My Training and Diet Journal

[LondonMuscle]

I'm really pressed for time rite now and I cant really provide a lot of explanation for my diet or training but here is my training log for the past 4 workouts... I am on a 4 day split and I train 5-6 days a week, so everything gets hit slightly more than once per week... also, for those of you that dont know from my previous thread, I tore my clavicle pec tendon just over 2 weeks ago so needless to say, the training had to be adjusted for that

also, this is the 4th stage of my diet training... the first 3 weeks was heavy loading/high volume, stage two was low volume/high intensity, stage 3 was chest/biceps specialization and my current stage is high density...

Back/Rear Delts/Abs
A. Chest Supported DB Rows, 4x8reps
B1. Cable Rows, 6x8reps
B2. Chins, 6x6reps
C1. Rope Pulldowns, 3x10reps
C2. Rear Laterals, 3x10
Abs- just choose 2-3 exercises done in a circuit fashion... 10-20 reps

Shoulders/Traps/Calves
A1. Side Laterals, 6x8
A2. Front Raises, 6x8
B. Arnold Press, 4x10
C1. Upright Rows, 4x10
C2. Haney Shrugs, 4x8
D. Calf Raises - 12 reps lower range, 12 upper, 12 lower = 1 set x 3 sets total

Chest/Bis/Tris/Abs
A1. Seated Machine Press, 8x8
A2. Incline Machine Press, 8x8
B. Pushups, 1xmax reps
C1. Rope Curls, 6x8
C2. Rope Pressdowns, 6x8
D1. BB Curls, 3x10
D2. Kneeling Rope Extensions (Gironda style)
E1. DB Curls, 3x6/arm
E2. Straight Bar Pressdowns, 2x12
Abs

Quads/Hams/Calves
A1. Squats, 5x6reps
A2. Stiff Legged Deads, 5x6reps
B1. Hack Squats, 5x6
B2. Leg Extensions, 5x6
C1. Walking Lunges, 3x6reps/leg
C2. Seated Calf Raises, 3x15reps


So thats basically it... training pretty different cuz of the injury and all... in the offseason im all about freeweights, dont use any machines at all



I will post my diet from yesterday, later on tonite, which was a 2000 cal day and mine from today which is a carb up day just to give you a view of what a typical diet day looks like for me

[Enanthanator]

LM, since you have been a hot topic lately I am going to make this a sticky if you are going to keep adding to it, I think we can all benefit from that.

[LargeMan]

Yes


Especially the diet section cant wait for that bro

[bigock]

bumping this up cmon LM dont keep us waiting, put those easter eggs down and start typing

[LondonMuscle]

ya sorry guys... just been having a rough time here... stated the depletion workouts yesterday and feeling pretty drained

as mentioned in previous posts, my diet uses and undulating approaches with the calories changing each day.... i go 2700, 2000, 1500, 2700, 2000, 1500, 2000, where the 2700 cal days are my high carb days

so heres a 2000 cal day from my log:

Meal 1:
16 egg whites
mushrooms
salsa
bean sprouts
spinach
1 scoo protein
=400 cals

Meal 2:
1 chicken breast
1 whole egg
8 egg whites
onion
celery
mushrooms
salsa
sprouts
1 scoop protein
=450 cals

Meal 3:
1 chicken breast
1 can tuna
mushroom
onion
spinach
1 whole eggs
1 scoop protein
=450 cals

Meal 4:
16 egg whites
salsa
spinach
=300 cals

Meal 5:
1 can tuna
3 whole eggs
spinach
=330

Total Cals = 1930



Carb Up Day

Meal 1:
4 whole eggs
mushrooms
spinach
=300 cals

Meal 2 (Post Workout):
1.5 cups oatmeal
1 cup berries
6 rice cakes
1 scoop protein
=1200 cals

