# Less Weight, More Form



## bigsahm21 (Nov 23, 2007)

Just what the title says, basically.  I've been really busy the past year or so, and lifting hasn't been a real priority of mine.  Now though I'm going to get more serious about it and try to fill out a little bit (6'6, 170).

I'm going to be logging everything, including counting my calories to see where my maintenance is (I think it's a little lower than it should be, I'm not sure I've been eating enough the last couple of years for my age/height/weight/activity level.).  I plan on eating at a proper maintenance for myself for a little while and see what happens with my weight/strength/etc.  I'm also going to be documenting my workouts, and really focusing on doing everything by the book.  That means perfect form, tempo, and rest intervals.  No cheating, no cutting corners, no overtraining.  

I'll be posting my program tonight or tomorrow.  Critique the shit out of it, please...I hope it's pretty solid though.  It won't be too fancy or too high-volume.  One thing new I'm going to be trying is post-workout cardio on my upper body days (30 minutes of elliptocal intervals, or 30 mins on the stairmill).

It's going to look like this:

Monday: Upper horizontal (cardio)
Tuesday: Legs (push) + core work
Wed: Off or Cardio (not sure)
Thursday: Upper vertical (cardio)
Friday: Legs (pull/hip dominant) + core work
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Off


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## bigsahm21 (Nov 30, 2007)

Update: I've been in the gym the past week, but I haven't journalized anything because my workouts were pretty rushed and not well-thought out.  It's been a hell of a week.

To make a long story short, my girlfriend of 2 years has been battling anorexia for the past six months, and it got to a point where she'd been improving little by little but eventually hit a wall.  So, they checked her into an in-patient eating disorder clinic.  It's usually about a two month program, but I won't be able to visit her (because I'm not family) or speak to her on the phone (no cell phones allowed).  So I've been spending a lot of time over at her house with her and her family, and I've spent the rest of the time wondering whether or not I'm insane for sticking with someone who's got so much going on and can't focus on anyone else but herself right now (rightfully so) at the age of 19.  On one hand, I've also got a ton going on and a ton of things I want to do and having all of this weigh on me has taken a toll; being around her has been emotionally draining on everyone, and I need to be fair to myself and get out if I decide it's the best thing for me.  On the other hand, I love this girl more than anything.  I've lived two streets down from her since I was six years old, and we've been best friends for years.  We grew up together.  I'm too young for this shit, man.

Anyways, the workout's changed, it's going to be MWF, upper-horizontal, legs, upper vertical, with 3 days a week cardio and one day off.  Until next time...


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## SamEaston (Nov 30, 2007)

Hey bigsahm, im sorry to hear about your situation - it's a toughie. But, maybe if you can't see your g/f for 2 months, you can use the time to focus on yourself a little more? I mean, she can only help herself, right? You just have to make sure she knows you support her and you'll be there for her when the 2 months is up. Until then, there's not a whole lot you can do. 

I hope she gets better, i really do. Meanwhile, look after number 1.

Best of luck


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## bigsahm21 (Nov 30, 2007)

Thanks for that, Sam...and that's exactly what I'm going to do.  She knows I'm here for her unconditionally, and I'm not going anywhere for the next little while...she needs all the support she can get, and her getting better is obviously the most important thing right now.

At the same time though, I'm going to take the next two months to figure some things out and get my head straight.  It's not just the now that I'm concerned about...it's the future.  Relapse is a bitch...and anorexia doesn't necessarily go away.  It can come and go throughout life.


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 3, 2007)

Monday, December 3rd 2007.  

Workout: Upper horizontal push/pull

All exercises with a 2-3 second negative...that's HARD (first time paying attention to tempo...)

All rest intervals 75-90 seconds (except planks)

1.) NG BB Bench Press 1 x 10 @ 135
1 x 8 @ 135
1 x 7 3/4 @ 135

Notes: Jesus.  I'm going to call this my "check the ego at the door" program.  I knew my weight would be down but my bench today felt pathetic.  I've been doing low rep, wide grip benching for a while now, with no attention to tempo.  I like the struggle though! It means it's new and challenging for me!

