I have decided to make a journal to keep me motivated as I lack the consistency I need.

At the moment I am around 5'8, 10st 13 and 19 years old. Here are some pics I took yesterday:

http://s335.photobucket.com/albums/m455/morse6012/?action=view¤t=Image000.jpg

http://s335.photobucket.com/albums/m455/morse6012/?action=view¤t=Image005.jpg

The goal is to get buff.

MY JOURNAL

I will experiment with different routines to see which is best for me. I am starting with a 5 day split for the next 12 weeks. After 4 and 8 weeks I will change the exercises around so in the 12 weeks the routine lasts I would have changed things around 3 times.

Weeks 1 - 4
Mon- Back/Abs
Wide grip chins 3x5
BB row 3x10
wieghted hyper extension 3x10
Weighted crunch 2x10
decline russian twist 2x10
lying leg raise 2x10

Tue - chest
DB incline press 3x10
DB flat press 3x10
DB flyes 3x10

Wed - off

Thu - Legs
Squats 3x10
leg curl 3x10
Calf raise 3x20

Fri - arms
BB curl 3x10
hammer curl 2x10
Preacher curl 1x10
dips 3x10
skulls 2x10
bb palms up wrist curl 2x10
bb palms down wrist curl 2x10

Sat - shoulder/traps
Seated bb ohp 3x10
Side raises 2x10
bb shrugs 3x10
behind back upright row 2x10

at the end of week 4 I will decide what exercises I will do.

MY JOURNAL

Today was back and abs.

I did everything I set out to do, pretty average session.

Wieghts lifted:

chins - bodywieght
BB row - 35 kg
hyper ex - bodywieght + 10kg
crunch - bw + 12kg
russian twist - 10kg
leg raises - bw

Tomorrow is chest and I have to go in the evening, It is so packed in the evenings I'll be lucky to get a bench.

MY JOURNAL

I think you should add another exercise for your back like deadlift or t bar row. 2 exercises isnt enough in my opinion and there was way to much focus on abs in that session.

Bench - 140kg
Squat - 180kg
Deadlift - 190kg
My Journal

Thanks for the post muscleman2008

Yeah perhaps, I have tried deads but I can't do them properly. I have tried and tried I think maybe it's a flexibility issue. As I don't deadlift I thought maybe I should train abs directly. I know hyperextensions are not as good as deads but an not so good exercise with good form is better than a great exercise with bad form.

MY JOURNAL

Tonight was chest. I hate going in the evening there are just too many people there.

Weights I lifted:

incline db - 15kg DBs
flat - 15 kg DBs
I feel like such a weakling

When i got there I had to wait for a bench then when a bench became free I had to wait for 15 kg Dbs .I didn't do flys as there wasn't 10 kg Dbs or 12.5 kg Dbs around so I thought fcuk it I'm not wanting again.

The workout went horrible, my left pec got a good workout but no matter what I did I just couldn't hit my right pec . Lets hope I don't have more sessions like that or I'll end up looking like a fcuking idiot with one pec bigger than the other.

MY JOURNAL

Todays my day off. I find I eat more on my days off I'm not sure if thats a good thing as the only exercise I get is cooking. I will try at some point to make a stretching routine of some kind to increse flexibilty which will IMO help alot with my training.

MY JOURNAL

Today was legs. I am finding squating with good form impossible. I think I really need to increase my flexiblity and especialy hip and ankle mobility.

I tried leg swings today and ripped my trousers, luckly I tried it at home and not the gym. I think I will do my daily stretchs in my underwear from now on(at home).

MY JOURNAL

Good luck with the journal / training.

You might want to try some things like Squat-to-stand, OH Lunge Walk, Walking Spidermans etc... great dynamic movements to warm up with, and will help flexability (and therefore exercises).
If I was you, I'd drop the 5 or 4 day split idea, and focus on Full Body with the main compounds. Get diet nailed and you'll progress well. If I could go back 9 months, I wish I had started on something simple (like FB or Upper / Lower) instead of a 4 day split. Gained more too.

Regards
Lewis

I will "Endeavour" to aid you in your task !!

Wow , you train a hell of alot !!

quite simply put , you can get better gains with training less , TBH im not really very good at dishing advice , but deffo think about 'trimming it off' a bit

As said really, maybe train only three days, get your diet nailed and ensure you get enough sleep. Dont worry about what weight your lifting, everyone has to start somehwere and technique and form are more important. The weight will come with time and effort.

My progress journal

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/m_2852988/tm.htm

Alright fella. what is it your finding hard to do with deadlift then?

are you able to squat down so your bum is down by your feet?
are you then able to touch your feet?
if so, you can deadlift as you dont go down that far

maybe just start with the bar with 1 plate each side to get used to the movement? this will aid your back development no end.

do you do any stretching exercises?

New journal started
Got a question? Read the articles section here

Good luck with the journal / training.