Meal 3:
16 egg whites
onions
mushrooms
spinach
hot sauce
=300 cals

Meal 4:
4 whole eggs
spinach
garlic
=300 cals

Meal 5:
2 chicken breasts
2 whole eggs
spinach
= 360 cals

Meal 6:
16 egg whites
onions
spinach
300 cals

Total Cals = 2760

[LondonMuscle]

on a 1500 cal day, its the same basic foods and i just cut down the portion sizes a bit


during my workout i have 5tsp of greens+, 5tsp BCAAs, 2tsp creatine and 1tsp taurine

[LondonMuscle]

yesterdays 1st depletion workout:

Upper Body Pull

30-60 seconds rest btwn compound sets:

A1. Cable Rows, 5 x 15 reps
A2. Upright Pulley Rows, 5 x 15 reps
B1. Pulldowns, 4 x 20 reps
B2. Standing DB Rows, 4 x 15 reps
C1. BB Curls, 5 x 15 reps
C2. Preacher Curls, 5 x 15 reps
D. Rear Delt Machine, 3 x 25 reps


today i do upper body push... then tomorrow is lower body, then tuesday is my final day of the diet and final depletion day and im doing a full body workout that day

[bigock]

cheers LM, doing two upper body depletion days one after the other must be very tuff.

[LargeMan]

bro what do you weight?

and how on gods earth do you keep size on with calories that low

[LondonMuscle]

currently 195-200

i think its a myth that u need a ton of cals to maintain ur size... ive seen one study in particular that utilized an all liquid diet consisting of 900 cals per day, that allowed for no muscle loss in the subjects!!

the keys to maintaining muscle mass while on low cals are regular meals containing protein, BCAAs and most importantly, proper training techniques

the proper training is where most ppl miss the boat i think... training theory is pretty complex and i dont have the energy rite now to get into it in any detail but essentially while ur dieting, u must continue to overload and maintain exercise intensity... where most ppl go wrong is that cuz they cant overload with strength anymore, cuz that tends to decrease while on a hypocaloric diet, they stop overloading, or stop trying to overload, altogether... but u can overload with density, as ive done above, with intensity etc.

neways, in short, proper training is the most important concept that ive learned as far as maintaining muscle mass while doing intense dieting

[bigock]

currently 195-200

i think its a myth that u need a ton of cals to maintain ur size... ive seen one study in particular that utilized an all liquid diet consisting of 900 cals per day, that allowed for no muscle loss in the subjects!!

the keys to maintaining muscle mass while on low cals are regular meals containing protein, BCAAs and most importantly, proper training techniques

the proper training is where most ppl miss the boat i think... training theory is pretty complex and i dont have the energy rite now to get into it in any detail but essentially while ur dieting, u must continue to overload and maintain exercise intensity... where most ppl go wrong is that cuz they cant overload with strength anymore, cuz that tends to decrease while on a hypocaloric diet, they stop overloading, or stop trying to overload, altogether... but u can overload with density, as ive done above, with intensity etc.

neways, in short, proper training is the most important concept that ive learned as far as maintaining muscle mass while doing intense dieting

i think thats an excellent point you make about overloading, to grow muscle you have to give the body a reason to make more ie: overload, why do people think that it becomes a non issue when your dieting, if anything it beocmes even more critical, you have to give the body a reason to hold onto muscle at all possible cost and that comes again from overload.

just my 2kgs worth

[athletedan]

Hey LM, awesome stuff as usual. Just a quick question, what's in your salsa?

[LondonMuscle]

i use Pace Salsa... ingredients are:
tomatoes
water
onions
jalapenos
vinegar
salt
garlic

sometimes ill use other salsas depending on where i go shopping, but i always buy the stuff with no added sugar

[jacenty]

London are you "on" anything rite now? I am staritng to diet down too, but won't be using any gear for now though. And I am afraid of the muscle loss. Got all my bccaa's , creatin, taurine and all that but still i am afraid I will loose muscle.