2.) Overhand BB Rows (hanging from a hyperextension stand).
2 x 10 @ 65
1 x 10 @ 75
1 x 8 1/2 @ 75

Notes: these felt good! I like these a lot more than the bent over rows, that's an awkward feeling movement for me.  This lets me focus TOTALLY on my back muscles, and also gets my core involved.  I'd recommend these to anyone, best row movement I've ever done.

3.)Incline DB Bench
2 x 10 @ 40 lbs
1 x 7 ish @ 42.5 lbs

Notes: 1st set really strong, second set REALLY difficult...third set my chest totally died out on me.  Good burn and pump.

4.) Underhand grip bent over BB rows
3 x 10 @ 75 lbs

Notes: don't like this movement at all...doesn't really feel like it's hitting my lats that hard.  Just not a favorite exercise of mine.  I think i'm going to switch this up with CG t-bar rows next week.

5.) Incline (or decline?) pushups (feet behind me elevated on a flat bench).
1 x 12
1 x 10
1 x 9 

Notes: liked this a lot, hadn't done pushups in a while.  Going to keep at it at BW and see how much I can build it up.  Might be hard though if I really fatigue my chest with my chest pressing movements earlier in my workout.

6.) WG cable rows
3 x 10 @ 80 lbs

Notes: this one felt weird for me too...maybe it's a height thing (6'6") but it felt really hard to pull it all the way to my chest without bending back a little bit (are you supposed to bend back?).  Maybe if I lower the weight and really try to hammer the form...

7.) Chest fly's 

2 x 12 @ 25 lbs

**Superset with**

8.) DB Row's
2 x 8 @ 45 lbs

Notes: SUPER slow negatives here, really tried to nail the form...feel the burn baby feel the burn!

9.) Reverse BB curls (EZ curl bar)
2 x 10 @ ??? (not sure what the bar weighed, probably around 40ish lbs)

Notes: bi's were already shot from the rows.

10.) Seated DB curls 

1 x 7 @ 20 lbs

Notes: Gave up after 1 set, biceps were absolutely FRIED.  When I can only curl 20 lbs 7 times, I know I'm done.

11.) Planks
2 x 1:30 seconds @ Bodyweight

Notes: 30 second Rest Interval = hell.  20 seconds into my second plank my entire body was screaming.  The last 70 seconds damn near killed me.

12.) Dual Crunches?? (The one where you're sitting on a flat bench and you kind of do a sit up and a reverse crunch at the same time).

3 x 20 @ BW

Notes:  Loved it! Really got a burn, and expect to be sore tomorrow (never done these before).  That's saying something for me because I've always been very lean and focused a lot on my abs in my training, so my core has a really high work capacity.


Overall workout notes: felt good, I liked it.  Weights are way down from what they've been in the past on these exercises, but that's what I wanted.  The slow negatives and focus on form is really tough!

Cardio tomorrow.  Probably 30 - 35 minutes of stairmill intervals...we'll see.


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## NordicNacho (Dec 3, 2007)

If i was you I would not do cardio as you are thin as a rail.  Im 6'7 and when i was 21 I weighed around 180 and looked like a stick-boy.  Get your diet dialed in and your body will grow


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## Big G (Dec 3, 2007)

Well... _Some _cardio, but probably only 15min 2x week, I'd say.

And eat, eat, eat!


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 3, 2007)

I'm very thin.  I admit it completely.

BUT, I'm also very slenderly built...always have been.  I have an extremely thin frame.  If you see me, I don't look like...sickly, or anything like that.  If I got to 180-190, I'd probably look about average for my size.

But again, I'm definetely going to gain weight.  I'll still do cardio though...nothing intense, 2-3 times a week...I like it.  I've been an avid runner for years, I was training for a marathon a few months back until I messed up my knee.  I love cardio, I don't find it boring or anything like that at all.  I think there are many worthwhile benefits from cardio that are more important than filling out faster...I'll just eat to compensate for it!

Thanks for posting though, drop by again sometime! I don't want this thing to be a one-man show.

And Big G, thanks for the mentions of Scrawny to Brawny, I picked it up last week...great book!


