Bunnykillas Journal

[bunnyluva]

I thought i'd start a journal.

Intro.

Age 32, height 5'6", weight approx 60kg.

Chest 37", waist 30.5", thigh 21"

More athlete than bodybuilder.

Last year I bought a powerrack and went on an all you can eat diet, gained 14lbs, scales topped 10st but my waist went up to over 33", strength shot up but i felt terrible. I didn't like the little belly I had.

I have small a waist and small joints, think Bruce Lee. I'm going to focus on keeping trim, whilst tryng to add some muscle rather than bloat out like i did last year.

Just before xmas I bought a rowing machine, now I'm working on lowering the waist to sub 30" whilst getting back into lifting the weights. Watching my mum go through a triple bypass has drummed home the value of cardio and a healthy heart and lungs, so the rower gets used a few times a week too.

to be continued.......

[PikeKing]

ah this journal will be a bit different to the norm I think, cool.

what sort of routine do you follow?

[bunnyluva]

I do three workouts over the week.

session1
behind neck press, 1x8reps warm up then 3x8 constant weight
dumbell press 3x8 reps constant weight
Chins 2 sets.

Session 2 is simply squats 1x8 warm up, then 3x8 constant weight

session 3
barbell bench 1x8 warmup then 3x8 constant weight
db bench 3x8 constant
Skull crshers 3x8 constant

I try to get in three rowing sessions per week @20mins - 30 mins each.

Bit girly innit lol, last year during the bullking I did 5x5 using progressively heavier poundage working up to 1 top set of 5 reps. These 3x8 with the same weight throughout is killing me!!!

Phil

[PikeKing]

a nice basic routine, basics are the best, u need some rowing though, the weighted kind

[GoldenArrow]

Shut up. And indeed, squat! ;)

[bunnyluva]

Just been reading my old journal on muscletalk, bloodyhell im weak as a kitten compared to last year when i was eating everything in sight.

I've just started back so i'm going to stick with 3x8 and a constant weight to give it a proper shot.

I'm going to change a couple of things tho after reading my old stuff.

session1 will be shoulders and tris (drop chins add skull crushers)
session2 squats and abs
session3 chest and stiff deads.

Phil

[bunnyluva]

Took this from last septembers log
----------
Bench 3x3x60kg
Squat 90kgx2x5
--------

current bench is 8x45 8x50 8x50
and squat is 8x50 8x65 8x65 8x65

Jumping from 5 rep to 8 rep sets really lowers the weight.

Phil

[PikeKing]

session1 will be shoulders and tris (drop chins add skull crushers)
session2 squats and abs
session3 chest and stiff deads.

Phil

where is your back work?

[bunnyluva]

I'm just using stiffdeads to work my upperback and traps atm. I don't expect to grow a great deal from this routine just keep as much as I have from last years bulk whilst getting leaner for the summer months.

Phil

[Man of Steel]

Your upper back and traps are not going to get much bigger or stronger with only SLDL's, they might even get smaller. At least add in some rows.

[666]

Or switch to conventional deadlifts.

[LA]

I do three workouts over the week.

session1
behind neck press, 1x8reps warm up then 3x8 constant weight
dumbell press 3x8 reps constant weight
Chins 2 sets.

Session 2 is simply squats 1x8 warm up, then 3x8 constant weight

session 3
barbell bench 1x8 warmup then 3x8 constant weight
db bench 3x8 constant
Skull crshers 3x8 constant

I try to get in three rowing sessions per week @20mins - 30 mins each.

Bit girly innit lol, last year during the bullking I did 5x5 using progressively heavier poundage working up to 1 top set of 5 reps. These 3x8 with the same weight throughout is killing me!!!

Phil

I don't think behind the neck presses are a good idea mate! swap 'em for standing OHP

[PikeKing]

not much training going on in here

[bunnyluva]

Hey I've been training lol.

Fri 12th i did

squats 8*50, 8*65, 8*65, 6*85 Just these alone absolutely fked me!

then i jumped on the rower for 10 mins,

next day (sat 12th) I did

bench 8*30 8*45 8*50 8*52.5 5*52.5

deadlift 8*40 8*55 8*55 new movement this so it looks too light to my bench.

then rowed for 10 mins.

8 reps certainly take a lot more out of you than 5!!

Phil

[bunnyluva]

At then end last year I did really well on a basic routine using reps of 5.