[LondonMuscle]

ya im currently "on" and of course thats gonna help with muscle retention but imo those who are scared of losing muscle mass when dieting are either just finding an excuse not to diet down or they simply dont have the knowledge to do it correctly... i dont mean that as an insult though, just an observation

but basically keep the workouts intense, keep the meal frequency high, keep the protein intake high and use BCAAs regularly and thats about all u can do to ensure muscle retention... plus any muscle u do lose during the dieting process will be quickly gained back during the rebound period, so no worries

[athletedan]

Hahaha, that'll teach me for not reading the threads first! Thanks LM!

[LondonMuscle]

unfortunately that doesnt apply to u dan... muscle mass retention and strength retention are NOT necessarily the same thing... i lost a ton of strength while dieting, thats like a given, but i didnt much, if any, muscle mass

the two are not synonomous and with u being a fighter, its much more important that u retain strength as opposed to muscle mass which can be merely aesthetic... ill get back to u in a pm though bro, just very busy rite now

[athletedan]

This is very true, and I do realize the difference. In fact, even though i'm dieting at the moment, my strength seems to be going up anyway, lol. Thanks for your help mate, no hurry at all

[jacenty]

london, what about the amount of Bcaa you take in daily, was it something like 12 g ?? I am taking in 3 x 10 g. This shit is pretty damn expensive. Do you think there is point in taking more than 30 g daily.?

[LondonMuscle]

i was taking in 25 grams per day at some points in the diet, but 10-12 during workouts instead of shakes, but basically ud only do that if u were prepping for a contest... totally unnecessary otherwise imo

and yes they are very expensive, so i wouldnt recommend them for anyone that isnt doing a contest, at least not in huge quantities... if ur just dieting down to look better, id still recommend having them b4 ur AM cardio, and maybe a few grams thrown in with ur workout drinks, but thats it... u can also use them as a gap stop when u know ur gonna go more than 3 hours without a meal, so u can have BCAAs and Creatine instead to keep urself anabolic and keep ur metabolic rate elevated

and yes, in some situations i think there is a benefit to taking more than 30g/day... if ur trying to get ur cals extremely low cuz uve messed up ur diet and u need to drop a ton of fat b4 a show, id use large amounts of BCAAs and cut way back on the food intake... i also think that mega doses of BCAAs during ur workout, coupled with carbs and protein MAY be beneficial in the offseason... thats something im experimenting with now

[jacenty]

thank for the advice! appreciate it.

[LondonMuscle]

alrite, so ive been done dieting now for 5 weeks and now its offseason time for me... heres my typical offseason diet plan and ill post my workout journal a bit later on

Meal 1: 2pm
-Omelet:
3 whole eggs
1 cup egg whites
1 cup spinach
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 onion
1tbsp sun dried tomatoe pesto sauce
-1 apple
-2 slices dry toast

Workout Drink: 4-6pm
-60g protein
-10g BCAAs
-5g Creatine
-60g carbs

Meal 2: Post Workout, 6:30pm
-Protein Shake
1 whole egg
2 scoops protein
1tbsp plain yogurt
3tbsp 1% cottage cheese
1/2cup frozen blueberries
greens+
-1 whole grain bagel
-1 cup oatbran w cinnimon and honey
-1 apple

Meal 3: 9pm
Stir Fry:
8 ounces ground turkey
onion
green and red peppers
mushrooms
salsa
-shredded cheddar
-1 potatoe

Meal 4: Midnight
-Protein Shake
1 whole egg
2 scoops protein
1tbsp plain yogurt
3tbsp 1% cottage cheese
3tbsp walnuts
greens+
-baby carrots

Meal 5: 3am
-Omelet:
3 whole eggs
1 cup egg whites
1 cup spinach
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 onion
topped with cheddar cheese

[jacenty]

so you actually get up at 3 to eat meal number 5? or is it just the time you go to sleep?

london I got a question. i ve been dieting for around 3 weeks now. I have been dropping my my carbs intake every weeek, and upped protein a bit. Currently taking in around 180 g carbs a day and around 350 g protein. But the thing is that I get my carbs in the first 4 meals of the day. I eat like 6 meals a day. And I don't know if a better idea wouldn't be to switch to carbs only after workout and let's say in the morning.?