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## Witchblade (Dec 4, 2007)

Sounds like you're on the right track. You successfully checked your ego at the door, because extended negatives are a bitch.  

Good luck with the girlfriend situation.

FYI, feet-elevated push-ups are incline, as you thought.


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 4, 2007)

Tuesday, December 4th

Workout: Cardio/Stretching/Foam Rolling

30 minutes on the stairmill.  (I LOVE the stairmill...according to the calorie counter thing, which I still don't understand how it could be accurate, it burns about 30% less than an elliptocal.  But hot damn does it get your heart rate up, not to mention make you sweat like crazy).

5 min foam roll/stretch
3 min warm up on elliptocal

5 min LVL 8
20 min intervals (1 min LVL 11, 2 min LVL 8)
5 min LVL 8

3 min cool down on bike
10 min foam roll/stretch

Total time in the gym: 51 minutes.  

Notes: felt good today, ever since I've been focusing more on my diet I've felt a lot better during my cardio workouts.  It's funny, everyone always talks about cardio being a chore, but I really do like it.  This scaled-back cardio program will feel like I'm forcing mself not to do it.

I'll post some diet-stuff later on.  I'm curious to see how that'll work out for me...I weighed myself yesterday morning, and am going to eat right around 2500-2600 cals/day for a week and see what my weight is at.  It's the first time I've ever counted cals and macros.  I've always made good, whole food choices, but I've never really counted.  So I'll see what I weigh at the end of the week (that's supposed to be my "maintenance" caloric intake, but I think mine's slightly lower than that, so I might be eating enough to slowly bulk.  We'll see.  If I'm not a pound or so heavier I'll bump it up a couple hundred calories.)


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 5, 2007)

Wednesday, December 5th: Legs Day (all exercises with a 2 second negative)

1.) Warmup period

2.) BB Back Squats (feet about 4" wider than shoulder width, legs go down to the point they're parallel with the floor)
1 x 12 @ 135
1 x 10 @ 145
2 x 8 @ 155

Notes: felt pretty good today.  Slow negatives are a bitch.  As are squats in general.  I finished all the sets, I'll move the weight up next week.

3.) Sumo Deadlift
4 x 10 @ 135

Notes: first time doing sumo DL's last week.  This week felt a little worse...more strain on my back, less on my legs.  I'm going to fool around a little next week on my warmup sets to figure out where the perfect plane of movement is for me to hit the legs hard.

4.) 45 degree Leg Press (the one where the weight is kind of freely suspended in the air and rotates nicely with your legs pressing)
4 x 8 @ 3 plates each side (270 + ??)

Notes: SUPER slow negatives here...reallly burns.  I got to 9 on my last set (went to failure).

5.) Walking lunges (30lb DB's each hand)
4 x 10

Notes: easy-ish today.  Usually burn my glutes more.  Going to up the weight next week I think, or switch to BB.

6.) Leg curls/Extensions
3 x 8 @ 105 lbs

Notes: Failed on the last set right at 8 each one, so that's good...relly got a nice fatigue in these muscles.

9.) Standing Calf raises
2 x 20, 1 x 15 @ 90lbs

Notes: suuuuuper slow negatives, exploding upwards.  These fuckers burn!

10.) Seated Calf Raises
3 x 8 @ 65lbs + ???

Notes: I hate these.  They suck, I never feel like I'm hitting my calves very well.

Overall workout notes: eh...it was okay.  I felt really strong...made improvements in the # of sets and reps I finished over last week, but didn't feel obliterated when I left the gym.  Going to up the weights next week.  Also, everything was rushed.  Shorter RI's and less stretching/foam rolling at the end because I had to get the eff outta there.


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 6, 2007)

Thursday, December 6

Workout: 30 min elliptocal interval.

2 min Slope 9 LVL 8
Hr: 145-155

followed by

2 min Slope 12 LVL 10
Hr: 160-170

Stretching and Foam Rolling.


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## SamEaston (Dec 7, 2007)

Hey Bigsahm! 

Are you sure 2600kcal is going to be enough for you? You're a tall lad, i would think you might need a bit more than that?

Good job on the negative tempo! It is tough, but essentially you will reap the benefits!


