OptimusX training log...

[optimusx]

Ok, I've decided to post what I'm doing and what I'm taking for the world to see. I could go into the logic behind what I do and why I do it, but I think that would bore the masses and I have no interest in being accused of boring anyone to death.

Stats history for what I have
As of 1/21/05 -
255 lbs
17.75" Arms
36" Waist
50" Chest
28" Quads
17.75" Calves
17.5" Neck

As of 6/17/05 -
270 lbs
18.5" Arms
36" Waist
51.5" Chest
29" Quads
18.1" calves
17.75" neck

Current supplements include: Flax seed oil, Russian Bear Weight Gainer, All the Whey Protein Powder, R-ALA. How much I take depends on the day and how I feel (there are just some days this one would much rather get the same calories/protein from solid food)

Workout Regime: I'll post my workout routine each day after I get back from the gym. I work out Monday thru Friday for about 1.5-2 hours a day. The basic layout of the week id :

Monday: Shoulders, heavy arms and some abs
Tuesday: Quads and calves
Wednesday: Abs and high rep arms
Thrusday: Chest and Lats
Friday: Hams, calves, back and some abs

For those wondering, I have the legs divided on two days so as to give me the strength to hit both sides with enough gusto.. they just take sooo much out of you! Heavy arms means I hit the arms with pretty heavy weight, high rep arms are the days I hit them with lighter weight but with more reps (and drop sets).

I'll post some starting pictures in a day or so.. have to recharge the battery pack on my Digital Camera..

Scott

[DonnieJvilleNC]

Those are some very impressive gains! It'll be good to see your routine and pics. That'll give me even more inspiration and drive towards my own transformation.

[optimusx]

Hey DonnieJvilleNC! Enjoyed you coming to our chat session last night and thanks for the comps. I'll post some pics of me way back when... it will be a great laugh for everyone! I'll try to find the t-shirt (AMD) that I wore in the first pics I posted here and try to do a comparison... I'll just have to find it

I'll try my best to keep the posts up to date, so that means check in every M-F around 4PM to see what I did that day. I'll also try to respond to any questions about my training/lack of diet. Same Bat Channel, Same Bat Time (Oy do I need sleep.. either that or to watch the new Batman movie).

Scott

[optimusx]

To start things off I figured I'd post a pre-pre-pre pic from before I even lifted a weight back in Dec 2000. The next pic is the first pic I placed online after working out for about a month at a gym. Noticable difference. Most of the weight came from that last bit of natural maturing...



Sorry, would upload them or IMG Tag them, but those features are currently disabled.

I'll post some pics of me at 270 in just a day or so... just wanted to establish some history.

Scott

[optimusx]

Sorry.. will post them here.. apparently my mind took a vacation..

Scott

[DonnieJvilleNC]

Scott,
That's a great transformation! I cannot wait to see those pics of you at 270. I can only imagine!

Keep up the great work.

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi Scott!

Wow, that second pic of you standing there to the side shows off your pec development very well. Those pecs are huge! and they look as though they hang two inches over your abs, great work!

Keep it up and don't forget to post some recent ones soon.

Thanks for sharing,

Marc

[brent]

Originally Posted by DonnieJvilleNC

Scott,
That's a great transformation! I cannot wait to see those pics of you at 270. I can only imagine!

Keep up the great work.

That's for damned sure! It's almost like watching the Incredible Hulk in fast motion!

[ethernet_jock]

Scott!!!! OMFG!!

You are continuously amazing my friend... you really have a talent for putting on size.

I mean - seriously - it's taken me a good year to add 1/2" to my biceps... I'm so jealous and so happy for you at the same time because you're an INCREDIBLY nice and friendly guy.

Thanks for continuing to be such a great inspiration!

[optimusx]

brent> Dunno about Incredible hulk.. he shreaded his shirts during growth.. I just tend to strech them

ethernet_jock> Don't underestimate that 1/2" you gained... you did that with an energetic boy around and a pregnant wife. Any man who puts on size during a stress ridden time deserves far more praise!

Marco_ukmus> As requested a new pic from today at the end of this post.


Ok, Here is my first official workout entry along with two pics taken today a few hours after the gym. I tried to do a decent lat spread but I'm still working on getting it right. Also for comparision is another side shot. There's only a 20 lbs difference from the first one and a slightly different angle was taken (plus I was on the phone this time). Anywho, enjoy!