[robertpaulsen]

so you actually get up at 3 to eat meal number 5? or is it just the time you go to sleep?

I'm thinking that's before he goes to bed since his first meal of the day is at 2PM.

Thanks for taking the time to post this up LM. Excellent info here.

[LondonMuscle]

ya thats right rob... i work till 3am bouncing at a bar so i dont usually get to bed till 5am and i wake up around 1:30 in the afternoon and have my first meal 30 mins later

london I got a question. i ve been dieting for around 3 weeks now. I have been dropping my my carbs intake every weeek, and upped protein a bit. Currently taking in around 180 g carbs a day and around 350 g protein. But the thing is that I get my carbs in the first 4 meals of the day. I eat like 6 meals a day. And I don't know if a better idea wouldn't be to switch to carbs only after workout and let's say in the morning.?

when dieting, i only suggest carbs during and up to 3 hours post workout... i dont personally see the need to ingest carbs several hours pre workout cuz u should already be glycogen loaded after each post workout feeding... if nething just start having ur carb shake 10-15 mins b4 u start ur workout... for me, soon as i get outta my car and start walking towards the gym, i start sipping on my carb/protein shake... i follow these carb protocols even in the offseason, as u can tell above, cuz my glucose tolerance is shit... all my non-fruit and veggie carb intake is consumed during and immediately post workout, just look at how big my carb meal is for meal 2


also, just for some clarity above... i work from 9pm till 3am bouncing, so the 9pm meal is consumed on my way to work... they dont like me eating while im working so while im switching posts with someone, i run to the kitchen and grab my shake, slam it down, and then just keep working... then im off at 3 and home to eat again... i normally wouldnt recommend as many shakes as im having but its for the sake of convenience for me and if possible, u should stick mainly to whole foods outside of the post workout window

[LondonMuscle]

This is my current off-season training program... i cant train on weekends cuz of school, so i train monday to friday and twice on wednesday... i also do 20 mins of cardio post workout

Monday: Upper Chest/Back Thickness/Supinated Bis
A1. Incline BB Press
4 x 6 reps
A2. BB Rows (non-explosive)
4 x 6 reps
B1. Incline DB Flyes
3 x 10 reps
B2. Cable Rows (wide grip)
3 x 10 reps
C1. Incline DB Presses (palms facing)
3 x 10 reps
C2. Rear Laterals
3 x 15 reps
D1. BB Curls
6 x 6 reps
D2. Straight Bar Preacher Curls
6 x 6 reps

Tuesday: Shoulder Dominant/Traps/Tris
A. Seated DB Presses
4 x 6 reps
B. Power Shrugs
4 x 6 reps
C1. WG Upright Rows
3 x 10 reps
C2. Incline Side Laterals
3 x 10 reps
D. Cable Side Laterals
2 x 12 reps
E1. Decline DB Extensions
6 x 6 reps
E2. V-Bar Pressdowns
6 x 6 reps

Wednesday AM: Hams
A. Box Squats
Triples up to 1RM
B. Good Mornings
4 x 6 reps
C. Wide Step Lunges
4 x 6 reps/leg
D1. DB Deads
3 x 6 reps
D2. Gironda Leg Curls
3 x 10 reps

Wednesday PM: Quads/Calves/Abs
A. Back Squats
4 x 6 reps
B1. Hack Squats
4 x 10 reps
B2. Lean Back Leg Extensions
4 x 10 reps
C. Leg Press
3 x 10 reps
D. Calves/Abs

Thursday: Mid-Low Chest/Back Width/Non-Supinated Bis
A1. Neck Press
4 x 8 reps
A2. Chins (all grips)
4 x max reps
B1. Decline Crossovers
3 x 10 reps
B2. Rope Pulldowns
3 x 10 reps
C1. Flat Flyes
3 x 10 reps
C2. Straight Arm Pulldowns
3 x 10 reps
D1. EZ Bar Preacher Curls
6 x 6 reps
D2. Hammer Curls
6 x 6 reps