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 7, 2007)

Hey Sam, thanks for dropping in.  I'm experimenting with my caloric intake right now...I think my maintenance calorie intake is a little lower than what it should be, because I haven't really paid attention to calories the last few years...over which I've re-hauled my diet.  I started eating really healthy foods, but in doing so I cut my calories down probably more than I should have (just because I was eating better foods, not intentionally really) without realizing it.  When I started to guesstimate how many calories I was eating on an average day, I think I was under-eating a little bit.


It's all clean, healthy food, I just don't think I was eating enough of it.  So I'm eating at what is supposed to be a "maintenance" intake for my weight (170lbs, so that's like 2400-2600 cals) and see what happens.  I'll see where I'm at after a week and then adjust it accordingly.


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## SamEaston (Dec 7, 2007)

Coolio!

How's that foam roller working out for you? I've seen/read a few things about them by different people and the general concensus is that they are a great investment. What's your opinion on them? And do you have any injuries that you use it specifically for?


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 7, 2007)

Foam rolling is amaaaaazing!

I only do it on my lower body on legs and cardio days, both before and after workouts usually.  I started on my IT band.  I was training for a marathon last year, and had to stop because my IT bank bursa sac got really messed up.  It kinda hurts on your quads, but I do it on my glutes and my hamstrings as well and it really helps to warm up muscles and also reduce DOMS. 

Give it a try!


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 7, 2007)

Friday, December 7

Worked out for a little while, but started feeling REALLY sick about midway through (didn't feel 100% beforehand) so I just left.  I've got finals next week, I need to rest up, workouts come later.

Dinner tonight at Ruth's Chris! (I work there, so we get half off...mom's birthday...) and needless to say it was bomb!  That should help me pack on the pounds...


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## SamEaston (Dec 8, 2007)

Cheers me dear! Next time i see one i'll definately pick it up!

Enjoy the food! And your weekend


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 10, 2007)

Been sick the last few days...diet's been off and no workouts.

Feeling better tonight, hoping to get back in the gym (and the kitchen!) tomorrow.


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 11, 2007)

I'm eating right around 2500-2600 calories a day, with a little over 200g protein, and I'm up about a pound after 8-9 days.  I'm going to stick with this intake and then bump it up in a couple of weeks. 

I'm also trimming down my routine.  Less iso...only my shoulders, chest, and calves.


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 12, 2007)

*Wednesday, December 12 - Legs Day*

*Warm Up*
Shooting baskets
Messing around on the Elliptocal for a couple minutes
Bosu-ball squats and stretches

Notes: works alright, but I want to get a more time-efficient, effective warm up.  For now though I go the old-school route.


Focusing on FORM...SLOW negatives (2-3 seconds)

*Squats*

Feet about 6" wider than shoulder width, toes SLIGHTLY pointed outwards.

1 x 10 @ 145
1 x 10 @ 155
1 x 8 @ 165
1 x 6 @ 175

Notes: the numbers are still pretty wimpy but today felt great.  I made improvements all the way across the board in terms of weight and reps.  Also, my form is getting more textbook...ZERO stress felt on my lower back, and my knees are steady all the way through the motion.  Felt good!

*Sumo DL*

Feet pretty wide, toes pointed outwards, grip about shoulder width.
1 x 10 @ 135.  WAY too easy, breezed through it.
1 x 10 @ 145
1 x 8 @ 155
1 x 8 @ 165

Notes: again, small numbers, but made improvements all the way across the board in terms of weight and reps.  Felt really good, I'm excited for next week.

*Leg Press*

Feet semi high, tiny bit wide, toes pointed slightly outwards.

1 x 4 @ 320 (tried to get cute and add 25lbs...not happening haha)
1 x 8 @ 270
1 x 8 @ 270
1 x 8 @ 290
1 x 8 @ 290

Notes: legs were FRIED at this point.

*Walking DB Lunges - 35lbs*

3 x 12

Notes: good form...reps and weights increased...hams/glutes totally shot.

*Leg Press Calf Raises*

Knees slightly bent, pushing ENTIRELY with my calves...no tempo really.

3 x 20 @ 90lbs

Notes: really burned...really pumped legs afterward.  Don't usually do high reps with calves, we'll see what happens??

