Ahhh... Finally my exams are over and I'm able to train and diet. Previously, I spent my last two semesters cutting for contests, which prevented me from really bulking up.
So here's my bulking plan for this December. Feel free to use it as your own bulking plan, but tweak it to fit your body and schedule better (remember, listen to your own body).
Remember this rusty and old mass gain plan I've created earlier this year? Click here. Well, if you've been following that programme, here's a more intense and advanced version.
First, let's start of by gauging my current conditions first.
Current stats:
Weight: 76kg
Chest: 40.5"
Waist: 32.25"
Arms: 15"
Thighs: 23.5"
Sigh. This is the first time my waist measured more than 32 inches! Feel so fat. Exams have taken quite a toll on my body. And fyi, I did not train at all during my exams period and my diet was horrible. Sigh.
Before Photos
Goal Statement: Maintain a 31" waist and gain a total of at least 3" for arms, chest and thighs measurements. Plus, have a defined set of abs and be photoshoot-ready.
Deadline: 15 Jan 2010
As you can see here, the photoshoots that I plan to have in January is a driving factor for me to really train hard, or else I'll be producing horrible photos which are not worth displaying on Fabodylous. So what's your motivating factor for your goals?
Workout Plan
Workout 1 -Chest and Biceps
Barbell Bench Press - 1 warm-up set, 4 working sets (drop set for last set)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 WS (drop set)
Parallel Dips - 3 WS
Pec Deck Flys - 7 WS (FST-7 style)
EZ Bar Curls - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls - 3 WS
Concentration Curls - 3 WS (forced reps)
Workout 2 - Back and Triceps
Underhand Barbell Rows - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
Deadlifts - 1 WU, 3 WS
Superset: Wide Grip Chins & Lat Pulldowns - 3 WS
Close-Grip Chin Ups - 3WS
Seated Triceps Extensions - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
Triceps Kickbacks - 3 WS
Triceps Pressdowns - 3 WS
Workout 3 - Shoulders & Abs
Seated Dumbbell Press - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
Upright Rows - 4 WS (drop)
Dumbbell Side Laterals - 3 WS
Barbell Shrugs - 3 WS
Leg Tucks - 2 WS
Hanging Reverse Crunches - 2 WS
Twisting Incline Crunches - 2 WS
Cable Crunches - 2 WS
Bicycle - 2 WS
Jack Knife - 2 WS
Workout 4 - Legs & Abs
Leg Press - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
Lunges - 3 WS (drop)
Leg Extensions - 3 WS
Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 1 WU, 4 WS
Standing Leg Curls - 3 WS
Barbell Twist - 1 WS
Side Bends - 2 WS
Workout Schedule
Day 1 - Chest & Biceps
Day 2 - Back & Triceps
Day 3 - Light Cardio
Day 4 - Shoulders & Abs
Day 5 - Legs & Abs
Day 6 - Rest
I'm going to give this workout plan a try and depending on how I feel, I might tweak it here and there by removing exercises which I feel don't train my muscle effectively. You should tweak your workouts too if you don't feel certain exercises the way they should.
As for rep range, I plan to use something different from my usual medium range (8-12 reps). Instead of that, I'll use 5-8 reps and gauge how my body responses to the different stimulus. First time trainers, I would not recommend that you follow this routine right away. Instead, try this one > Beginner's Workout Routine.
Next, diet.
I'm aiming for 3200 calories a day, as clean as possible (but with allowance to enjoy the blessings of life). Protein consumption per day, 250g along with 300g of carbs and 110g of fat. This calorie intake is sort of a low-medium range for someone around my weight who is bulking. I don't like to consume mega calories (4k-8k kcal) because being natural, it's obvious that most of the food will not be converted into lean mass but fat instead. If you noticed a little more variety in my (still boring) diet, that's because I'll be spending December back home at Kuala Lumpur instead at my university's hostel in Singapore. Thus, I'll have my dear grandma to cook for me and a kitchen full of appliances to store and cook more food.
Meal One - 1 large apple and 8 egg whites and 1 yolk (32g protein, 30g carbs, 5g fat)
Meal Two - 1 can of tuna with olive oil and a bowl of rice (30g protein, 50g carbs, 10g fat)
Meal Three - 1 can of tuna with olive oil, veggies, rice (30g protein, 55g carbs, 10g fat)
Meal Four - 200g beef cooked with olive oil, 60g oatmeal (50g protein, 40g carbs, 30g fat)
Meal Five - Whatever grandma cooks for dinner, hopefully with lots of meat
Pre-workout - Magnum A-Bomb
Intra-workout - Scivation Xtend (10g protein)
Post-workout - Magnum Quattro, Glucose and creatine monohydrate mix (40g protein, 50g carbs)
Meal Six - 200g beef cooked with olive oil, 60g oatmeal (50g protein, 40g carbs, 30g fat)
And finally...
Supplements.
I'm using pretty much the same supplements as I've listed in this post - click here.
Controlled Labs Blue Up
This is my first experience with a natural testosterone booster. Not sure if my still-hormonally raging 20 year old body needs it, but we'll find out soon!