[color=red]6/20/05 Workout[/color]
All weights listed here ignore the weight of any bar. If I say barbell I usually mean Olympic Barbell which I think is around 45 lbs.
These following two exercises were done at a cage station... can't remember the proper name at the time, but the bar used was a standard Olympic Barbell, but attached to two poles to keep the motion linear.

Upright rows: 70x10 120x7 130x6 130x6
Front Shoulder Press: 140x10, 160x7 170x5
Reverse Pec Dec (to hit delts): 130x10 160x10 220x10
Barbell Curls: 50x9 70x8 80x5
Hammer Curls: 45x9 50x7 50x7
Overhead Tri Extension: 150x10 200x10 250x10 300x10
Tri Pushdown: 100x10 150x10 175x10
SARGPS: 80x10 90x10 110x7
Abs Machine: 90x10 140x10 190x10

SARGPS are an interesting tri workout, thanks to claygrant for recommending them! Basically they are a reverse tri ext pulldown with a single hand. They hurt good

Ya know, I was in the gym today from 12:15 to 2. You wouldn't think doing this would take that long, but time just flies. Hopefully I'll be able to pack in the day better next week... tomorrow I hit the quads and calves.

Scott

[DonnieJvilleNC]

Scott,
Those are two amazing pics! Woah! I can't wait to see your further progress. And that's an amazing workout! Keep up the great work!

[lewj99]

Scott, thanks for posting the workout, looks pretty intense! And good progress in the pics too...don't try that back lat spread in a doorway or you might get stuck...

One thing I'm curious about is the length of your workouts. A lot of the forums I've checked recommend 45 mins-1 hour (mine are usually around 45 mins) but yours appear to be much longer. Not that I'm going to argue with the results you're getting, but how do you keep from overtraining? Has that ever been a problem?

[optimusx]

lewj99> Well I think the thing is I tend to rest a tad longer than I should probably. Sometimes people walk up and start talking about their training/diet and that may take a good 5-10 minutes. I'd guess my total workout time if you knocked out all of the chatting/interruptions and kept only my rest between sets/setup time/actual workout time... I'd probably only be in the gym for about 1.2-1.4 hours depending on the day.

On quad days it takes forever to hunt down enough 45s and by the time you drag them back to the leg/squat press you're beat Have you ever unloaded 18 45lb plates from a leg or squat press? Esp ones that have the loading bar at an incline? It takes a bit of energy and time.. On my quad days I'll probably do three primary exercises for them and a quick ham one to just balance things out, hit some of the side muscles of the leg and then work the calves. I might spend an hour to an hour and 15 minutes just working out on that day... the rest is just idle chatter....

I so need to start carrying my iPod to the gym again..

Scott

[grywlf]

that the nice thing about owning your weights they don't walk away (usally) so i don't have to look for them . if i had it to do again i would buy 2 300 lbs sets instead of a 300 set and 200 extra in plates . dicks sports charged me 99.00 for the first 300 and ended up spending 135-145 for the extras not to mention if i had done it that way i would have the extra bar now which i could use.
i saw the workout you posted i think most of my sets are very close to the same you see what
i mean when i post mine just wondering about one front press you mean like a military press or seated press

my knees are bad really bad can't squat only leg press, extentions and curls
but now that i got a weight room set up again thinking of picking up something
so i can do leg presses here , its only thing i really miss from golds if i do find something i probaly pick up more 45's at the same time

[optimusx]

grywlf> The front press I do is seated... not quite military press though (I think that one moves slightly outward from your body.. it's been a while since i looked at the terms)

With bad knees, that really does limit your options. Leg presses are ok, but watch your back...

You've got some great size on you already.. esp. for someone that's 6'5... I have no doubt that you'll really start to growth with the right nutrition (which is 60% of BB), the right training (20%) and sleep (20%).

Scott

[hulkmuscle]

Thanks for the encouragement Scott... I'll help you figure out that lat spread one of these days. :-)

[glammaman2000]

...is VERY respectable;&your pecs are definitely showing more height(&they were big before!)GRYWLF!Try to concentrate on pushing with your HEELS on all your leg work.It will help keep weight off your knees.(a CSA/glucosamine supplement may also help)

[grywlf]

basicly what happened is i grew too fast around age 13 now my knees have never
track right they start ok but to fully bend my legs there is a grinding and a bit of a clicking sound over the years and through therapy i learn what i can and can't do and
what helps .i was always into weightlifting but not regularly till i ended up in phyical therapy after i saw what i did for my upper legs i wanted to build up my upper body as well since nothing could be done about my knees i spent 3 months
building the leg muscles to support my knees which helped alot better. to think once
i saw one quack who thought duct taping my knees (crap looked like it to me) every day would correct the tracking problem i always been activeand the tape would come off and stick to the inside of my pants several times a day so i didn't do that long i don't think the guy who came up with the idea ever tried it himself

[lewj99]

Have you ever unloaded 18 45lb plates from a leg or squat press? Esp ones that have the loading bar at an incline? It takes a bit of energy and time..