You might want to try some things like Squat-to-stand, OH Lunge Walk, Walking Spidermans etc... great dynamic movements to warm up with, and will help flexability (and therefore exercises).
If I was you, I'd drop the 5 or 4 day split idea, and focus on Full Body with the main compounds. Get diet nailed and you'll progress well. If I could go back 9 months, I wish I had started on something simple (like FB or Upper / Lower) instead of a 4 day split. Gained more too.

Thanks for posting in my journel
I did this routine before and I worked quite well.

I've been thinking about a fullbody split for months I really like the idea of Deads/over head press/chins and squat/bench/row in a 2 or maybe 3 day split. The only thing that stopped me was my inability to deadlft correctly.

I didn't know what to replace it with, I tried a hanging clean I couldn't even hold the bar in the end possition (the start of a front squat) I am so inflexible.

MY JOURNAL

I will "Endeavour" to aid you in your task !!

Wow , you train a hell of alot !!

quite simply put , you can get better gains with training less , TBH im not really very good at dishing advice , but deffo think about 'trimming it off' a bit

Thank you Boar. I agree with the less is more approach all the other routines I have done have been pretty basic. The routine I am following routine is just the same as the max-out routine just with more reps some different exercises.

MY JOURNAL

As said really, maybe train only three days, get your diet nailed and ensure you get enough sleep. Dont worry about what weight your lifting, everyone has to start somehwere and technique and form are more important. The weight will come with time and effort.

I do worry about what weight I lift, I feel like such a twat lifting little girl weights all the time. I find increasing weight difficult (I have no problem growing). I know my goal is to get buff but strenth gains are just as important plus they are great motivation.

MY JOURNAL

Alright fella. what is it your finding hard to do with deadlift then?

Thank you 187. Well I find lots of things difficult about the deadlift. The most difficult thing I find is keeping my back straight at the very beginning of the lift I think that is just down to flexibility which can be improved.

I also found hitting my back muscles difficult, what I mean is the only part of my body I felt working was my lower back (although my lower back did get alot bigger thanks to my retarded form).

are you able to squat down so your bum is down by your feet?

Yes, but my back is as straight as a bananna. I find if I go parallel or lower I can't keep my back straight. But it doesn't stop me going to parallel though.

are you then able to touch your feet?

No.

do you do any stretching exercises?

I stretch the muscles that I have used after my workout, other than that no. I will start as soon as possible. I ordered my foam roller this morning so that should help.

MY JOURNAL

ORIGINAL: musclemorse

Good luck with the journal / training.

You might want to try some things like Squat-to-stand, OH Lunge Walk, Walking Spidermans etc... great dynamic movements to warm up with, and will help flexability (and therefore exercises).
If I was you, I'd drop the 5 or 4 day split idea, and focus on Full Body with the main compounds. Get diet nailed and you'll progress well. If I could go back 9 months, I wish I had started on something simple (like FB or Upper / Lower) instead of a 4 day split. Gained more too.

Thanks for posting in my journel
I did this routine before and I worked quite well.

I've been thinking about a fullbody split for months I really like the idea of Deads/over head press/chins and squat/bench/row in a 2 or maybe 3 day split. The only thing that stopped me was my inability to deadlft correctly.

I didn't know what to replace it with, I tried a hanging clean I couldn't even hold the bar in the end possition (the start of a front squat) I am so inflexible.

No problem.

Lots of articles about flexability on stronglifts.com . Great site for info. The dynamic stretches I mentioned earlier will help with your Deadlift and Squat form. In the mean time, do the other exercises and practice, and work on flexability.

Regards
Lewis

No problem.

Lots of articles about flexability on stronglifts.com . Great site for info. The dynamic stretches I mentioned earlier will help with your Deadlift and Squat form. In the mean time, do the other exercises and practice, and work on flexability.

Yeah I like the idea of dynamic stretches to warm up with before I squat. Though after I ripped my trousers doing leg swings I am a bit wary about doing lower body dynamic stretches in the gym.

I think I will definately change my routine though.

MY JOURNAL

I got my foam roller 2day.

I was very suprised at how much it hurt, at some points I was in agony .I did find it quite difficult to do the chest.

I have decided to hange my routine to a push/pull/leg routine. I have also decided to change some of the exercises aswell as I want to experiment with other exercises. I was thinking :

TUE
back/biceps
t-bar row - 3x10
wg lat pull down - 3x10
hyperextensions - 3x10
close grip underhand chins 3x10

THU
chest/shoulders/tris
db incline bench press - 3x10
flat bench press - 3x10
db shoulder press - 3x10
skull crusher - 3x10

SAT
Legs/abs
squats - 3x10
leg curl - 3x10
calf raise - 3x20
crunch - 2x10
leg raises - 2x10

MY JOURNAL

Today was back/bicep day.

T-bar row - 15kg plate
lat pull down - 57.5kg
hyper ex - bodyweight + 10kg
close grip underhand chins - bodyweight

It went ok, I perfer wide grip chin up to lat pull down and bb row to t-bar row.
I have to admit I loved the close grip underhand chins.

I'm still using my foam roller and stretching every day.

MY JOURNAL