Nutrifirst Acai Berry
Two things you should know about acai berries. Firstly, they are pronounced ah-sigh-ee berries.
Secondly, if you've received those emails about acai berries being miracle weight loss supplements (and perhaps something about Oprah Winfrey too), those are scams. Acai berries do not help in weight loss directly. However, they are powerful antioxidants which help reduce the wear and tear of the body caused by free radicals. A friend of mine started taking this supplement and said that he feels so much more energetic after that. Plus, my diet has always been low in veggies. So why not give it a try?
All the supplements listed above could be purchased from Nutrifirst.net and be delivered to your place for free if you're in Singapore!
Clean Bulking Tips & Other Stuff
1. I bet most of you will find it troublesome to have to weigh your food everytime before you cook them. I think so too (and I always feel lazy when it's time to cook). So I choose foods which can be counted and don't require weighing such as eggs, apples, cans of tuna and bowls of rice. As for oatmeal, I use the scoop that comes with protein powders and just consume 2 1/4 scoops of oatmeal for each meal. For beef, there's no choice but the weigh it (if you do know how to get around this hassle, share your idea with us in the comments section!).
2. Beef is king! I've mentioned this in my first mass gaining programme, but if some of you have not read it, beef builds muscle - FAST! It provides the body with a time-released protein source and contains creatine too! And yes, it makes a BIG difference.
3. Keep details. Measure your body parts fortnightly or monthly, keep a training log, write your diet plan on an A4 size paper and paste it up on your wall. It's proven by research and common sense that the more details you keep, the faster your progress will be.
4. Make it your lifestyle. Sign up for a gym membership if you have not, buy supplements, write your diet plan on a paper and paste in front of your usual work desk, stock up your fridge with diet food, make friends in the gym. Why do all this? Because when you get yourself so deep into something, it's hard to get out of it. This is to prevent yourself from joining the wanted-to-build-muscle-but-never-did-it club, which is a very big and popular club.
5. The majority of your workouts should consist of free weights exercises, which involve more muscle fibres and therefore, build muscle faster than machines, which usually involve movements along a single plane which reduces muscle recruitment.
6. Everything works, but not forever. Your body is an adaptive organism. So change things up every month or so. You have many parameters to play around with - volume, rep range, exercise choice, intensity techniques, etc. For me, I'm experimenting with a lower rep range.
6. Subscribe to Fabodylous to keep yourself updated with muscle building tips and articles, along with events so you could take part of and make looking good your lifestyle. Click here.
Got enough bulk? Click here for Fabodylous' How to Lose Weight Fast guide!
Train hard!
Click here to discuss this on the net's most interactive forum!
So here's my bulking plan for this December. Feel free to use it as your own bulking plan, but tweak it to fit your body and schedule better (remember, listen to your own body).
Remember this rusty and old mass gain plan I've created earlier this year? Click here. Well, if you've been following that programme, here's a more intense and advanced version.
First, let's start of by gauging my current conditions first.
Current stats:
Weight: 76kg
Chest: 40.5"
Waist: 32.25"
Arms: 15"
Thighs: 23.5"
Sigh. This is the first time my waist measured more than 32 inches! Feel so fat. Exams have taken quite a toll on my body. And fyi, I did not train at all during my exams period and my diet was horrible. Sigh.
Before Photos
Goal Statement: Maintain a 31" waist and gain a total of at least 3" for arms, chest and thighs measurements. Plus, have a defined set of abs and be photoshoot-ready.
Deadline: 15 Jan 2010
As you can see here, the photoshoots that I plan to have in January is a driving factor for me to really train hard, or else I'll be producing horrible photos which are not worth displaying on Fabodylous. So what's your motivating factor for your goals?
Workout Plan
Workout 1 -Chest and Biceps
Barbell Bench Press - 1 warm-up set, 4 working sets (drop set for last set)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 WS (drop set)
Parallel Dips - 3 WS
Pec Deck Flys - 7 WS (FST-7 style)
EZ Bar Curls - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls - 3 WS
Concentration Curls - 3 WS (forced reps)
Workout 2 - Back and Triceps
Underhand Barbell Rows - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
Deadlifts - 1 WU, 3 WS
Superset: Wide Grip Chins & Lat Pulldowns - 3 WS
Close-Grip Chin Ups - 3WS
Seated Triceps Extensions - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
Triceps Kickbacks - 3 WS
Triceps Pressdowns - 3 WS
Workout 3 - Shoulders & Abs
Seated Dumbbell Press - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
Upright Rows - 4 WS (drop)
Dumbbell Side Laterals - 3 WS
Barbell Shrugs - 3 WS
Leg Tucks - 2 WS
Hanging Reverse Crunches - 2 WS
Twisting Incline Crunches - 2 WS
Cable Crunches - 2 WS
Bicycle - 2 WS
Jack Knife - 2 WS
Workout 4 - Legs & Abs
Leg Press - 1 WU, 4 WS (drop set)
Lunges - 3 WS (drop)
Leg Extensions - 3 WS
Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 1 WU, 4 WS
Standing Leg Curls - 3 WS
Barbell Twist - 1 WS
Side Bends - 2 WS
Workout Schedule
Day 1 - Chest & Biceps
Day 2 - Back & Triceps
Day 3 - Light Cardio
Day 4 - Shoulders & Abs
Day 5 - Legs & Abs
Day 6 - Rest
I'm going to give this workout plan a try and depending on how I feel, I might tweak it here and there by removing exercises which I feel don't train my muscle effectively. You should tweak your workouts too if you don't feel certain exercises the way they should.