Ummm yeah...yeah I have that problem all the time...(I wish)! Let's see, 18x45=810... Looking forward to seeing the rest of your leg workout.

I guess one good thing about working out in a country where I don't really speak the language is that no one bothers me at the gym. There are a few other foreigners there but everyone pretty much keeps to themselves, which isn't such a bad thing. Just a personal preference I guess, I know other people prefer to have workout partners...

[Lucas88]

ALL RIGHT, SCOTT!


Very impressive...anyone who can gain 15 pounds and keep their waist the same size is definitely doing something right!!! I'm still trying to figure that one out for me.

Keep up the good work, guy, and keep posting! It's great motivation to see someone reaching for their goals and getting closer and closer. I expect you to be a 300-pounder this time next year !

Lucas!

[Marco_ukmus]

Yeah, I have to weigh in with you here. Your making fantastic progress! The lat spread pic is great, got a huge back there, and those lats are awesome! Think I could learn a thing or too from you regarding my growth. Anyway, you certainly are getting closer and closer to being absolutely huge all the time. Its very motivating and inspiration to those of us whom are somewhat further away from our goals.

Keep up the excellent work,

Marc

[ethernet_jock]

again scotty....as I said yesterday... always impressive, always kind and genuine, always inspirational.

Thank you for your kind words too! I'd like to think that I'm doing something impressive but I see other daddies walking around all the time who are bigger than I am.... granted... it's far more rare than seeing a hot daddy than a hot gay and/or single guy... LOL... anyhow this being our 2nd and last child coming-up, I expect that between now and the time I'm 33-35 I'll have a lot of time to 'catch up' somewhat with mega-huge guys like you.

I can't wait.

SARGPs are also something I recently added to my tricep routine thanks to claygrant! They are KILLER and you can't use much weight... but man... they DO hurt good... in all the right places. In consideration of this and other advice I'd received recently I also figured out two new ways to hit my biceps differently using the Bowflex that involve reverse/alternative gripping.... they seem to help a lot! It just goes to prove, any change is good, as long as it doesn't result in injury.

Workout duration - I don't know how anyone fits-in an effective workout in 30-45 minutes.... I'm in my basement with a bowflex and some free weights that I own and if you figure in a little warm-up time then I'm easily hovering around 90 minutes every time. I have however seen guys at the gym who seems to be able to bounce between two machines where they'll be resting between sets on one machine and pumping on another and going back and forth... therefore fitting two exercises into the time that might normally be needed for 1 to 1.5. I never could do that... I don't have the stamina or the focus... if I'm focusing on my chest, I'm thinking hard about how to flex it correclty and maintain form... I can't switch between movements and maintain that quality. Go figure... another thing that's different for everyone I suppose. Ohhhh... and an 8oz glass of 50% diluted orange juice/water that I drink throughout the workout gives me just enough energy to last and not so much that it makes me fat... as a tip to anyone else (not that Optimus needs it at all) but anyone else.

[grywlf]

i know exactly what you mean about bouncing between back and forth i do it sometimes for a better workout say you just did 2 sets of upright rows and you got one more to go but you need a extra bit of rest before the 3rd you not ready
for it but you have alot of energry just not in that muscle group do a set of something else you plan on doing that workout you get a better set done when
you go back to the up right rows and stayed active thus saving a bit of time

[optimusx]

Originally Posted by grywlf

for it but you have alot of energry just not in that muscle group do a set of something else you plan on doing that workout you get a better set done when
you go back to the up right rows and stayed active thus saving a bit of time

In an ideal world that would work, but unfortunetly its harder to do in practice.

Case and point: I've tried alternating exercises to optimize time, but there is always someone who walks up and starts to use the station in my routine while I'm on another one between sets. I end up having to either butt in and say "I'm still using that" and look like a jerk or I have to change my second exercise in the set. Now, if I were the only one in the gym I'd do so... but personally it just seems that whatever machine I'm using, someone else is ready to jump on it right after me. Go figure...

