Dave's VIF Mass Building Routine

Link to the routine: Dave's Volume, Intensity & Frequency Mass Building Routine 

Recently, I started a new routine; The Power Muscle Burn or PMB, so I figured it best to write up my previous one while it's still fresh in my mind.

So straight to it - it's a mass building routine - how much weight did I put on?

20/08/2010        67.6kg

06/09/2010        68.1kg

11/09/2010        69.7kg

04/10/2010        69.1kg

07/10/2010        69.9kg

11/10/2010        70.7kg

15/10/2010        73.3kg

18/10/2010        72.5kg

24/10/2010        73.5kg

02/11/2010        74kg

07/10/2010        74.5kg

And now I'm hovering around the 75kg-75.5kg mark. That's an overall weight gain of 6.9kg, 15.2lbs or 1st1lbs in just 10 weeks (excluding 2 weeks where I was away in September). Very solid gains indeed. 

And for fun if we compare that to when I was at my lightest - 58kg - I have put on 17kg, 37.5lbs or nearly 2½ stone of solid muscle.

Measurements
But what about your measurements, George? Well I'm glad you asked. I've put 1" on either arm when relaxed, 1.5" on either bicep when tensed. And 0.5-0.75" on either tricep, also when tensed. I have also added just over 1" to my chest and over 1.5" to my quads. Overall, very pleased, though the expensive pair of jeans I bought recently are now preeeetttyy snug round the thighs.

Strength
And my strength? Here is a graph of the 'Big 3' (bench, squat & deadlift) and leg press over 8 weeks - I've yet to add weeks 9 & 10 but they all increase at an equally steady rate. All weights recorded are NOT my 1 Rep Max's (which are significantly higher) but weights I can lift for at least 3 sets of 6 repetitions.

All increasing. But numbers aside I'm feeling a lot stronger. Since that graph and the start of the new routine I have now bumped my squat up to 85kg for 4 sets of 5 repetitions and am well on my way to the 100kg milestone. My bench press is now over 60kg, Stiff Legged Deadlift is over 80kg and my leg press is over 250lbs/113kg. I also feel a lot more energetic, have a lot more confidence in myself both in the gym and outside of it, and am often complimented about 'filling out'. 

Fat Gain

Of course, as with most bulking routines there has been a degree of fat gain but keeping a fairly clean diet I have managed to keep those gains as minimal as possible. My bodyfat percentage has only gone up from 10% to around 13% or so, but I have subsequently lost ab definition. A 3-4 week 'cut' with some HIIT (high intensity interval training) and a calorie defecit will shed that, however, given my recent travel developments, I am tempted to continue my bulk for a few more weeks to gain more mass and then cut ready for the beaches in a couple of months.

Nutrition

For those interested in the nutritional side of things, I was aiming for 3497 calories a day, consisting of 150g of protein, 462g of carbohydrates and 116g of good fats, spread over 4-5 meals a day. Though typically I only ever manage around 3000-3200 calories a day before being too stuffed to eat anything else! 

I discovered how many calories I needed per day by working out my Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR (how many calories your body needs when not doing anything) and adding a calorie surplus to calculate my Total Daily Energy Expenditure or TDEE. The typical recommendation is to add 500 calories to your BMR. But everyone is different, so exercise caution here and add 10%. If you find that your not gaining 0.5 to 1lbs of body weight each week, then you can bump it up to 15%.

From those numbers you can then calculate your macronutrient or PCF (protein/carb/fat) ratio.

I rarely drink and I have cut most junk food out of my diet. I'll have the occassional biscuit or two but for those who knew me before, this is a vast improvement - I was a biscuit fiend. Not to mention chocolate... mmm chocolate. 