Friday: Trap Dominant/Shoulders/Tris
A. Seated Smith Machine Press
4 x 6 reps
B. Alternating DB Shrugs
4 x 6 reps/trap
C1. Calf Machine Shrugs
3 x 10 reps
C2. CG Upright Rows
3 x 8 reps
D1. Decline Skull Crushers
6 x 6 reps
D2. Overhead V-Bar Extensions
6 x 6 reps

[mattyukboi]

Thanks london muscle.The diets you have posted are great.

[teenage_guru]

wow awesome thanks LM

[T-Bone]

This has been the best read in a long time on diet. Thank you LM.

[LondonMuscle]

yup, no problem guys

im starting up a new phase of chest specialization sometime next week, so ill post that program up for those that are interested

in the meantime, my offseason has been going very well... i got a great ego boost in the gym yesterday when someone came up to me and asked me if i was cutting down for a show and i replied, no, im bulking!! so im keeping pretty lean in the offseason and still have good cuts and vascularity... i start dieting again august 1st though!

[tghat00]

Is my start date also. Looking to do 8 or 9 weeks of boot camp...

[LondonMuscle]

i had to start a bit earlier than august 1st to make sure i had enough time to prep for my show, so im back dieting again and 5 days in!

heres the current plan:

im training 5 days per week rite now and doing chest specialization where ill hit chest 3 times per week for the next 3 weeks, then back off and let it recover... the split is:

sunday: chest/bis
monday: legs
tuesday:chest/shoulders/traps
wednesday: back/rear delts
thursday: chest/tris
friday: off
saturday: off


im doing 20 mins of cardio post workout for all the days except for leg day... 3mph on a 10 degree incline... on my off days i do 60 mins of cardio in the am after ingesting 5-10g of BCAAs... i train abs and calves twice per week at the end of my workouts


my current diet is set at 2700 cals per day on my no carb days... on those days i only take in protein and veggies with each meal, ie. omelet with veggies, chicken stir fry, tuna salad etc... every 3rd workout i carb up with about 250g of carbs... 50g during the workout and 200 immediately post workout and i let my cals get up to 3200 on those day

im gonna stick with this plan till it stops working, then start to cut down on the cals slightly and add in AM cardio on workout days

so thats what im doing rite now to prep for my first show... im currently 11 weeks out

[bigock]

progress pics?

[tybolltt]

Post the workouts bro!

[LondonMuscle]

yup no problem

yesterday's workout was a high density workout for my chest and bis... so i basically do the most amount of work in the least amount of time after some heavier lifting... the other two chest days ill utilize a pre fatigue for one and post fatigue for the other

so yesterday i did:

A1. incline barbell press
4 x 6 reps

A2. standing db curls
4 x 8 reps

B1. flat smith machine press
6 x 8 reps

B2. barbell curls
6 x 8 reps

B3. pec deck
6 x 8 reps

B4. cable curls
6 x 8 reps

Abs:
C1. seated cable crunches (i use a lat pulldown apparatus and sit on the part that would usually hold down ur knees and face the opposite way and do my crunches)
5 x 12-15 reps

C2. captains chair
5 x max reps

D. Decline crunches
3 x max reps


so for the 6 x 8 reps, i do a 4 exercise circuit and just walk from one exercise to the rest and take no breaks... this allows me to burn a lot of cals but i still get sufficient rest in btwn exercises for the same bodypart, prolly a full minute or so... ive found this high density approach to work better than nething when im dieting cuz it still provides a way to overload while strength is decreasing


for the heavier lifting, i still use supersets but take longer rest intervals in btwn them... so for A1 and A2, ill do my incline presses then immediately do db curls, then take 2-3 mins break

[LondonMuscle]

alrite, im 11 weeks out today and ive decided to change up the diet a bit... heres what ill be doing for the next little while...

