Heres how it's supposed to work.


Bulk first, cut second ONLY WHEN YOU ARE NOT ALREADY OVER 15-20% BF. If you are at 20-25% BF, I highly recommend a cut first, followed up next year by a solid clean bulk, then another cut, etc.

for your cut, you want to follow a proper diet (please see last few pages...)

and for exercise, you are going to want to work out 6 days a week, 7th day is light cardio only.

do it like this:


40 total sets 14/13/13 - rep scheme should be working up in weight until failure, then back down until failure...no more than 12 seconds rest between sets, and no more than 1 minute rest between exercises.

mon-sat do 45 mins of cardio right AFTER training....total workout time is about 2 hours per day except sunday.

mon - chest/back/bis
tues - legs/shoulders/tris
weds - traps/abs/calves/forearms
thurs - chest/back/bis
fri - legs/shoulders/tris
sat - traps/abs/calves/forearms
sun - light cardio (1 hour)

beautiful deadlift form! I watched the video...will link people there when they ask me about deadlift proper form lol...no straps to boot!

seems like you are a natural puller...not a pusher...judging by your large bench to deadlift difference....which is fine, everyone has their own strong points.

I happen to be a pusher myself...although it was not always that way. In high school, my deadlift was far beyond my bench press...but now my pelvis and lower back can not accommodate as much pulling as I would like to...primarily because of the damage I sustained in the car wreck when I was 16.

anyway, good stuff - what's your bodyweight going into the comp?

Hey SKC figured I would stop by and ask for some advice..

My Stats:
138 lbs
5'11"
18 yo

Goal: Gain mass; Become as strong as possible... I'm not really looking too much into aesthetics, my dedication will show

Bench: 155 x 5
DL: 165 x 8
Squat: 155 x 8
(my upper body is dis proportioned to lower body)

For about 1 1/2 month i was doing Burns 5 day split (mistake because i was beginner) the routine did give me a good workout but i realized finally i needed to create a base for myself, so now i began on a simple full body workout m-w-f.

Squats
Bench Presses
Bent-Over Rows
Overhead Barbell Presses
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
Barbell Curls
Calf Raises

week 1 is 4x8, then progresses each week adding one more rep to each set until youre finally at 4x12 and then increase the weight 10%. On T-TR i run at a fast pace for 2 miles and do an ab routine (to be determined i suppose)

I got this off BBing.com

Anyway, what would a good diet be for someone who isnt looking to drop a whole lot of money at the grocery store?
Do you think the routine I selected is well rounded enough? I was thinking of adding weighted dips to the routine and something else for rear delts since it seems to be lacking such an exercise...

thanks, and I'm kinda wondering how to mix this into my daily activities, and how much and when to use whey protein with that too.

edit: So i have these 6 meals a day, every day?
edit: i also really like cereal, is there a way i could get a certain cereal ( of your reccomendation ) into the diet?

This post was edited by AcidAeon on Nov 16 2009 06:24pm

yes, these 6 meals every day...you can adjust certain things like replace any of the meats with turkey/tuna/eggs/lean beef/chicken/fish as you like. also whole grains are fine, sweet potatoes are great, etc.

as far as cereal goes...yes, you can eat it at breakfast...in place of oatmeal.


edit - but don't forget, oatmeal is much better unless you are eating 100% pure shredded wheat cereal with whole milk...then its pretty close. So stick to whole grain cereals....Kashi Shredded Wheat (island vanilla) is not only really good...but its healthy and has a ton of whole grains.

This post was edited by SKCRaynor on Nov 16 2009 11:34pm

that routine will be fine for your first 6 months...after that, come back to me for a more specialized bulking routine.

as far as foods go....heres the cheapest stuff and also the best:

complex carbs - oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain pasta, sweet potatoes (DIRT CHEAP, ALL OF IT)
lean protein - eggs (nothing cheaper than this..), tuna, chicken breast (either frozen or fresh), and lean ground beef if its on sale
protein shakes - cytosport cytogainer is the best for pure bulking, just order it online for the best price
good fats - olive oil (expensive but worth it), plain almonds (also expensive but worth it), avocados (not so bad in price).
veggies - pre-mixed salads, broccoli, green beans, kale greens, and spinach.
fruits - apples, bananas, and grapefruits/oranges

total weekly grocery prices:

1 large container oatmeal $1.50
2 lb brown rice $2
2 lb whole grain pasta $2
4 lbs chicken breast $9
8 cans tuna $5
2 lbs lean ground beef $5
2 doz eggs $2.50
1 gal whole milk $3.50
1 small bottle olive oil $4
1 lb almonds $5
2 whole avocados $4
2 bags salad $4
1 head of broccoli $1.50
1 large bag spinach $2
2 lbs bananas $1
4 apples $2
3 grapefruits/oranges $2

total grocery bill = $56 for an entire weeks worth of food...no eating out at all...this saves you a ton of money. If you ate $5 mcdonalds meals 6 times a day...you'd spend $30 / day on food...aka $210 / week. Buying food at the grocery store is not only cheaper...but way healthier obviously.

2.5 lbs cytogainer $25

Add in the cytogainer and you have $81 / week in total food items.

This is really as cheap as it gets....enjoy.

hey skc

do you have any experience or thoughts about supplementing with vitamin d?
as far as megadosing for weightlifting, not like normal amounts for w/e sedentary people may take it for

yes...it is hugely required...second only to vitamin C.

I would highly recommend the following:

1 hour of sunlight per day
vitamin D milk (if you drink milk approx 400 IU here)
multivitamins (approx 600 IU here)
Vit D supps (get at least 4,000 IU here)

ah thx
onemore if you don't mind. any particular brand you suggest or all the same/cheapest?

I used a little more back rather than legs but meh, thanks
I just like to be even, definitely don't want to bench more than I can squat/DL, I wanna be proportional.
Sorry to hear about the accident :/

I weighed 199.4, had to compete against the 220's because I was over but I still took 1st somehow.