I'd start off with a light five rep warm up and add weight working up to one maximum set of five reps. eg 5*30 5*35 5*40 5*45 5*40 top set.

I've started back this year using reps of eight and i hate it, the weight im using is lower and I feel knackered at the end of even a small session.

I'm definately going back to 5s.

Phil

[bunnyluva]

Monday
Barbell Shoulder Press
Bench Press
CG Bench

Wednesday
Squats

Friday
Deadlift
Chins
EZ curls

Goals
Barbell military press 5*40
Bench 5*60
squats 5*80
deadlift 5*80

Sets will be 3 or 4 progressive warmups of 5 reps, followed by 1 all out set of 5.



Diet will be kept clean and simple, cant afford protein supps atm but i have some creatine to take.

Phil

[PikeKing]

be better do move your squats to monday, otherwise sound exercise choices

[bunnyluva]

Just finished training, It's great to be back on progressives 5's

I feel like I've had a hard workout but don't feel knackered after it like i did with 8 rep sets.

Here's what i did

Barbell Shoulder Press
5*30, 5*31, 5*32.5, 5*35, 5*37.5, 8*40

Bench Press
5*30, 5*40, 5*45, 5*50, 5*55

CG Bench
5*30, 5*35, 5*40, 8*45

Needs a bit tweaking on the warmups but it's there. I actually enjoyed this session which is what it's all about, helps you train hard and come back for more.

Phi

[bunnyluva]

be better do move your squats to monday, otherwise sound exercise choices

I prefer squatting on wed, I can see why you'd want deads and squats to be further apart tho.

Weekends in general have the later nights and the not so good nutrition, so I keep the shoulders and chest for monday, get some better nutrition on mon and tues then squat on wed. Make sense?

Phil

[PikeKing]

yup when u put it like that it makes sense

[bunnyluva]

Last session squats went like

8*50, 8*65, 8*65, 8*65, the 8 rep sets knacker me so im dropping to 5s.

This weeks squat went like

5*50, 5*60, 5*65, 5*70, 3*72.5, 2*75

I much prefer this style although i wouldn't normally go down to 3 and below in the rep numbers.

On my old bathroom scales im around 9.25st (skinny lol) which is 58.5kg

Phil

[Fred]

how come u did less reps with less weight?

[bunnyluva]

I chose to drop from 8 reps to 5, first three sets was a warm up.

Phil

[Fred]

i meant from last week's session to this week's

[bunnyluva]

that better, i'd made a mistake, the last set shouldve been 8*65 and not 6*85

better? lol

Phil

[Fred]

yep :dive:

[bunnyluva]

Just been reading my old journal.

I stated in June 04. on a 12 week program, after the 12 weeks I was hitting my top weights and progress slowed, I did another 4 weeks then another 4 weeks.

first numbers are the end of the first 12weeks then 4 weeks later and 4 weeks later again. When it's like this (3*47.5, 3*47.5, 2*47.5) thats the top sets in one session





military press 7*42.5 (4weeks) 6*45 (4weeks) 3*47.5, 3*47.5, 2*47.5 (this is one session)

bench 7*60 (4weeks) 5*62.5, 1*65, 1*67.5, 1*70 (4weeks) 3*62.5, 3*62.5, 3*62.5

squat 5*82.5 (4weeks later) 5*90 (4weeks) 3*90, 1*92.5, 1*95, 1*100

dead 8*72.5 (4weeks later) 5*80 (4weeks) 3*80, 3*80, 3*82.5


Doesn't actually look like I made much improvement in the last 4 week section, I should have backed off the top weights a bit and cruised for a few weeks to give me some active rest.

Now I have targets to beat for the next 24 weeks.

Phil

[Narc]

That wasn't when you started training surely?

[bunnyluva]

I'd trained on and off before, I bought a squat rack in June last year and decided to give it a serious try. By the end of the first 12weeks I was lifting heavier than I ever had.

I normally get to a certain point then stop, this time I'm determined to get into new ground and keep going.

Phil

[Narc]

Was gonna say, i was weak as a kitten when i first started, as in could barely ohp the weight of an oly bar, let alone over 40k.
Anyway, good luck, stick with it..............

