My 12-Week Transition Workout And Diet!

Check out my 12-week transformation and diet. See the amazing before and after pics!


Changes Over A 12 Week Period

Phase 1: Weeks 1-4

Plan: My main concern the first 4 weeks was muscle gain. Fat lose was secondary. I concentrated on heavy explosive movements to build mass. I wanted to keep my reps in the 6-10 range, mostly 3 working sets per exercise and three 30 min. cardio sessions a week on the stepper or bike. I rested 2-3 minutes between sets. (Resting more than 3 minutes is counter productive)

Supplements: for the first 4 weeks

Diet: Mon- Fri & Sun (on Sat I eat anything I want)

10 a.m. Get up.

10:30 a.m. Meal 1:

  • 5 egg whites
  • 3 scrambled eggs
  • 1 bowl of shredded wheat
  • 1 glass of orange juice
  • 1 glass of water
  • 2 multivitamins

1 p.m. Meal 2:

  • 5 egg whites
  • 1 baked potato
  • 1 glass of apple juice
  • 1 glass of water
  • 1 serving Nitro-Tech

3 p.m. Meal 3:

  • 1 serving chicken breast
  • 1 serving yogurt
  • 1 glass of apple juice
  • 1 glass of water
  • 2 multivitamins

3:30 p.m. Workout:

  • 1 serving Cell-Tech
  • 3 l-Glutamine
  • 3 BCAAs

4:45 p.m.:

  • Cell-Tech
  • Nitro-Tech
  • 3 l-Glutamine
  • 3 BCAAs

5 p.m.Cardio (30 minutes)

5:30 p.m. Meal 4:

  • 12" subway chicken breast sub
  • 1 glass of lemon aid

6:00-9:30 p.m. Class

Break at 8 p.m. Meal 5:

  • 1 bowl of beef rice mixed with 1 chicken breast and 3 egg whites
  • 1 glass of water
  • 2 multivitamins

11 p.m. Meal 6:

  • 1 can of tuna
  • 1 glass of water
  • 1 serving Nitro-Tech

12:30 a.m. Z-Mass PM

1 a.m. Bedtime

Training split

  • Monday: Chest, Myoplex (cardio 30 minutes)
  • Tuesday: Legs, calves, abs
  • Wednesday: Back, biceps (cardio 30 minutes)
  • Thursday: Shoulders, traps (cardio 30 minutes)
  • Friday: Rest
  • Saturday: Repeat

Workout

Chest: warm-up

  • Bench press: 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Incline press: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Decline press: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Pec-dec: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12

Legs:

  • Squats: 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Leg press: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Romanian deadlifts: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Leg extensions: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10
  • Leg curl: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10

Back:

  • Pull-ups: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10
  • Deadlifts: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Barbell rows: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Seated rows: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10

Shoulders:

  • Smith machine behind-back press: 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Side lateral raises: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Front lateral raises: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Reverse pec-dec: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12

Triceps:

  • Skullcrushers: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • French press: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Triceps push-downs: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10

Biceps:

  • Barbell curls: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Hammer curls:1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Concentration curls: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12

Traps:

  • Barbell shrugs: 1/15, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6

Calves:

  • Leg press calf raises: 1/100 (taking short breaks after failure) Or seated calf raises. Or standing calf raises.

Abs:

  • Roman chair: 1/15, 1/15, 1/15. Or hanging knee raises
  • Wheel: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12
  • Crunches: 1/25, 1/25, 1/25

Phase 2: 4-8 weeks

Plan: My main concern between 4-8 weeks was both muscle gain and fat loss. I added Hydroxycut at this point to aid in the fat loss process. I still was concerned with lifting heavy weights, but tried to slow it down a bit to get a burn in the target muscle. I added an extra exercise, extra set, and even some super sets. I decreased my rest periods to 1-2 minutes to up the intensity a bit. At this point I pretty much doubled my cardio time to 2 sessions a day of 25 minutes.

Supplements: For the next 4 weeks

  • Multivitamins
  • Nitro-Tech
  • Cell-Tech
  • L-Glutamine
  • BCAA's
  • Z-Mass-PM
  • *Hydroxycut

Diet: Mon, Wed, Fri (on sat I eat anything I want)

7 a.m. Get up.

