Progress Video

Made another quick video, a compilation of all my progress pictures from 2 to 6 months of training. 

I haven't added any progress pictures lately because I've been injured, and not making many gains.

Do you think i progressed in those 6 months?

Sorry!

I haven't posted in a number of months due to school work and generally being really lazy, sorry!

So here's an update:

Rugby

I've recently taken up Rugby for my school, meaning i'm training twice a week or once a week with a match. 

I really enjoy playing rugby, and the fitness training has really helped me lose fat, but it also means I've not been able to go to the gym as regularly, and i'm occasionally getting injured. 

On the subject of injury, during the last match i dislocated my left shoulder...

I managed to pop it back in after i rolled onto it, but since then (2 weeks ago) I've not been able to workout any of my upper body, and i feel that it'll be a few more weeks before i can get back to lifting some heavy weights =*(, i can only hope that it heals properly. 

Well until my shoulder heals i'll continue to exercise my legs hard, which will keep my occupied.

Current Stats

Squat - 150 kg, 3 reps (06/06/2011)

Dumbell Chest Press - 37.5 kg, 5 reps (07/06/2011)

Deadlift - 185 kg, 1 rep (24/08/2011)

Dumbell Shoulder Press - 30kg, 2 reps (01/09/2011)

Power Clean - 80 kg, 1 rep (25/09/2011)

Press - 60 kg, 1 rep (25/09/2011)

Bench Press - 87.5 kg, 4 reps (27/09/2011)

Life

Being a typical teenager I've been getting down to some partying :P

Gotta try and remember copious amounts of alcohol is bad for me :L... well life's short, so i'm gunna enjoy it while i can, with all my amazing friends!

I hope my shoulder heals soon :)

Leg workout routine

This is one of my few leg workout routines.

In brackets I have put the weights I did for this workout recently

Warming up:

It’s a good idea to get your blood flowing with a warm-up before performing any weight training, to reduce the risk of injury and help aid in gaining an efficient workout. I sometimes do 5 minutes of running or cycling, nothing too tenuous, but if I’m in a rush, I just stick with a few warm-up sets, in high reps.

1st Exercise: Weighted Squats

Introduction:

This is another one of my staple exercises which I perform most weeks, if done with good form and enough weight this is without a doubt one of the best exercise to build muscle in your legs. This exercise, similar to deadlifts, also recruits many other muscles in your body for stabilisations, which means it helps to increase your overall strength.

How to:

Basically with a bar positioned on your traps or along your shoulders, you go down into a seated position and push back up to standing.

Preparation:

Put the bar on a suitable level on the squat rack, and then load on the weights you require. While the bar is on the rack, position yourself under the bar with the bar lying comfortably across the length of your traps, making sure you don’t rest the bar on solid bone or on your spine. Grip the bar so that your traps pinch together a bit, for me this is just before the markings on an Olympic bar.

Putting the bar on your spine can cause some damage, and is quite painful, try and avoid it.

Execution:

 1.)    Position yourself, with the bar comfortable on your traps.

 2.)    In a slip stance, lift the bar off the rack.

 3.)    Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, angled 5 degrees outwards.

 4.)    Descend slowly, with your ass out, try to go into a nice pelvic tilt.

 5.)    Once your thighs are at or below parallel, push straight up, keeping your knees square.

 6.)     Repeat

Form:

Performing a pelvic tilt generally constitutes to a good squat. You may also imagine that you’re trying to go into a seated position, but obviously without the physical seat.

Tips:

If you struggle to keep the bar steady, and on your traps, it may help to pick a spot high on the wall in front of you and stay fixated on it while you squat. A good squat requires you to keep your knees ‘square’ so keep your knees pointed in the same direction as your feet.

When going heavy with squats, you may want a spotter. Having a spotter may also help you get those last repetitions done, for a more effective workout.

Target Muscles:

This exercise targets the quadriceps, but it also exercises your gluteus effectively, along with a wide range of other muscles which are used for stabilisation.

Workout Routine:

Warm up set 1 - 12 reps, Light weight (60kg)

Warm up set 2 – 12 reps, Light weight (60kg)

Working set 1 - 10 reps, Medium to high weight (80kg)

Working set 2 - 8 reps, Heavier (90kg)

Working set 3 - 8-6 reps, Heavy weight (100kg)

Working set 4 – 4-6 reps, 90% of 1 rep max (120kg)

Working set 5 - 1 rep max (140kg)

2nd Exercise: Lying Hamstring Curls

Introduction:

This is my preferred exercise for hamstrings, because I feel I get the most activation and largest range of motion. It’s important to exercise all the muscles in the legs, so I always incorporate a hamstring exercise in my leg workouts, because squats don’t target the hamstrings very effectively.

I use the machine for this exercise.

How to:

Lie down on the machine, and curl it as far as you can.

Preparation:

Adjust the cross bar which you curl up to your ankles, and set the machine up so you can curl it with the largest range of motion.

Execution:

 1.)    Lie down with your ankles positions on the cross bar.

 2.)    Curl it as far as you can.