[Rogue_zero]

thats some nice lifting there when you consider weight vs bodyweight ratio. Nice one

[bunnyluva]

Thankyou, shame i'm still skinny tho lol

[bunnyluva]

Trained back today, just getting back into deadlifts.

deadlift 5*40, 5*50, 5*60, 5*65, 6*70
pullups (palms up) 7 reps, then 4 reps bodyweight only

ez curls 8*20kg, 5*20kg. (20kg of weight on a solid ez bar, not sure of weight of bar so i just note the weight of plates)

Bit fed up today, I designed some graphics for a local firm who then took my design to a competitor and had them put the design on the van instead of using me.

I've had a shitty problematic week, still, nice to on the old routine and to see I haven't lost as much strength as I thought i'd lose over the Xmas break.

Phil

[bunnyluva]

Great session today, had some extra energy so I did a few extra sets.

Military press 5*30, 5*32.5, 5*35, 5*37.5, 6*42.5, 6*37.5, 5*35, 5*30

Bench 5*30, 5*40, 5*45, 5*50, 5*57.5, 6*50

CG bench 5*35, 5*40, 5*45

Bold are the real hard sets. CG bench was down but I added extra shoulder and bench sets so it's understandable.

Good workout, I'm pleased.

Phil

[666]

Good workout - high volume!

[bunnyluva]

I wouldn't of thought that would have been classed as high volume, only a few bold worksets there.

Can't wait for the next few weeks to see how well i get on with this routine whilst trying to keep my cals down and drop an inch from my waist.

Im not counting cals but Ive cut right down on all sugary snacks which has brough me this far, now its changing to low fat dairy produce and some bike riding thrown in now the weather has improved a little.

Phil

[666]

You lifted no or only a bit more in those sets than you did in the first ones so I assumed they were all working. And 17 sets of about 5 reps for the same motion is reasonably high I think!

[bunnyluva]

Haven't trained much this week, missed weds squats so I just did them now.

5*50
5*60
5*65
5*70
5*72.5
2*75

Last work set 2*75, nice and strict, I could have gone for a third but thought i'd save my back for deads tomorrow (sat) or perhaps sunday.

Pleased with that specially since im restricintg cals.

Phil

[Robert]

Have you had an injury or something? I remember you on MT and trying to get you to squat 100 ages ago. You were doing 90x3x5 or something.

[bunnyluva]

Hi Rob

Yeah thats me :(

My MT journal is here...

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/BUNNYKILLA%27S_Progressive_5s/m_69432/tm.htm

on the 15th of Sep 04 i got

Heres todays squats. I just couldn't stick to 87.5 for 3 sets of 5, whilst it may have been better i wanted to go for the 5x90kg goal i've been working towards.

warm ups, 5x55, 5x65, 5x70, 3x77.5

followed by top sets of 5x90kg and another 5x90kg!

Bear in mind I worked up to this over four months and was on a very high cal diet.

Now i'm back working back up slowly on less cals (until the end of the summer).

My lack of progress in the 3*8 rep made me look back on MT, old training logs and I went back to the 5's (progressive 5's i call em).

Gimme a month or two on these and I'LL BE BACK lol.

Phil

[bunnyluva]

Not a great workout today, poor diet the last couple of days.

Military press 5*30, 5*35, 5*37.5, 5*40, 2*45, 5*40, 4*35

Bench Press 5*30, 5*40, 5*45, 5*50, 5*55, 1*60 that 60 felt bloody heavy, i was hoping to get 3 out of it lol

CG Bench 5*35*, 4*40, 5*47.5


Some restructuring of the warm-up is needed i think before the next session.

Phil

[Fred]

keep it up phil :028:

[bunnyluva]

keep it up phil :028:

Will do! <buff>

[bunnyluva]

Oops not much training this week.

Got some good squatting done today tho.

5*50, 5*60, 5*65, 5*70, 5*75, 2*72.5, 8*60 then 1*60 (I was beat)

short and sweet but a definate improvement last week which was 2*75.

Phil

[Robert]

How much do you weigh?

[bunnyluva]

bathroom scales say 58kg

[Robert]

:eek:

How tall are you?

[bunnyluva]

I'm 5'6", 30" ish waist pure ecto lol

Phil

[Robert]

LOL. Fair enough.

[bunnyluva]

Last year i did get upto 90kg squats (took me 4 months) my weight went up to 10st and i gained 3" of fat on my waist. But felt unfit as fk.

