Here is the file: Blank Workout Log

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One thing I have noticed is a big change in peoples perception of muscle state, I remember a few years ago you were either Bulking (calorie surplus), cutting (calorie deficit), or maintaining (calories stay at maintenance levels). Most people would say they are looking to burn fat and build mass, back then you were always told you can do 1 or the other but not both effectively. Now I constantly see workout programs for ‘recomp’ which is increasing mass and burning fat at the same time. So what is with this sudden change of mind? I am not really sure but I have a few ideas. It seems more and more people are branching out from the ‘tried-and-true’ methods of lifting, and even eating. Recently Intermittent Fasting has proven very successful for many people. I had been following IF for a few months with out even realizing it had a name. It feels like more people are willing to try new things and the majority of people are seeing decent results. There has also been a huge wave of new workout routines and programs to help beginners, intermediate and even expert lifters.

Another thing that I have noticed is a lot of people have (finally) gotten off of the supplement band wagon and are beginning to perfect their diet and training while using only basic proven supplements (ie protein, creatine, bcaa, multivitamins, fish oil) instead of taking everything they possible can. The last 4 weeks were spent hitting a 3 day straight full body routine, which definitely helped me to get my strength and size up, now I have switched my routine back to a 3 day split. The main idea behind my new routine is that it is built around the core muscle building exercises (bench, deadlift, squat). Three of my favorite exercises. The split looks something like this:

• Workout A focus on Biceps/Chest

1. Bench press (flat, incline or decline)
2. Dumbbell curls
3. Dips
4. Preacher Curls
5. Dumbbell Flyes
6. Hammer Curls
7. Cable Flyes
8. Concentration Curls
9. Dumbbell Press
10. Sidebends (some core work)

• Workout B focus on Back/Triceps

1. Lat Pulldown (overhand or underhand, wide or neutral)
2. Tricep Pushdowns
3. Deadlift
4. Tricep Overhead Extension
5. Seated Row
6. Kickbacks
7. Bentover Barbell Row
8. Skull Crushers
9. Shrugs
10. Rope Pushdowns

• Workout C focus on Legs/Shoulders

1. Squat (ATG always, front, hack, etc)
2. Front Raise
3. Leg Press
4. Lateral Raise
5. Leg Extension
6. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
7. Leg Curl
8. Arnold Press
9. Calf Raises (with squats and leg press)
10. Barbell Shoulder Press

Now this list contains a lot of different exercises and we do not do them all each day. Generally we do the core lift for the day (bench, deadlift, squat) then 2 more exercises for that body part, so Workout A might look like this:

• Bench 3×10 or 4×8 or 5×5 (chest 1)
• Dumbbell Curls 3×10 (biceps 1)
• Dips 3xfailure (chest 2)
• Preacher Curls 3×10  (biceps 2)
• Dumbbell Flyes 3×10 (chest 3)
• Concentration Curls 3×10 (biceps 3)
• Sidebends 3×10 (core)

The nice thing about this routine is that it doesn’t get boring because we can swap exercises around depending on how we feel. The volume for these workouts is generally pretty high and should provide good results. Yesterday I started week 2 of this which will probably remain unchanged for 4-6 weeks.

I am trying to find a new routine that branches away from common thinking and still gets results, so far this has been successful. With the new diet and routines I am starting to see some promising results the best part is there is a constant motivation to constantly hit the gym. I am always pumped for the gym and the workouts just increase this pump. Check back for updated information or changes to the routine and diet as I plan on using the site as a sort of log for this new routine. Hopefully the results will continue to show improvement.

Stay motivated and enjoy!

The workout I did was considered my heavy day. There were 4 exercises in the plan I dropped 1 and added 3 more. Within the short 40 or so minutes I had I was able to finish these exercises:

• Cable Standing Mid Pulley Row – Max weight total of 25 reps over 2 sets (needed more weight!)
• Dips – Body Weight total of 25 reps over 2 sets 15/10
• Decline Bench Press – Varying weight total of 25 reps over 5 sets (this is how the other exercises should be)
• Barbell Shrugs – Varying weight 3 or 4 sets of 8-12
• Weighted Side-bends – 45lb plate 3 sets of 10 per side
• Bench Press – Varying weight 25 reps over 3 sets as fast as possible

The workout ended up including a lot of unplanned exercises and I did drop my leg workout (for a good reason) so despite the short time I worked through 6 exercises with 45seconds of rest between sets and was able to get a full, intense workout in.

