TeenBodybuilding.com - Alton Hare - Building A Champion 5!

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I broke my bench plateau, finally start doing some decent weight on the bent over row, and improve tremendously on my squat.

By: Alton Hare

Training Journals: Main Page

My Training Journal
Entries: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Well, after two weeks of rest I sure feel anxious to start up training again. I'm really glad I took the two weeks off, as I said in my last article, and you'll see why over the next few weeks as my lifts climb every week. I broke my bench plateau, finally start doing some decent weight on the bent over row, and improve tremendously on my squat, which was stuck at 315x8 for a while before I started this journal. I think if you train really hard for 8-12 weeks you will make some gains, but the real gains don't come until your body rests and begins to overcompensate. That's when all the hard work pays off. Anyway, here it is, my uncut and unaltered journal.

10/29/01- Monday- back w/ some shoulders- day 70
7:00 cheerios, 16 oz orange juice, Big Whey
11:30 chicken wings, 16 oz milk, fries, 1 serv ice cream
3:00 24 oz milk
3:45 train

Bent Rows: 175x8, 175x7, 165x10, 155x12, 165x9
DB Rows: 70sx12, 80sx 6r and 5L, 70sx7r and 6L
SUPERSETTED WITH
Lat Pulldowns: 105x10, 105x8, 100x7
CRGPdowns: 135x8 (different station, felt harder),
135x9 on my normal one, 145x5 plus 1 forced
Lateral raises: 30sx6, 25sx8, 25sx7 in a CIRCUIT with
Close seated rows: 90x10, 90x8, 85x8, 80x9
Bent Lateral raises: 20sx10, 20sx8, 15sx8

5:00 N Large
6:30 scalloped potatoes, chicken pot pie, peas, 2 rolls
10:00 Big Whey in 16 oz milk

Awesome first day back. I felt really good after my workout, after only 3 sets of bent rows my mood, energy, and general feeling were all way up. My strength was also up, except my grip was faltering, it was more difficult to hold the weights. So, I'm thinking the smaller muscles like the ones in the forearms lose their strength faster with disuse. I cut out the quart of milk at 9:30 simply because it was making me nauseous and I'm just not hungry enough at that time to drink a quart of milk. Also, I was gaining weight a little faster than I wanted, waist got a little bigger, so reducing my calories about 400 a day shouldn't hurt me.

Tuesday- day 71- chest/tris- 10/30/01
7:00 cheerios, banana, Big Whey
11:20 pizza, fries, 8 oz milk, frozen peaches
3:00 24 oz milk

4:00 train
Bench: 320x1 easy, 300x3, 275x5, 245x8
DB Press: 115sx3, 100sx8, 100sx6
flyes: 30sx10, 8 superset with
cable crosses: 22.5x12, 10
French Presses: 85x9, 80x7, 70x6
Cable Pressdowns: 50x11, 60x6, 50x7
Dips: 7 + 1 forced, 6 + 2 forced, 6 + 2 forced
push-ups: 6 (3 in 3 out)

5:05 N Large
7:30 6 softshell tacos
10:00 Big Whey in 16 oz milk

320 went up without stopping, so I'll go for 325 next week, should get it. Then I'll go for 330 after that... and so on until I hit another wall. This is the best routine for increasing your bench I can think of, but though its good for breaking through walls you hit another one kinda quick. So, I'm gonna ride this until I hit... probably 340 on the bench is where I'll plateau, then I'll have to change the rep scheme up again. So, I'm gonna try to increase 5 lbs. every week until I get to 340 or so. Also, I know this is the same basic exercises I've been using, but its been working so I see no reason in changing it. I am, however, thinking of reducing triceps volume later on to see if that helps, hinders, or has no effect. I have some very slight soreness in my side delts, lats, and lower bicep (more in the tendon).

Wednesday- off- 10/31/01- day 72
7:00 cheerios, Big Whey in milk

In wt. lifting we played basketball for an hour, I went pretty intense, even wrung out my beater like a rag afterwards, to several people's amazement and disgust lol.

11:15 apple cinnamon sticks, fries, chicken sandwich, 8 oz milk
3:05 24 oz milk
3:50 beefaroni w/ cheese
7:00 spaghetti w/ meatballs
10:00 32 oz milk (out of Big Whey, another bag should be in tomorrow)

Pretty sore in my chest some in my delts, especially front delts. Forearms are still a little achy, cannot wait o squat tomorrow!!! We'll see what I can do...

*note: woke up at 2:48 and 4:30, wide awake as if it were 12 in the afternoon, I hate that

Thursday- legs- 11/01/01- day 73
7:00 special K, 2 eggs, 16 oz milk
9:20 Powerbar
11:20 chicken/ nuggets, 8 oz milk, fries, toasted cheese sandwich, little apple pastry
3:45 24 oz milk
3:50 train
squat: 425x1, 390x4, 365x6, 325x9
Leg Press: 14 platesx12, 10, 7
Leg extension: 90x8, 80x8, 70x10 SUPERSET WITH
Leg Curl: 90x10, 8, 80x8

5:00 N large
6:35 rice with chicken, barbecued chicken breast, roll
10:00 Big Whey in milk

Friday- off- 11/02/01- day 74
7:00 special k, Big Whey in milk
11:15 chicken nuggets, fries, 8 oz milk, frozen peaches
3:05 24 oz milk
3:40 Big Whey, 16 oz milk, banana
6:30 3 slices big new yorker pizza
10:00 Big Whey in milk
I decided against training biceps and shoulders today because we did a total of about 14 sets of curls in weightlifting this week, plus my front delts got pretty blitzed from Tuesday, and side/rear delts already worked from Monday.

