I’ve been meaning to post my workout log and progress here for some time and decided I’ll just start now. I am in no way giving advice on exercising by posting my workout log. I am just logging what I do, the progress I’m making, and maybe some other things like what I’m eating. I think it’s important to stay active especially since my workday consists of sitting at a desk most of the day.
I started working out with a friend of mine a little after I graduated High School in 2006 and I’ve been addicted ever since. I was always really skinny and not very strong, although I’d try and one-up anyone who thought they were stronger than me. To get an idea of how small I actually was, I remember graduation year being huge for me because not only was I graduating, but I had also just surpassed 100 lbs in weight! I had worked out on-and-off from mid-2006 until 2008 and although I didn’t see much progress in terms of muscle growth, I became very comfortable in the gym environment, doing many different exercises, and learning to keep proper form when performing those exercises.
I continued working out on-and-off again from 2008 until November 2011. I had tried different things like modifying my workouts and modifying my diet, trying to figure out what worked best for me for the goals I had. That’s where I am today. I think I know my body well enough to know what kind of workouts work best for me and what I need to eat to gain muscle and get the results I want.
I’ve been consistently working out from November 2011 until August 2012 at which point I stopped temporarily for personal reasons. I went to the gym a few times from September till January but this month is the first month I’m back in full swing. I’m excited to be back into it and am working towards getting back to where I was last August and growing past that. Here are a couple progress pics I took a while ago. The first picture is from April 2010 and the second is from July 2012.
Here is my weekly workout routine. When I’m back into the habit of my daily routine, my day consists of waking up at 5:30am, getting to the gym by 6:00am, and working out till 7:00-7:30am before heading back home to continue my day. I only workout on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. My rest days are Wednesday, Sunday, and Saturday. In terms of diet I’ve been meaning to follow the Paleo diet by staying away from processed foods, gluten, and dairy. Although I’ve not been super strict, I have mostly moved in that direction.
Daily Warmup (3 rounds)
| Overhead Stick Dislocates | 8 Reps |
| Overhead Stick Squats | 15 Reps |
| Push-ups | 8 Reps |
| Back Extensions | 10 Reps |
| Samson Stretch | 30 Seconds |
Monday
| Squat | 5 Sets x 5 Reps |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 Sets x 8 Reps |
| Front Squat | 3 Sets x 10 Reps |
| Split Squat | 3 Sets x 8 Reps |
| Standing Calf Raises | 3 Sets x 8 Reps |
Tuesday
| Bench Press | 4 Sets x 6 Reps |
| Dips | 3 Sets x Max Reps |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench | 4 Sets x 8 Reps |
| Incline Flys | 3 Sets x 10 Reps |
| Knees to Elbows | 3 Sets x 10 Reps |
| Ab Wheel | 3 Sets x Max Reps |
Thursday
| Deadlift | 4 Sets x 2 Reps |
| Powerclean | 4 Sets x 3 Reps |
| Squat | 3 Sets x 20 Reps |
| Shrug | 2 Sets x 8 Reps |
| Dumbbell Row | 4 Sets x 8 Reps |
| Weighted Pull-ups | 5 Sets x 5 Reps |
Friday
| Push Press | 5 Sets x 3 Reps |
| Dumbbell Press | 3 Sets x 10 Reps |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 Sets x 12 Reps |
| Side Planks | 3 Sets x 1 Minute |
| Ab Wheel (from feet) | 3 Sets x Max Reps |
| Ab Wheel (from knees) | 1 Set x Max Reps |