Put in 1.5 scoops of protein with a carb such as waxy maize and you've got 28g protien 40 grabs of carbs as a shake snack. My post work out is scoop of waxy maize, scoop of mutant mass 1.5 scoop of protein isolate 600 cals, 120 carb 54 protein
 
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