  • 4 Hydroxycut

7:30 a.m. Meal 1:

  • 1 serving oatmeal
  • 1 banana
  • 2 egg white omelets
  • 1 orange
  • 1 glass of milk
  • 1 glass of water
  • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
  • 2 multivitamins

8-9:50 a.m. Class

10-10:25 a.m. Cardio

10:45 a.m. Meal 2:

  • 1 soft taco with chicken/ lettuce/ salsa
  • 10 egg whites
  • 1 bowl of mixed vegetables
  • 1 orange
  • 1 glass of pineapple juice
  • 1 glass of water

12-12:50 p.m. Class

  • I take 4 Hydroxycut at 12:30

2 p.m. Meal 3

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 cereal bar
  • 1 glass of water
  • 2 multivitamins

3 p.m. Workout

  • 1 serving Cell-tech
  • 3 l-Glutamine
  • 3 BCAA's

4:15 p.m.

  • 1 serving Cell-tech
  • 1 serving Nitro-tech
  • 3 l-Glutamine
  • 3 BCAA's

4:30 p.m. Meal 4

  • 1 can of tuna
  • 1 apple
  • 1 glass of water

5:30 p.m.

  • 4 Hydroxycut

6 p.m. Meal 5

  • 10 egg whites
  • 1 serving of stir-fry with chicken and vegetables
  • 1 glass of grape juice
  • 1 glass of water
  • 2 multivitamins

6:30-7:30 p.m. Class

8-8:25 p.m. Cardio

9 p.m. Meal 6

  • 1 can tuna
  • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
  • 1 glass of water

10:30 p.m. Z-Mass PM

11 p.m. Bedtime

Diet: Tue, Thu, Sun

9 a.m. Get up.

  • 4 Hydroxycut

9:30 a.m. Meal 1:

  • 1 serving oatmeal
  • 1 banana
  • 2 egg white omelets
  • 1 orange
  • 1 glass of milk
  • 1 glass of water
  • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
  • 2 multivitamins

11-11:25 a.m. Cardio

12 p.m. Meal 2

  • 10 egg whites
  • 1 soft taco with chicken/ lettuce/ salsa
  • 1 glass of pineapple juice
  • 1 glass of water

2 p.m. Meal 3:

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 banana
  • 1 sweet potato
  • 1 glass of water

3 p.m. Workout

  • 1 serving Cell-tech
  • 3 L-glutamine
  • 3 BCAA's

4:15 p.m.

  • 1 serving Cell-tech
  • 1 serving Nitro-tech
  • 3 L-glutamine
  • 3 BCAA's

4:30 p.m. Meal 4:

  • 1 can of tuna
  • 1 apple
  • 1 glass of water

5:30 p.m.

  • 4 Hydroxycut

6 p.m. Meal 5

  • 10 egg whites
  • 1 serving Stir-Fry with chicken and vegetables
  • 1 glass of grape juice
  • 1 glass of water
  • 2 multivitamins

7-7:25 p.m.Cardio

8 p.m. Meal 6:

  • 1 can tuna
  • 1 glass of water
  • 1 serving Nitro-Tech

9:30 p.m.

  • Z-Mass PM

10 p.m. Bedtime

Training split

4-8 weeks (each cardio session is 25-30 minutes)

  • Monday: Chest, abs (cardio a.m., p.m.)
  • Tuesday: Legs (cardio a.m. only)
  • Wednesday: Shoulders, calves (cardio a.m., p.m.)
  • Thursday: Arms, abs (cardio a.m., p.m.)
  • Friday: Back, traps (cardio a.m., p.m.)
  • Saturday: Rest
  • Sunday: Arms, calves (cardio a.m., p.m.)

Workout: 4-8 weeks

Chest: warm-up

  • Bench press: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6 reps
  • Incline press: 1/12, 1/10,1/8, 1/6
  • Decline press: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Pec-dec/push-ups (superset): 1/12/20, 1/12/20, 1/12/20

Legs:

  • Squats: 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/10, 1/10, 1/10
  • Romanian deadlifts: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/12
  • Lunge: 1/10 1/10 1/10 1/10
  • Leg extensions/ leg curl (superset): 1/10/10, 1/10/10, 1/10/10, 1/10/10

Back:

  • Pull-ups: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10, 1/10
  • Deadlifts: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Barbell rows: 1/10, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Pull-downs/seated rows (superset): 1/10/10, 1/10/10, 1/10/10
  • Concentration back pulls: 1/16, 1/16, 1/16

Shoulders:

  • Behind-the-back press: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Dumbbell press: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8
  • Upright rows: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10
  • Side lateral Raises: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10
  • Front lat raises: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10
  • Reverse pec-dec: 1/15, 1/15, 1/15

Triceps:

  • Skull-crushers: 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • French press: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Push-down/triceps push-up (superset): 1/12/20, 1/12/20

Biceps:

  • Dumbbell curls: 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
  • Hammer curls: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6, 1/6
  • Preacher curls/ concentration curls (superset): 1/10/10, 1/10/10

Traps:

  • Dumbbell shrugs: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/12
  • Barbell shrugs: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/12

Calves:

  • Leg press calf raises: 1/100 (taking short breaks after failure) Or seated calf raises. Or standing calf raises.

