Summer Of Mass III.

This weekend, I felt like crap! I felt tired, angry, and I had no appetite at all. I think because of not getting an efficient amount of calories, I was overtraining. I am going to take a week off, then get back into the game.

Well, things did not go quite as I planned. I will get into this later. In this article, you will understand the importance of food.

Week of 7-23-01
Monday
Decline Bench Press 215 X 6, 215 X 5
Decline Dumbbell Press 80 X 5, 80 X 4
Incline Dumbbell Press 70 X 4, 70 X 4
Dips 11, 9

Tuesday
Squats 240 X 6, 240 X 4, 240 X 4
Stiff Leg Deadlift 170 X 6, 175 X 6, 180 X 6
Leg Curl 120 X 4, 120 X 5
Leg Extension 200 X 6, 210 X 6
Ab work

Wednesday
Dumbbell Press 40 X 5, 40 X 6
Sitted Rear Lateral 20 X 6, 10 X 8, 10 X 12
Side Lateral 20 X 8, 20 X 8, 20 X 10
Lying Triceps Press 70 X 8, 70 X 6, 70 X 6
Triceps Rope Pressdown 70 X 8, 70 X 6
Triceps Pushdown 70 X 8, 70 X 7

Thursday
Hammer Curl 50 X 6, 50 X 4
Alt. Dumbbell Curl 50 X 4, 50 X 4
Barbell Curl 100 X 4, 100 X 4
Cross Body Hammer Curl 20 X 8
Forearm Curl (Front and Back) 115 X 12, 115 X 2
forearm rope 20 X 2
Standing Calf Raise 115 X 20, 115 X 20, 115 X 20
Seated Calf Raise 50 X 20, 50 X 15, 25 X 15

Friday
Wide Grip Pull Ups 10,6,6,6,4
Deadlift 265 X 6
Lat Pulldowns 150 X 6, 170 X 4
*170 was too heavy to get a good range of motion
V-bar row 170 X 6, 180 X 6
Bent Over Row 180 X 4
Ab Work

This week went very well. Next week is where it started going downhill.

Week of 7-30-01
Monday
Decline Bench Press 220 X 6, 220 X 4
Decline Dumbbell Press 80 X 6, 80 X 4
Incline Dumbbell Press 60 X 4, 60 X 6
Dips 12, 6

Tuesday
Squats 245 X 4, 245 X 4
Stiff Leg Deadlift 185 X 6, 185 X 6
Leg Curl 120 X 6, 120 X 6
Leg Extension 220 X 6, 220 X 6
Ab work

Wednesday
Dumbbell Press 50 X 4, 50 X 4
Seated Rear Lateral 20 X 6, 10 X 10, 10 X 10
Side Lateral 20 X 10, 30 X 8, 30 X 6
Lying Triceps Press 50 X 8, 50 X 8, 50 X 6
Triceps Rope Pressdown 70 X 8, 70 X 5
Triceps Pushdown 70 X 8, 70 X 6

Thursday
Hammer Curl 50 X 6, 50 X 4
Alt. Dumbbell Curl 40 X 6, 40 X 6
Barbell Curl 100 X 4
Cross Body Hammer Curl 30 X 6
Forearm Curl (Front and Back) 115 X 12, 115 X 12
forearm rope 20 X 2
Standing Calf Raise 115 X 20, 115 X 20, 115 X 20
Seated Calf Raise 25 X 20, 25 X 15, 25 X 15

Friday
Wide Grip Pull Ups 12,6,6,4,5
Lat Pulldowns 160 X 4, 160 X 4
V-bar row

I had hardly any energy and endurance this week. Why? Lack of food. My family was going through some hard times at the moment, so I was not able to eat what I normally eat. I did not get the 4,000 calories I planned on getting each day. It was not like I was starving, but I was not getting enough food for the kind of workouts I was going for. Let me get into what I did next week, then I'll go further into this.

I decided to change things up a bit because I the way I was feeling.

Monday
Dips 22
Bench 255 X 1, 205 X 8
Incline Bench 195 X 1, 155 X 9

Tuesday
Squat 300 X 1, 240 X 4
Standing Leg Curl (Each Leg) 70 X 1, 55 X 9
Barbell Row 195 X 1, 155 X 8
Pulldowns to Chest 150 X 1, 120 X 12

Thursday
Barbell Curl 115 X 1, 90 X 6
Preacher Curl 90 X 1, 70 X 7
Close Grip Bench 200 X 1, 165 X 8
Triceps Rope Pressdowns 100 X 1, 80 X 6

Friday
Chin ups 15
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 60 X 1, 50 X 4
1-arm Side Lateral 30 X 1, 25 X 8

My intent here was to have short, heavy, effective workouts. I knew I didn't have the mental focus to do my original plan. Back to food. This weekend, I felt like crap! I felt tired, angry, and I had no appetite at all. I think because of not getting an efficient amount of calories, I was overtraining. I am going to take a week off, then get back into the game. I'm sorry if this article sucks. I did not feel like writing about my dilemma, but I felt I needed to continue with this series. So, the moral of this story is, never underestimate the power of proper nutrition!

Supplement Review
AST's Creatine: This is a great product! This was my first time using creatine. I did not experience any side effects. No cramps or stomach bloating or anything like that. I would go with the micronized creatine over the HSC, if going with AST.

ATP Mass by Alternative Nutrition: The main thing I noticed while talking this supplement, was that I was allows able to eat at least 4,000 calories a day.

Ny-Tro Pro 40: Another good product, but I think it is nonessential. I would only recommend this if you need a good meal on the go or have money to blow. Out of the three flavors (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry), strawberry is the best tasting.

VP2: My favorite supplement! I mixes great, it tastes great, it is great. I give this a 10 out of 10.

What I have learned:
Do not be afraid to eat. Up until now, I have always been afraid to gain fat. This is the first time I have gone through a bulking cycle and not care about gaining fat. The maximize your gains, you have to eat. If you add a couple inches to your stomach, so what, you can work it off later.

What I gained:
Weight: 15 lbs.
Biceps: 1"
Chest: 1 1/2"
Thighs: 1"
Those are my main gains.

What's Next?
I will start decreasing my calories and doing cardio again. My plan is to lose to fat I gained while keeping the muscle I gained. I will bulk again in October. So look for my Fall/Winter of Mass articles.

Later
~Derek Charlebois~