*Leg Press/Leg Curl - Unilateral*

2 x 8 @ 45 lbs each leg (each exercise)

Notes: legs were totally dead, failed on 2nd set each leg each exercise at about 7 1/2

*Seated Calf Raise*

2 x 10 @ 70lbs

Notes: felt better this week.  Starting to like this movement a little bit more.




*Overall Workout Notes*

Felt really good today.  Strong throughout, VERY tired when I left the gym, and improvements all across the board.  Can't complain.  Hopefully my numbers will really take off when I start to put on some solid weight.  It's times like these when I really feel good about my workouts but then realize how small my numbers are that I realize how much of a beanpole I am!


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 13, 2007)

*Thursday, December 13 (I think)*

Cardio Day

Warmup:
Bosu-ball squats
Light static stretching
Foam rolling
2 min. stationary bike

*Stairmill*
30 minutes of intervals (2 min @ level 8, 1 min @ level 11)

Cooldown:
static stretching
foam rolling

*Workout Notes*
Probably not the best idea today!  Legs are fried, so sore!  Dragged ass through it...going to switch it up to a super low-impact cardio day here on out, or just have a rest day on Thursday.


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 15, 2007)

Friday, December 14 - Upper Vertical

1.) NG Chinups
5 x 4, 1 x 3 1/2

Notes: feeling good, moved up from 6 x 3 last week.  Going to try for sets of 5 next week.

2.) Seated OH Press
2 x 10 @ 75 lbs
2 x 8 @ 85 lbs

Notes: felt really good, switched up my vertical pushing exercises this week.  Slow negative here really burns the shoulders!

3.) Wide-ish grip reverse grip pulldowns
2 x 10 @ 120
1 x 8 @ 130
1 x 7ish @ 130

Notes: eh...hadn't done these before, I'd realized I'd sort of plateaued with regular WG pull-downs, fetl a little awkward.  Will try again next week, hopefully it's just adapting to the movement.

4.) Seated DB Military Press
2 x 10 @ 32.5
1 x 8, 1 x 7 @ 35

Notes: really liked these, slooooow negatives, explosive up.

5.) Straight arm Pulldowns
3 x 10 @ 80lbs

Notes: reallllly slow negatives, felt a good burn.  Is it normal to feel it in the triceps though? (a little)

6.) BB Shoulder Rows (?? the ones where you have a close grip and pull it up to your chin from your waist)
1 x 10 @ 50
2 x 8 @ 55

Notes: felt good, feels good to adapt to this movement again.

7.) BW Dips
3 x 8 @ BW

Notes: i hate dips.



I did a little ab work too but i pussied it, so it's not worth mentioning really.


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 21, 2007)

Update: f'ing strep throat is kicking my ass!!  

I got sick Tuesday night, and 10 hour work shifts at Ruth's Chris Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday didn't help at all, obviously.  So I've been out of the gym since Monday.

Still sick a little bit, and I'm scheduled to work tonight through Sunday (we'll see...) so I'm taking the rest of the weekend off and I'll start to hit it hard again in the gym on Monday.


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## bigsahm21 (Dec 27, 2007)

Update #2

I did a quick leg workout today, nothing too noteworthy, leg press and deads equal to two weeks ago while my squats were down a little bit.  Diet/workouts have been sketchy with work, being sick, and other stuff...it's been a crazy two weeks.

1st off, I saw my girlfriend for the first time in 4ish weeks and she's doing really well in her program. Sweet.

Not so sweet is my mom's health, doctors discovered a tumor in her brain which needs to come out asap, so that's probably happening next week sometime.  Probably not cancerous, low-risk for brain tumor operations they say, so things look positive.  

I'll probably really start getting back into the swing of things on Monday.


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## eldesiulserok (May 12, 2011)

*Вопрос про фо&*

Доброго времени суток!           Есть тут специалисты по фотоаппаратам?           Решила купить фотик.. только с моделью никак не определюсь. Очень нравица Samsung ST500 У кого нибудь был или есть такой? Буду признательна за любой комментарий или отзыв, особенно за указание его недостатков.


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