Abs:

  • Hanging leg raises: 1/15, 1/15, 1/15, 1/15
  • Ab Wheel: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/12
  • Crunches: 1/25, 1/25, 1/25 or 8 min. abs and 4 sets of wheel

Phase 3: 8-11 weeks

Plan: My main concern at this point was fat loss and hanging on to the muscle I had built. I took out the Cell-tech, because I wanted to lose the extra water creatine makes you hold, and added a meal replacement to keep a steady supply of protein to my muscles. At this point my workout became high-paced with only 30 seconds to one min rest between sets. I also added another set or two to each exercise to up the volume again. I bumped my cardio up to 2 45-minute sessions per day (I lowered the intensity of the cardio to ensure I wasn't burning muscle).

Supplements: 8-11 weeks

  • Multivitamins
  • Nitro-Tech
  • L-glutamine
  • BCAA's
  • Z-Mass-PM
  • Hydroxycut
  • Myoplex Lite

Diet: Mon, Wed, Fri

7 a.m. Get up.

  • 4 Hydroxycut

7:30 a.m. Meal 1:

  • 1 serving oatmeal
  • 1 banana
  • 2 egg white omelets
  • 1 orange
  • 1 glass of water
  • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
  • 2 multivitamins

8-9:50 a.m. Class

10 a.m. Meal 2

  • 1 serving Myoplex Lite

10:15-11 a.m. Cardio

11:30 a.m. Meal 3:

  • 1 soft taco with chicken/ lettuce/ salsa
  • 10 egg whites
  • 1 bowl of mixed vegetables
  • 1 glass of water
  • 1 serving Nitro-Tech

12-12:50 p.m. Class

  • I take 4 Hydroxycut at 12:30

2 p.m. Meal 4:

  • 2 chicken breast
  • 1 glass of water
  • 2 multivitamins

3 p.m. Workout

  • 3 L-glutamine
  • 3 BCAA's

4:15 p.m.

  • 1 serving Nitro-tech
  • 3 L-glutamine
  • 3 BCAA's

4:30 p.m. Meal 5:

  • 1 can of tuna
  • 1 glass of grape juice
  • 1 glass of water

5:30 p.m.

  • 4 Hydroxycut

6 p.m. Meal 6:

  • 10 egg whites
  • 1 serving stir-fry with chicken and vegetables
  • 1 glass of water
  • 2 multivitamins
  • 1 servings Nitro-Tech

    • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Class

    8 p.m. Meal 7

    • 1 serving Myoplex Lite

    8:15 - 9:00 p.m. Cardio

    9:15 p.m. Meal 8

    • 1 can tuna
    • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
    • 1 glass of water

    10:30 p.m. Z-Mass PM

    11 p.m. Bedtime

    Diet: Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun

    9 a.m. Get up.

    • 4 Hydroxycut

    9:30 a.m. Meal 1:

    • 1 serving oatmeal
    • 1 banana
    • 2 egg white omelets
    • 1 glass of water
    • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
    • 2 multivitamins

    10:30-11:15 a.m. Cardio

    11:30 a.m. Meal 2:

    • 10 egg whites
    • 1 soft taco with chicken/ lettuce/ salsa
    • 1 glass of water

    1 p.m. Meal 3:

    • 2 chicken breast
    • 1 glass of water

    2:30 p.m. Meal 4

    • 1 serving Myoplex Lite

    3 p.m. Workout

    • 3 L-glutamine
    • 3 BCAA's

    4:15 p.m.

    • 1 serving Nitro-tech
    • 3 L-glutamine
    • 3 BCAA's

    4:30 p.m. Meal 5

    • 1 can of tuna
    • 1 glass of grape juice
    • 1 glass of water

    5:30 p.m.

    • 4 Hydroxycut

    6 p.m. Meal 6:

    • 10 egg whites
    • 1 serving stir-fry with chicken and vegetables
    • 1 glass of water
    • 2 multivitamins

    7-7:25 p.m. Cardio

    8 p.m. Meal 7

    • 1 serving Myoplex Lite
    • 1 glass of water
    • 1 serving Nitro-Tech

    9:30 p.m.