Saturday- off- 11/03/01- day 75
7:00 special k, banana, Big Whey in milk
10:00 beefaroni with cheese
12:30 2 chicken breasts, potato salad
3:30 Powerbar, Big Whey in water
6:30 foot long chicken sub
9:30 protein bar, Powerbar
11:30 Big Whey in milk

Sunday- off- day 76- 11/04/01
12:00 pancakes (6 servings) with peanut butter and 16 oz milk
2:30 banana, Big Whey in milk
6:00 foot long roast beef sub
9:00 Big Whey in milk

Monday- back- day 77- 11/05/01
7:00 cheerios, Big Whey in milk
9:30 Powerbar
11:30 hot dog, fries, raisin cake, 16 oz milk
3:30 16 oz chocolate milk (24 g carbs per 8 oz serving rather than 11 g)
4:00 train
Bent Row: 185x8, 185x7 + 1 slight cheat, 175x9, 175x8, 165x11 (pretty nice huh? much higher than last week) DB Row: 80sx11r 10L, 9r 8L, 8r 8L Close Reverse Grip Pulldowns: 135x11, 145x9, 150x7, 165x4 pause, 1 forced (How sweet is THAT?) Seated cable Row: 90 thru 45, dropping in 15 lb. increments, for 45 reps
5:05 N Large
Mind blowing workout, it was absolutely incredible, every lift was up, I tried weights I never have before, it was fantastic, I got such a pump, and felt such a rush. Probably the best back workout ever, took a little extra rest on the exercises so I could maintain most of my strength.

7:00 chili w/ cheese

9:30 Big Whey in milk

Tuesday- chest- 11/06/01- day 78
7:00 cheerios, 8 oz orange juice, Big Whey in milk

in weightlifting: upright rows for 1 minute, military press for 1 minute, front raises for one minuet, lateral raises for one minute, 8 sets crunches for 1 minute each, 2 sets of five minute "plate exercises"

9:30 Powerbar

11:30 lasagna, fries, 8 oz milk, raisin cake, frozen juice

3:05 24 oz milk

4:00 train
bench: 325x1, 300x2 + 1 forced, 275x4 + 1 forced, 235x8
db press: 115sx3, 100sx6, 5
flyes: 35sx8, 30sx10, 8 SUPERSET with
cable crosses: 20x12, 10, 10
French Press: 85x6, 75x7, 65x8
cable pressdowns: 60x8, 7, 50x10
dips: 6 + 2 forced, 5 + 3 forced

I just felt off today, I'm pretty sure its because of all the shoulder work I did in class. All that stress on my shoulders prevented me from being at my best, I really hated it. But hey, perhaps my shoulders will be stronger for it next week, and I don't have to worry about training them Friday.

Wednesday- off- 1/07/01- day 79
Today I had to get up at 3:30 to go to "Shadow Day" at NC State. I get to go there to spend the night and go to class with an Air Force ROTC cadet. Getting up at 3:30 was no picnic, and the long 4 hour drive wasn't either. I managed to keep my diet fundamentally the same, but the times were somewhat erratic and I can't remember a lot of it. Also I didn't go to bed till 1:30, stayed out w/ some of the other shadows and their sponsors. I won't get to do legs tomorrow either :(. Oh well, stuff happens.

Thursday- legs (but couldn't train)- 11/08/010 day 80
Got up at 5:30 and ran 2 miles... jeeez I'm glad I didn't have to train legs today because I wouldn't have had nothin' left after two nights of 3 or 4 hours of sleep and shaky eating habits, along with the 2 mile run. Well anyway I slept decent tonight, and will probably do a little biceps tomorrow.

Friday- biceps- 11/09/01- day 81
7:00 cheerios and Big Whey
11:15 pizza, fries, milk, raisin cookie
3:05 24 oz milk
4:20 train
curls: 100x7, 5, 80x8, 70x9
db curls: 25sx10, 8, 20sx11 (that's on an incline bench, strict form)
done at 4:45
6:00 chicken breasts, stuffing, vegetables
9:00 Big Whey in milk

Saturday- off- 11/10/01- day 82
10:00 6 serv pancakes w/ peanut butter
1:00 2 chicken breasts, stuffing, vegetables
4:00 turkey pot pie
8:00 southwest chicken sub, foot long
11:00 protein bar and cliff bar

Sunday- off- 11/11/01- day 83
10:30 cheerios, banana, Big Whey
1:00 12 oz steak, stuffing, vegetables
7:00 14 bagel bites
10:00 pure protein bar, cliff bar
1:00 Big Whey in milk

That's it, and tomorrow is vet. day so the gym is closed, but Tuesday I will do Bent rows with 225... just to see if I can do any :). And Wednesday 330 on the bench hahaha. Later you guys!!!

- Alton

beautifuldisaster420@yahoo.com