As for rep range, I plan to use something different from my usual medium range (8-12 reps). Instead of that, I'll use 5-8 reps and gauge how my body responses to the different stimulus. First time trainers, I would not recommend that you follow this routine right away. Instead, try this one > Beginner's Workout Routine.
Next, diet.
I'm aiming for 3200 calories a day, as clean as possible (but with allowance to enjoy the blessings of life). Protein consumption per day, 250g along with 300g of carbs and 110g of fat. This calorie intake is sort of a low-medium range for someone around my weight who is bulking. I don't like to consume mega calories (4k-8k kcal) because being natural, it's obvious that most of the food will not be converted into lean mass but fat instead. If you noticed a little more variety in my (still boring) diet, that's because I'll be spending December back home at Kuala Lumpur instead at my university's hostel in Singapore. Thus, I'll have my dear grandma to cook for me and a kitchen full of appliances to store and cook more food.
Meal One - 1 large apple and 8 egg whites and 1 yolk (32g protein, 30g carbs, 5g fat)
Meal Two - 1 can of tuna with olive oil and a bowl of rice (30g protein, 50g carbs, 10g fat)
Meal Three - 1 can of tuna with olive oil, veggies, rice (30g protein, 55g carbs, 10g fat)
Meal Four - 200g beef cooked with olive oil, 60g oatmeal (50g protein, 40g carbs, 30g fat)
Meal Five - Whatever grandma cooks for dinner, hopefully with lots of meat
Pre-workout - Magnum A-Bomb
Intra-workout - Scivation Xtend (10g protein)
Post-workout - Magnum Quattro, Glucose and creatine monohydrate mix (40g protein, 50g carbs)
Meal Six - 200g beef cooked with olive oil, 60g oatmeal (50g protein, 40g carbs, 30g fat)
And finally...
Supplements.
I'm using pretty much the same supplements as I've listed in this post - click here.
Controlled Labs Blue Up
This is my first experience with a natural testosterone booster. Not sure if my still-hormonally raging 20 year old body needs it, but we'll find out soon!
Nutrifirst Acai Berry
Two things you should know about acai berries. Firstly, they are pronounced ah-sigh-ee berries.
Secondly, if you've received those emails about acai berries being miracle weight loss supplements (and perhaps something about Oprah Winfrey too), those are scams. Acai berries do not help in weight loss directly. However, they are powerful antioxidants which help reduce the wear and tear of the body caused by free radicals. A friend of mine started taking this supplement and said that he feels so much more energetic after that. Plus, my diet has always been low in veggies. So why not give it a try?
All the supplements listed above could be purchased from Nutrifirst.net and be delivered to your place for free if you're in Singapore!
Clean Bulking Tips & Other Stuff
1. I bet most of you will find it troublesome to have to weigh your food everytime before you cook them. I think so too (and I always feel lazy when it's time to cook). So I choose foods which can be counted and don't require weighing such as eggs, apples, cans of tuna and bowls of rice. As for oatmeal, I use the scoop that comes with protein powders and just consume 2 1/4 scoops of oatmeal for each meal. For beef, there's no choice but the weigh it (if you do know how to get around this hassle, share your idea with us in the comments section!).
2. Beef is king! I've mentioned this in my first mass gaining programme, but if some of you have not read it, beef builds muscle - FAST! It provides the body with a time-released protein source and contains creatine too! And yes, it makes a BIG difference.
3. Keep details. Measure your body parts fortnightly or monthly, keep a training log, write your diet plan on an A4 size paper and paste it up on your wall. It's proven by research and common sense that the more details you keep, the faster your progress will be.
4. Make it your lifestyle. Sign up for a gym membership if you have not, buy supplements, write your diet plan on a paper and paste in front of your usual work desk, stock up your fridge with diet food, make friends in the gym. Why do all this? Because when you get yourself so deep into something, it's hard to get out of it. This is to prevent yourself from joining the wanted-to-build-muscle-but-never-did-it club, which is a very big and popular club.
5. The majority of your workouts should consist of free weights exercises, which involve more muscle fibres and therefore, build muscle faster than machines, which usually involve movements along a single plane which reduces muscle recruitment.
6. Everything works, but not forever. Your body is an adaptive organism. So change things up every month or so. You have many parameters to play around with - volume, rep range, exercise choice, intensity techniques, etc. For me, I'm experimenting with a lower rep range.
6. Subscribe to Fabodylous to keep yourself updated with muscle building tips and articles, along with events so you could take part of and make looking good your lifestyle. Click here.
Got enough bulk? Click here for Fabodylous' How to Lose Weight Fast guide!
Train hard!
Click here to discuss this on the net's most interactive forum!