Supplements
I did a cycle of a Weight Gainer (which is pretty much equal parts protein and carbohydrates) and after that settled into standard Whey Protein - taken pre work-out, post work-out and in the evening before bed. I also took L-Glutamine for while to aid recovery and keep my immune system up but substituted that for a standard daily Multivitamin and Zinc if I felt under the weather. Recently I have also added BCAA's (branched chain amino acids) and Creatine Monohydrate to my supplement cycle to aid muscle growth and recovery.

Summary
This routine busted me through a plateau at the 66kg mark and put on a further 9kg on top of that. The workout changes every four weeks which keeps you interested and motivated but my favourite phase was certainly the first four weeks or 'volume' phase - the arm day was brutal! I loved it. 

The hardest part, as with any routine - bulking or cutting - was the nutrition. Getting my desired level of calories per day without eating bad or dirty foods was certainly a challenge. And I'm sure if I had managed a couple of hundred more calories per day I would've seen even better gains. However, I'm super pleased with how far I've come in just 10 weeks. I have recommended this routine to others and will certainly do so in the future. I don't doubt that I will probably come back to it myself at some point, too.

I'll update this log with pictures asap and do a few more comparisons for you.

Thanks,

G

You vs Them, You vs No, You vs Cant, You vs Excuses.

"Whether or not you win this thing, you've got to decide how you're going to walk out of here when it's all said and done. 'Cos the game is going to go on. And there's only one rule you're going to need to know about - there are no second chances. There is only this moment and the next moment. Every one of those moments is a test that you get to take one time and only one time.

So if you see an opening; tear into it. If you get a shot at victory make damn sure you take it. Seize that moment. That moment is a crossroads where everything you want will collide with everything standing in your way. You've got momentum at your back. Fear and doubt are thundering like a freight train straight at you. And all you got - the only difference between making history and being history - the only thing, the ONLY thing, you can count on at any given moment is you.

It's you vs them. It's you vs no. It's you vs can't. It's you vs next year, last year, statistics, excuses. It's you vs history. It's you vs the odds. It's you vs second place.

Clock is ticking - let's see what you got."

A little rambling on 'dreams'.

I find myself looking at people and wondering whether they are achieving the things they want to achieve or whether they are even taking steps in the right direction. 

In 50 years from now, will I look back on my life knowing that I’ve done what I wanted to do? Or will I get lost working a job I hate, just because I have bills to pay? Is that how a life should be lead? Born to scrape money together to pay bills? No. I don’t want to lose sight of what’s important to me; of the goals I want to accomplish and the dreams I want to realize. I hate the thought of a life spent just ‘getting by’ and just ‘making do’ with what I have.

I wonder how many people never even try to achieve their dreams as they don’t think it possible.  I wonder about the people who fantasised about becoming an astronaut or adventurer; a doctor or a vet; a fireman or a lawyer, but never even tried as they were told it was a pipe dream or a fantasy. Who are these people to stand in our way? To tell us that we’re no good? To put us down when they have no idea what we’re made of or what’s inside us – and that’s the stuff that matters; our passion, our drive, our commitment, our ambition.

Our lives should be spent constantly learning and striving to better ourselves and the world around us. Our lives should be spent doing what we love.

I know money is an issue. I know work is an issue. I know it’s more than easy to get ensnared in a dead-end job because it pays the rent or buys you the occasional luxury. But don’t lose sight of the things you held dear. It might take longer to achieve than you had wanted but don’t give up on it. You want to climb Mount Everest? Do it! Put a bit of money away a little at time. Take a climbing or survival class here or there. It might take years to come to fruition but none of that will matter once you’re stood on the summit at the very top of the world knowing you’ve achieved your dream.

Take your aspirations and form them into obsessions and don’t let them slip away. Come back to them from time to time and assess whether you’re closer to achieving them than you were the last time you checked. And little by little you will start to get the things out of your life that you had always wanted.

Workout Log - Back Progress

Just a quick log to show the progress of my back. Sadly I don't have any pictures from before when I was super underweight; I had no idea of the importance of a strong back then so didn't think to take any.