Now off to the gym to work my legs... fun

Scott

[optimusx]

[color=red]6/21/05 Workout[/color]

Quad/Calves day 12:10-1:45PM

Leg Squat Press: 270x10 450x10 630x10 810x8
Hack Squat: 140x10 180x10 230x8
Hip Abductors:130x10 170x10 185x8
Leg Extension: 180x10 285x10
Ham Curl: 180x10 285x10
Seated Calf Raise: 90x10 135x10 180x10

While this may not seem like a ton of leg work, it is (at least for me) Now if I didn't have to hunt for and unload the weights I'm using then it might be an hour's worth of working out. Tomorrow I hit the abs and arms.

Scott

[muscle_mastah]

Originally Posted by optimusx

lewj99>
On quad days it takes forever to hunt down enough 45s and by the time you drag them back to the leg/squat press you're beat Have you ever unloaded 18 45lb plates from a leg or squat press? Esp ones that have the loading bar at an incline? It takes a bit of energy and time..

lol almost, I've been as high as 16 so I'm close. It was one of the reasons I did drop sets on the leg press so at least I would get a break from unloading them.

[optimusx]

Originally Posted by muscle_mastah

lol almost, I've been as high as 16 so I'm close. It was one of the reasons I did drop sets on the leg press so at least I would get a break from unloading them.

See that's what I'm talking about Now why didn't I think about doing drop sets? hmm.. I'll have to consider it.. at least I'd get a quasi-break between sets.

Just a quick question.. who is that pic in your profile of? Is that you?

Scott

[hulkmuscle]

Drop sets are a great intensity technique, but ideally, the drops need to be instantaneous, within a couple seconds, otherwise your muscles will start to recover. Unless you have someone spotting, doing drops on a leg press would be a little difficult, to say the least, unless you're using a machine with a weight-stack. Still, you could try, but it'll require more effort and time than probably necessary. Just my 2-cents.

You could also try 1-1/4 reps, whereby you lift the weight, drop back a 1/4 of the movement, then go back to contraction before lowering. This blasts the quads in the contracted position, resulting in increased engorgement in the muscle belly.

Likewise, you could also try sets with much slower negative strokes. On one of the Ian King routines I did within the past couple years, he'd advocate sets with 10-second negatives on power moves.

[optimusx]

[color=red]6/22/05 Workout[/color]

Abs/Arms day 12:10-1:15PM

Ab Machine: 100x15 150x12 190x10
Oblique Twist (each way): 140x10 170x10 200x10
Dips: BWx10 BWX10 (Where BW=Bodyweight which is 270lbs)
Underhand Tri Ext with bar: 100x10 150x10 140x8 130x8 120x6
Rope Tri Ext: 100x10 150x10 175x8 90x10
Rope Bi Curl: 100x10 150x10 140x8 130x8 120x7
Arm Curl Machine 1-2: 50x10 70x10 90x10

What's Arm Curl Machine 1-2? Well... it's my notation for the way I did the set. Essentially I used both ands on the positive motion (the curl) then I allowed one hand to lower the negative weight alternating between reps. So essentially both arms carried the initial curl and alt. arms handled the same weight but in the negative. It did produce a nice pump Tomorrow I hit the chest and Lats some.

Scott

[DonnieJvilleNC]

Scott,
That's a great looking workout. You're as strong as a bull! Love imagining you moving all that weight around. I'm loving this journal of yours...keep it up....it's great inspiration.

[ethernet_jock]

Did I mention enough times already that you're insanely strong?

I don't think so...

[brent]

But what's a "dorp set"?

Scott, I agree, you are amazingly strong!

[hulkmuscle]

I guess the bandwidth issue affected our ability to edit posts? I couldn't edit one right after I'd posted it last night.

[optimusx]

DonnieJvilleNC and ethernet_jock> I'm not THAT strong... there are guys smaller than me that lift as much or more! I guess being shorter does have it's advantages though... thanks for the comps though

brent> dorp set? I think you mean drop set... unless I misspelled it earlier Anywho, a drop set is when you start off with a decent weight that you can do approx 10 reps with, so a set, lower the weight and immedietly do another 10, lower weight and do another 10 if you can... and just keep dropping. The goal is to basically blast that body part for all it's worth. Though it's hard doing this on larger moves (unless you've got a team of guys pulling the weights off as you do leg presses/bench presses)

hulkmuscle> You can edit the post up to a certain time (I think it's like 5-10 minutes). After that time, the ability to edit a post disappears. Or at least that's what happens to me .