This year, same routine, cleaner diet, will post a review when I get to four months. Would be nice to keep the 30" waist tho.

Phil

[Rogue_zero]

Last year i did get upto 90kg squats (took me 4 months) my weight went up to 10st and i gained 3" of fat on my waist. But felt unfit as fk.

This year, same routine, cleaner diet, will post a review when I get to four months. Would be nice to keep the 30" waist tho.

Phil
Good luck my man, dont worry too much about the waist measurement, you can always drop it back once you hit the 90kg. If youve been there before you will probably make up to 90 quicker than 4 months. 30 inch is smaller than my thigh! A slightly thicker trunk might help stabalise you (im no expert mind!)

[bunnyluva]

Good luck my man, dont worry too much about the waist measurement, you can always drop it back once you hit the 90kg. If youve been there before you will probably make up to 90 quicker than 4 months. 30 inch is smaller than my thigh! A slightly thicker trunk might help stabalise you (im no expert mind!)

When I got to 33" waist I didn't really feel happy about it. Somewhere between 30" and 32" is ok for me. I want to keep down to 30" for the summer then eat a bit more after the summer and go for 100kg squats for reps, 32" waist is the highest i will go to tho.

Phil

[Rogue_zero]

youll be there in no time (100kg that is)

[Narc]

Try not to obsess about your waist man, mine used to be 27" but if i tried to keep it like that i'd never get anywhere, and remember there's a difference between fat and and thick abs/obliques/lowerback, plus if you're anything like me you can gain 2" just by the tummy swell from stuffing your face

[Robert]

Good post.

My brother is a skinny footballer. He has no obiliques/RA/errector mass at all. If he had my muscle mass and gained no bodyfat he would still increase his waist size by 2-4". I am a 32-34" waist depending on the day and how much bloat I am holding. Worry not.

[bunnyluva]

I do realise your waist increases as you grow and even throughout the day. But adding 3" to my waist and 2" to my chest and 14lbs in about 5 months is not really followiing my plan lol. (this happened last year during a traditional bulk)

My goals are to simply to look good with my shirt off in the summer, be fit and healthy. I want to add muscle but wouldn't consider myself a bodybuilder.

A gain of 3-4lbs of muscle per year for the next 3-5 years and I'd be looking really good for someone who's in their mid 30's.

Phil

[Robert]

If your scuplting your body, then your a bodybuilder.

[Narc]

A gain of 3-4lbs of muscle per year for the next 3-5 years and I'd be looking really good for someone who's in their mid 30's.

Don't make the mistake of aiming low just because there's less chance of failing, decide what you want and get it, if you fail learn from it

[bunnyluva]

It's not about aiming low, its about having a realistic idea of where i want to be in a few years time based on how much i want to put into it. I could sacrifice more of my free time, spend more time and money in the gym etc and become more hardcore and probably achieve more.

This is a hobby for me, to some it's an obsession and i respect that but i have other interests other than bodybuilding too.

Which brings me to the question im about to ask in the general forum.

Phil

[Narc]

Fair enough

[Knighty]

If it's mass you are after, see what's working, what's worked before and then adjust as necessary

Do you think your training and nutrition is going to provide you with your desired gains?

[bunnyluva]

Do you think your training and nutrition is going to provide you with your desired gains?

Er no. I should probably increase my rep range from 5. I will see how the 5 rep range goes for a few months, then make some changes if needed.

I'm half tempted to try something really bizarre, go back to the routine I started when I first started training. A full body three times a week but because I can now train with a lot more intensity than when I first started it'd probably kill me lol.

Something like

squats 1*12
bench 1*12
chins 1*12
sh press 1*12
cg bench 1*12
bi curls 1*12
abs 1*12

mon, wed and fri.

beginners train with a low intensity and make good gains on a routine like this, then after a while we think we're too advanced and change to a three day split and add more sets etc etc.

Phil

[Knighty]

Check out Chad Waterbury's writings on T-nation - that guy loves full body routines and many people on that site have used them to good effect

[bunnyluva]

I will go and have a look now cheers. I suppose it's all about finding what makes 'you' grow, no matter how odd it may seem to others.

So does 1 set of 12 reps three times per week produce more muscle growth than 5 sets once a week?

Thats the question :)

I might actually try it for the next 4 weeks and keep you all posted.

What have i got to lose? not a lot

Phil