low carb days:

2:00 – omelet – 400 cals

4:00 – 1 scoop protein + BCAAs – 150 cals

Workout from 4:00 - 5:30, then 20 mins of cardio

6:00 – chicken stir fry – 400 cals

9:00 – omelet – 400 cals

midnight – protein shake – 400 cals

3am – chicken stir fry – 400 cals

5am – omelet – 400 cals

TOTAL: 2550 cals


carb up days:

2:00 – omelet (only 1 egg) - 310 cals

4:00 – 1 scoop protein + BCAAs + 1 scoop glycocarb – 270 cals, 30g carbs

Workout from 4:00 - 5:30, then 20 mins of cardio

6:00 – 2 bags rice cakes – 840 cals, 170g carbs
- 2 scoops protein - 240 cals

8:00 – 2 chicken breasts – 250 cals

11:30 – protein shake – 400 cals

3am – chicken stir fry – 400 cals

5am – omelet (only 1 egg) – 310 cals

TOTAL: 3020 cals

Non-Veggie Carb Intake = 200g


omelet:
2 whole eggs – 180 cals
1 cup egg whites – 125 cals
spinach, onion, mushroom – 50 cals
salsa – 50 cals

chicken stir fry:
2 chicken breasts – 250 cals
3 cups veggies (carrots, onion, mushroom, red peppers, green beans, baby corn) – 100 cals
salsa – 50 cals

protein shake:
4 tbsp cottage cheese – 60 cals
2 scoops protein – 250 cals
1 egg – 90 cals
2 tsp greens+

[LondonMuscle]

Current Supplements:

protein powder
carb powder
fish oil
BCAAs
green tea extract
ECA
multi vit
acidophilus and bifidus
betaine HCL
digestive enzymes
greens+
creatine

[tghat00]

alrite, im 11 weeks out today and ive decided to change up the diet a bit... heres what ill be doing for the next little while...

low carb days:

2:00 – omelet – 400 cals

4:00 – 1 scoop protein + BCAAs – 150 cals

Workout from 4:00 - 5:30, then 20 mins of cardio

6:00 – chicken stir fry – 400 cals

9:00 – omelet – 400 cals

midnight – protein shake – 400 cals

3am – chicken stir fry – 400 cals

5am – omelet – 400 cals

TOTAL: 2550 cals


carb up days:

2:00 – omelet (only 1 egg) - 310 cals

4:00 – 1 scoop protein + BCAAs + 1 scoop glycocarb – 270 cals, 30g carbs

Workout from 4:00 - 5:30, then 20 mins of cardio

6:00 – 2 bags rice cakes – 840 cals, 170g carbs
- 2 scoops protein - 240 cals

8:00 – 2 chicken breasts – 250 cals

11:30 – protein shake – 400 cals

3am – chicken stir fry – 400 cals

5am – omelet (only 1 egg) – 310 cals

TOTAL: 3020 cals

Non-Veggie Carb Intake = 200g


omelet:
2 whole eggs – 180 cals
1 cup egg whites – 125 cals
spinach, onion, mushroom – 50 cals
salsa – 50 cals

chicken stir fry:
2 chicken breasts – 250 cals
3 cups veggies (carrots, onion, mushroom, red peppers, green beans, baby corn) – 100 cals
salsa – 50 cals

protein shake:
4 tbsp cottage cheese – 60 cals
2 scoops protein – 250 cals
1 egg – 90 cals
2 tsp greens+

What do you put in your chicken stir fry?

[tghat00]

You might want to get rid of the fish oil. Recent studys are showing that it might not be all that healthy for you.

I've never heard of carb powder, what is it for?

[LondonMuscle]

What do you put in your chicken stir fry?

chicken stir fry:
2 chicken breasts – 250 cals
3 cups veggies (carrots, onion, mushroom, red peppers, green beans, baby corn) – 100 cals
salsa – 50 cals

and ill usually throw in some garlic, hot sauce and oregano too