[color=red]6/23/05 Workout[/color]

Chest/Lats day 12:10-1:45PM

Incline Hammer Bench Press:
90x15
180x12
270x10
340x8

Wide Hammer Chest Press:
180x12
270x10
360x9

Pec Dec:
145x10
295x10

Assisted Pulldowns (est since it's based on my BW-Assisted poundages):
200x10
218x10
236x8
254x6

Seated Rope Pull:
110x10
170x10
190x9

Shoulder Shrugs(machine):
140x10
180x10
230x10

It was an OK day.. I still feel that I'm reseting way too much between sets, but sometimes it can't be helped (intteruptions and all) I need to get some serious width on me.. all of my weight appears to be in depth only I'm figureing that as soon as I can do the pulldowns with my Bodyweight and more then I'll start seeing some width being added... only problem .. as my BW goes up it makes it harder to pull up Ah, the joys of gaining weight..hehe..

Scott

[muscle_mastah]

Originally Posted by optimusx

Just a quick question.. who is that pic in your profile of? Is that you?

Scott

It's interesting that you ask me that, since I've been getting a few PM's on picture wondering the same thing. I've created a story and posted it in the story forum that should answer the question.

hulkmuscle: You're correct, there is a longer than usual length of time between sets to really call it a drop set. However, even with the length of time taken, you will get an incredible burn and produce a lot of lactic acid. Not optimal, but intense never-the-less.

[lewj99]

Heh heh...you say you're "not THAT strong" then list a workout like that...I think the rest of us will respectfully disagree!

On a side note I tried the 1-2 arm curl you mentioned the other day, it seemed to work well and was a nice change to the routine. I also wanna try the SARGPs you talked about...is there anywhere I could get a picture description of that?

[brent]

Scott, thank you for the explanation of "Drop Sets" (I was trusting what my fingers typed, and using Fire Fox instead of my usual Safari, which has built-in spell check...) I always called those "tear-downs". I need to start doing that more. Perhaps when I'm down to just one job, which is less than a week away!

Cangrats on all the growth! Trust me, you are very wide already, but it'll be fun to see how big you can get!!

[optimusx]

brent> Your welcome... always glad when I can help!

lewj99> SARGPS are Single Arm Rev. Grip Pulldown. If I remember correctly, your gym doesn't have the right equipment to do this movement. You'd basically need a single hand grip that can hook to your cable machines. It's the same movement that I showed you with the bar (underhand tri ext) but with one hand at a time and you perpendicular to the cable. Claygrant may be able to give a better description.

everyone> If you're intersted in seeing pics I'll post them to http://www.epyontec.com/evo../indexes/images/ from now on to save bandwidth on this BB.

And now for the workout..

[color=red]Workout for 6/24/05[/color]
Hams/Calves/Back/Abs 12:15-2:15PM

Good Mornings (In Smith Rack):
50x10
90x10
140x10
160x8

Straight Legged Deadlift:
90x10
180x10
230x8

Ham Curls 1-2:
195x10
285x10

Hip Adduction
185x10
205x10

Seated Hammer rows:
180x10
270x10
360x10
410x8

Overhead Hammer Pulldowns:
180x10
270x10

Standing Calf Raises:
270x10
385x10
495x10

Ab Machine:
100x15
150x12
190x10


No gym for the weekend, I start back on Monday... the body needs rest.

Scott

[optimusx]

Ok, for those of you who squat/do a ton of leg work you'll get a kick out of this.

I was helping bring in some groceries today and was wearing some kahkis that i had just put on after I showered. Well if you've been reading my posts you'll know that I've been having trouble with my pants the past few months since I started to go heavy with the leg work. Needless to say, being the good boy I was, instead of bending over to put down the bags of food on the floor I squatted. For those familiar with squatters' ass you'll probably have figured out what happened next. Yup, pants ripped in half... well not quite half actually.. the mid seam is still there, the pants tore about an inch and a half away from the midseam closer to my right leg

You have no idea how annoying that can be. That was like one of three sets of pants that even marginally fit well. The others are too big (suit pants) or too tight (read, they don't go over that squatters' rear/legs). I need some help here folks with pants that fit well but don't look like parachute pants

Scott

[omelissokomos]

Scott, I've got just the thing for you.