    • 1 serving Z-Mass PM

    10 p.m. Bedtime

    Training split

    8-11 week (2 cardio sessions 40-45 minutes every day except off day) (train abs every day except off day)

    • Monday: Back, biceps
    • Tuesday: Quads, calves
    • Wednesday: Chest, Myoplex
    • Thursday: Hamstrings, calves
    • Friday: Shoulders, traps
    • Saturday: Arms, calves (alternate biceps and triceps exercises)
    • Sunday: Rest

    Workout: 8-11 weeks

    Chest: warm-up

    • Decline press: 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
    • Smith Machine Bench press: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
    • Dumbbell incline press: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
    • Push-ups/ pec-dec/ Machine Bench press: 1/30/12/10, 1/30/12/10, 1/30/12/10

    Quads:

    • Leg extensions: 6/20
    • Smith machine squats: 6/12
    • Sissy squats: 1/failure, 1/failure, 1/failure
    • Adductor machine: 1/25, 1/25, 1/25
    • Abductor machine: 1/25, 1/25, 1/25

    Hamstrings:

    • Leg curls/concentration leg curls: 6/10/10
    • Romanian deadlifts: 6/12
    • Back extension: 1/failure, 1/failure, 1/failure
    • Adductor machine: 1/25, 1/25, 1/25
    • Abductor machine: 1/25, 1/25, 1/25

    Back:

    • Pull-ups: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10, 1/10
    • Barbell rows: 1/12, 1/10, 1/10, 1/8
    • Wide-grip machine rows/ seated rows/ behind back pull-downs: 3/10/10/10
    • Cable concentration back pulls: 1/16, 1/16, 1/16
    • Pull-overs: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/12

    Shoulders:

    • Behind the back press: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
    • Upright rows: 1/10, 1/10, 1/10
    • Side lateral Raises/bent-over lateral raises (superset): 3/12/12
    • Front lateral Raises/reverse pec-dec (superset): 3/12/12

    Triceps:

    • Skull-crushers: 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6 (on "arm" day superset with close-grip press to failure)
    • French press: 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6
    • Push-down/ triceps push-up (superset): 1/12/20, 1/12/20

    Biceps:

    • Dumbbell curls: 1/12, 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6 (on "arm" day substitute 3 sets of 21's or buddies)
    • Hammer curls: 1/10, 1/8, 1/6, 1/6
    • Preacher curls/concentration curls (superset): 1/10/10, 1/10/10

    Traps:

    • Dumbbell shrugs: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/12
    • Barbell shrugs: 1/12, 1/12, 1/12, 1/12

    Calves:

    • Leg press calf raises: 1/100 (taking short breaks after failure) Or seated calf rises. Or standing calf raises.

    Abs:

    • Only 8 min abs

    Phase 4: final week

    Plan: Days 1-5 or final week (no more weight training). The goal for the final week was fat loss, and water loss. This final week I will let my body go into ketosis (the state in which your body uses protein for energy and not carbs). I tried to eliminate all carbs from my diet for 5 days. I bumped my cardio up to 3 45-minute cardio sessions a day (I keep the intensity really low to protect my muscle from being burned off). I also cut out the meal replacement and relied more on my whey protein since it didn't have carbs. I made sure I was getting a meal in every hour or so. To insure I could eat every hour, I added the Atkins advantage bar to my supplement list along with a water pill to help lose water.

    Supplements: final week

    • Multivitamins
    • Nitro-Tech
    • L-glutamine
    • BCAA's
    • Z-Mass-PM
    • Hydroxycut
    • Atkins advantage bar
    • Optibolic water pill

    Diet: Fri-Tue (kept it the same even on days I didn't have class)

    7 a.m. Get up.

    • 4 Hydroxycut

    7:30 a.m. Meal 1:

    • 3 egg white omelets
    • 1 glass of water
    • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
    • 2 multivitamins
    • 1 water pill

    8-9:50 a.m. Class

    10-10:45 a.m. Cardio

    • Nitro-tech (during cardio)
    • 2 L-glutamine
    • 2 BCAA's (after cardio)

    11 a.m. Meal 3:

    • 10 egg whites
    • 1 bowl of mixed vegetables
    • 1 glass of water
    • 1 water pill

    11:55 a.m.

    • 1 serving Nitro-Tech

    12-12:50 p.m. Class

    • Take 4 Hydroxycut at 12:30

    12:55 p.m.