Right after the workout I had an incredible pump and it lasted for a good hour after the gym. I think the Build XS is also starting to kick in, my lifts felt much more explosive. When I was getting to my last few reps instead of sticking I was able to focus and throw the bar back up and I went beyond my previous ‘limits’. I was able to do more dips than just a week ago and dips don’t seem to hurt my chest anymore. The decline bench was fairly impressive since I was doing more weight then before but also not hitting failure to soon. All in all this is exactly how all workouts from Huge in a Hurry are meant to be done. I now know why. My body isn’t sore but it definitely took a beating yesterday.

I figured I write this as a quick update to my workout/Build XS review. I still love Build XS. It tastes delicious and feels like your drinking pure energy. The focus and explosiveness of my workouts is quite intense and I always leave my workout with a wicked pump. That is all for now I guess. Enjoy!

p.s. what is your favorite music genre/artist/song to listen to during a good lift? let me know in the comments! I

I love Hatebreed for my heavy lifts, 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite seems to work too.

So the last 3 weeks or so I have been hitting the gym ~3 nights a week doing my old routine of Chest/Tris, Bis/Back, Shoulder/Abs/Legs. I think a change is in order but I haven’t decided if I want to follow the Huge in a Hurry full body workout every workout, or a Chest/Bi, Back/Tri, Shoulder/Leg/Abs. The nice thing about doing the full body work outs is that you hit so many more support muscles since most of the exercises are compound exercises that allow you to work multiple muscles in 1 exercise. If I am not mistaken I still have my old Huge in a Hurry routine saved in GymBuddy on my iPhone.

This sudden interest in fitness has proved to be a huge stress reliever. I am slowly starting to sleep better too but I need to fix the diet. I am constantly eating 1 meal a day and thats pretty much it, maybe 400-800 calories a day. Obviously this is a horrid diet for building mass but so far it has worked incredibly well for slimming down. The funny thing is the thinner I get, the more I weigh. I was stuck at 170lbs. for a long time now I am thinner then ever and at ~182lbs. Go figure.

I think a good diet change will take place once I get down to a proper BF%. I have a feeling I will be using the 6 meal a day diet with a lot of meats and protein. As far as supplements go, I am not taking anything and feel like I am making gains way faster than when I was on protein, creatine, NO, T-Boosters, etc. I have a feeling that after a few weeks the results will slow and may be time to invest in some creatine/protein just for mass and keep out of the T-Boosters for a bit.

Well this is my first fitness post in a long long time, actually I think the last was about Huge in a Hurry which I still have and definitely highly recommend. If you have stopped working out or never tried it, definitely do. The feeling you get after a good lift is incredible and the side effects are almost all positive (minus injury). As far as my back injury goes it still exists but I have been taking it easy on my lower back this time around. I had an  X-ray of spine and found out that there is cartilage missing in my lower back and apparently I fractured part of my spine at some point. I guess that would explain the flare ups so long after the original injury.

I guess that is all I have for now so get out to the gym and enjoy!

Oh and here is a sweet diagram of just about every major muscle.

This chart helps show what I meant when I was talking about traps and delts. Since the traps are the muscles on the sides of your neck when they get big your neck naturally  gets bigger. I think you can get a good idea about how it wouldlook to have bigger delts than pecs.

Importance of Rest

Rest time is when our bodies grow, when we sleep our muscles are hard at work repairing themselves and in turn growing. As a child you need proper rest because this is the time that your body grows the most, so it makes sense that proper rest will benefit your work out goals. Resting for a few days at a time can be refreshing, and really help motivate you towards your goals. A good general rule of them when it comes to resting is 4 weeks on 1 week off, this week of rest allows your body to recover and develop from the strain you have been putting on it for the last 4 weeks.

Things to Remember

When you are resting it does not mean you are on a healthy-lifestyle-vacation, you still have to eat right, and you definitely need to get the proper amount of sleep. I think this is where the majority of myths come from when it comes to resting. People who decide to rest either stop eating right, stop sleeping right, or take much to long of a rest and begin to see the negative side effects of taking too long of a rest. So just remember the only thing that should be resting is your mind and your body, all of your other good habits should continue.

How to Know When You Need to Rest

If you are not going to follow the general rule of thumb and rest after a month of intense workouts, then pay attention to key signs that your body needs to take a decent rest (usually a week). When your body aches in a painful way, and your muscles are continuously tired, sore, or just worn out, this is a could time to rest to allow your muscles to recuperate and to prevent injury. If you do become injured, use this time to rest your body, I have made the mistake of not resting when I strained my lower back, so ever week I had to live with a relapse of pain. I would give myself 2 days of rest then hit the gym and go home with a stiff back, and waking up to a strained and inflamed muscle. After taking a week off, the problem went away. When you begin to feel fatigued all the time, it is generally a good idea to take some time off to rest, and most importantly when you are tired of your workout, take some time off and change up your routine a little, you will be happy with the results.

Do you have any opinions about resting, whether it be suggestions or techniques or anything leave something in the comments.