The first image is from just a few weeks ago (5-6?), so it's nice to see how far I've come in such a short amount of time. Second image taken today. Nice wallpaper, huh?

Certainly added a general 'thickness' and my lats have come along nicely too. I'm needing a bit more work on the mid/lower sections, but more definition will be visible after my cut/fat loss routine which I'll be starting in a couple of weeks.

And although not fully tensed in image one, you can see there's a good level of arm progression and overall arm thickness. That, combined with the lat development, I'll be packing quite the punch at this rate.

My back workout consists of mostly compound moves such as Pull Ups, Stiff Legged Deadlifts, Barbell Rows, Seated Cable Rows, Upright Rows, Lat Pull Downs and various presses.

To give you an idea of how I've progressed on this current routine, we'll use the Stiff Legged Deadlift  (AKA the Romanian Deadlift) as an example. It targets the hamstrings, glutes & lower back. For those who don't know what it is, it is as follows:

Stiff Legged Deadlift

Week 1: 40kg | 88lbs

Week 2: 50kg | 110lbs

Week 3: 60kg | 132lbs

Week 4: 60kg | 132lbs

Week 5: 65kg | 143lbs

Week 6: 67.5kg | 148lbs

Week 7: 70kg | 154lbs

Week 8: 72.5kg ! 159lbs

Week 9: 75kg | 165lbs | 11s7lbs

Although this specific variation of the deadlift targets largely the lower back, deadlifts (and all the variations thereof) are considered one of the 3 staple exercises for muscle building.

I have also seen the amount of pull ups I can do go through the roof.

I am confident that I am not only building muscle but injury proofing my back.

Oh and to finish, a nice 'hero' pose haha.

30 Things To Do Before I'm 30

A little different to your typical Bucket List (I'm working on one of those too) - this is a list of all the things I want to achieve before I'm 30 in just over 7 years.

Some are easy, some I've taken steps towards achieving already and others might be a stretch. But this list is a guideline to put me on the right track to getting what I want out of life.

I've actually been sat in a bit of a panicked state all evening fretting about how it's not actually a very long time at all in the grand scheme of things but it'll be alright.

I could actually think of  ten thousand things I want to do, especially when specifics are taken into account i.e. drink vodka in Russia or win money in Vegas. Or even when longer term goals are addressed i.e. tell her I love her everyday, change someones life or inspire others. But they all have their own place on other lists.

30 things to do before I’m 30
1.    Visit every continent (We’ll let you off for Antarctica... Maybe)
- Africa
- Antarctica
- Asia
- Australia
- Europe
- North America
- South America
2.    Visit 25 Countries (9 down - 16 to go)
- UK
- Ireland
- France
- Italy
- Norway
- Tunisia
- Portugal
- Spain
- Belgium
3.    Live alone
4.    Sky dive
5.    Complete sexual bucket list
6.    Plant a tree
7.    Get a tattoo
8.    Climb a mountain
9.    Fire a gun
10.    Fly in a helicopter
11.    Work a job I love
12.    Find a girl and fall in love again
13.    Get engaged (possibly married, definitely engaged)
14.    Run a marathon
15.    Study more martial arts
16.    Learn another / become more fluent in a foreign language
17.    Go to an NBA game, preferably the Hornets but not too fussy
18.    Visit the National Archives at Kew and expand my Family Tree
19.    Go on a driving experience (sports car, rally car, stunt driving, whatever)
20.    Be happy with my body
21.    See Pink Floyd live
22.    Write a book. Correction - finish - a book
23.    Achieve at least a little fame or recognition for something
24.    Own a designer, tailored suit
25.    Do something heroic
26.    Get laser eye surgery
27.    Spend New Years Eve somewhere amazing
28.    Grow a full-on beard
29.    Acquire a taste for coffee & frequent coffee houses.

Key
Strikethrough - Done
Italics - Working on it

As you can see I'm still one short and I'm unconvinced about some of them as pre-30 goals but it's a work in progress.

G x