    • 1 Atkins bar

    2 p.m. Meal 4:

    • 1 chicken breast
    • 1 glass of water
    • 2 multivitamins
    • 1 water pill

    3 p.m.-3:45 Cardio

    • Nitro-tech (during cardio)
    • 2 L-glutamine
    • 2 BCAA's (after cardio)

    4 p.m. Meal 5:

    • 1 can of tuna
    • 1 glass of water
    • 1 water pill

    4:30 p.m.

    • 4 Hydroxycut

    5 p.m. Meal 6:

    • 10 egg whites
    • 1 glass of water
    • 2 multivitamins
    • 1 water pill

    6 p.m. Nitro-Tech

    6:30-7:30 p.m. Class

    • Atkins bar at 7:00

    7:45- 8:30 p.m. Cardio

    • Nitro-tech (during cardio)
    • 2 L-glutamine
    • 2 BCAA's (after cardio)

    9 p.m.

    • 1 chicken breast
    • 1 glass of water
    • 1 water pill

    10 p.m.

    • Z-Mass PM

    10:30 p.m.Bedtime

    Plan: Days 6-7 (no more cardio). For these 2 last days I started carbing back up. This made my muscles much full, and my skin much tighter. I also started cutting back my water, cutting it in half each of the 2 days. Since I was carbing back up I didn't need to eat as many meals, and I cut out the Atkins bar.

    Supplements: Days 6-7

    • Multivitamins
    • Nitro-Tech
    • L-glutamine
    • BCAA's
    • Z-Mass-PM
    • Hydroxycut
    • Optibolic water pill

    Diet: Day 6

    7 a.m. Get up.

    • 4 Hydroxycut

    7:30 a.m.Meal 1:

    • 1 serving oatmeal
    • 1 banana
    • 2 egg white omelets
    • half glass of water
    • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
    • 2 multivitamins
    • 1 water pill

    8-9:50 a.m. Class

    10:45 a.m. Meal 2:

    • 1 soft taco with chicken/ lettuce/ salsa
    • 10 egg whites
    • 1 bowl of mixed vegetables
    • 1 orange
    • half glass of water
    • 1 water pill

    12-12:50 p.m. Class

    • Take 4 Hydroxycut at 12:30

    2 p.m. Meal 3

    • 2 chicken breast
    • 1 cereal bar
    • half glass of water
    • 2 multivitamins
    • 1 water pill

    4:30 p.m. Meal 4

    • 1 can of tuna
    • half glass of water
    • 1 water pill

    5:30 p.m.

    • 4 Hydroxycut

    6 p.m. Meal 5:

    • 10 egg whites
    • 1 serving stir-fry with chicken and vegetables
    • half glass of water
    • 2 multivitamins
    • 1 water pill

    6:30-7:30 p.m. Class

    9 p.m. Meal 6

    • 1 can tuna
    • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
    • half glass of water
    • 1 water pill

    10:30 p.m. Z-Mass PM

    11 p.m. Bedtime

    Diet: Day 8

    9:00 Get up.

    • 4 Hydroxycut

    9:30 a.m. Meal 1:

    • 1 serving oatmeal
    • 1 banana
    • 2 egg white omelets
    • 1 orange
    • half glass of water
    • 1 serving Nitro-Tech
    • 2 multivitamins
    • 1 water pill

    12 p.m. Meal 2:

    • 8 egg whites
    • 1 bowl of pasta
    • 1 soft taco with chicken/ lettuce/ salsa
    • half glass of water
    • 1 water pill

    2 p.m. Meal 3:

    • 2 chicken breast
    • 1 banana
    • 1 sweet potato
    • half glass water
    • 1 water pill

    4:30 p.m. Meal 4:

    • 1 can of tuna
    • 1 sweet potato

    5:30 p.m.

    • 4 Hydroxycut

    6 p.m. Meal 5

    • 10 egg whites
    • 1 sweet potato
    • half glass of water
    • 2 multivitamins
    • 1 water pill

    8 p.m. Meal 6

    • 1 can tuna
    • 1 serving Nitro-Tech

    10 p.m. Bedtime

    Judgment day: Picture day

    Diet

    8 a.m. Get up.

    8:30 a.m. Meal 1

    • 1 bowl of oatmeal
    • 1 bowl of cream of wheat
    • 1 muffin

    10 a.m.

    • As much strawberry preserves I could eat up until 10:45

    10:45 a.m. Pump up

    11 a.m. Pictures

    12 p.m. Heaven

    • Chinese Buffet

    About The Author

    Charlie Poole

    Charlie Poole

    Check out my 12 week transformation and diet. See the amazing before and after pics! EAS Challenge contender.

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