 3.)    Let it back down slowly

 4.)    Repeat

Target Muscles:

Hamstrings and gluteus

Tips:

Hold the contraction at the top for a second or two, and then lower the weight down slowly.

Workout Routine:

Warm up set 1 - 10-12 reps, (Light weight)

Working set 1 - 10-12 reps, (Light weight)

Working set 2 - 8-10 reps, (Medium weight)

Working set 3 - 6-8 reps (Heavy weight)

Working set 4 – 6 reps (Heavy weigh)

body weight +20, normal)

3rd Exercise: Calf Raises

Introduction:

There isn’t much variation when it comes to exercising your calves, I’d stick with calf raises. At my gym there is a standing calf raise machine, but you can also do this with a leg press machine, seated calf raise machine, or leant over something with a weight on your back (2 girls if you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger).

How to:

Basically stand on the ledge, with your heels hanging off, with the weight on your shoulders, push up onto your tip toes.

Preparation:

Adjust the height of the bars low enough to get a good deep stretch.

Execution:

 1.)    Grab the two handles of the machine, and position both feet on the platform with your shoulders under the bar.

 2.)    Lift the weight up until you are in a standing position (you may want to re-adjust your foot position)

 3.)    slowly descent down until you feel a nice stretch

 4.)    Push up and onto your tip toes

 5.)    Hold for 1 or 2 seconds

 6.)    Slowly descent down

 7.)    Repeat

Target muscles:

This exercise targets the calf (gastrocnemius) muscles.

Tips:

Try to keep your ankles square, so keep your heels on a fixed plane while they rise (raise them vertically).

Workout Routine:

Warm up set 1 - 12 reps, Light weight

Working set 2 - 10 reps, Medium

Working set 3 - 8 reps, Medium to Heavy weight

Working set 4 - 8 reps, Heavy weight

Working set 5 - 6 reps or till failure, heavier weight

4th Exercise: Burnout, Squats

Workout routine:

3-4 sets, reps till failure, medium weight (70kg)

Note:  

Try and do these at a nice medium to high intensity, while maintaining good form.

Finish

Get that protein, drink that water, eat that food and get some sleep. The workout isn't the sole factor in muscle growth or strength progression. You have to eat well, sleep lots and drink enough water or else your body won't get enough nutrients, to build muscle and sustain your internal systems, and enough rest for your body to fully recover before your next workout.

Stretch

Quadriceps

Bend your leg and bring your foot to your butt, grasp your ankle with one hand and stabilise yourself with the other. Pull your ankle towards your butt until you feel a good stretch, and hold it. Try to keep your knee level with your other knee, to get a better stretch pull your knee back or push your hip forwards.

Calves

A simple way is to step on a ledge with your heels hanging off and descent down into a nice deep stretch, but you may also take one leg and stride forwards, transfer your body weight to the leg you stepped forward with, keeping the heel of the trailing leg planted to the ground. You may step further if you don’t feel the stretch.

Hamstrings

You can basically just bend over and touch your toes to stretch your hamstrings, but if you want to isolate each hamstring, cross your feet and bend over to touch your toes.

Progress

To make strength progress I try to attempt higher weights each time I do squats, with the safety of a spotter I have no worries about trying new weights. 

Dumbbell Bench press personal record

Press from: 35kg - 6 reps

To: 37.5kg - 5 reps

@ 24/05/11, 72kg, 5+ months training.

Funny thing is, my friend picked the weights from the rack for me, and it turned out i was doing 1 40kg dumbbell and 1 37.5kg dumbbell... no wonder i was having trouble balancing xD.

I tried 40kg in the next set, but only managed 1 rep... =(

Squat Personal Record

Squat from: 140kg - 1 reps

To: 150kg - 3 reps

@ 24/05/11, 72kg, 5+ months training.

This session I started with 2 warm-up sets then went straight into my heaviest sets, after doing 7 reps of 140 kg, I went up to 150kg for 3 reps.

Unfortunately i failed epically trying 160kg, I didn't realise how much my muscles had fatigued from doing the previous 2 sets :P, it was so epic that I even got carpet burn on my knees !

Squat Personal Record

Squat from: 135kg - 2 reps

To: 140kg - 1 reps

@ 24/05/11, 72kg, 4+ months training.

My new blog

Here an Introduction

My name's Tak and I am an Asian guy currently 17 years old and studying in sixth form at a secondary school in England. I'm an easy going person, but I have clear goals which i strive to achieve with plentiful amounts of determination to see them through. Education is very important to me, I don't know whether it’s from me being Asian or from the influences of my very Asian mother, but I've grown to feel like I'm a failure if I get anything below an A grade which many people find bizarre, but I'm glad I feel this way as it has helped me in achieve my previous academic merits. Working hard in school now will help me to have a brighter future; i have hopes of studying engineering, which I love, in a good university. Since I'd prefer to flourish rather than fail, I'm not going to piss away my chances of having a bright future by pissing about in school and not listening in class, in my opinion I think many kids in England haven't realised that they're basically ruining any changes of being successful individuals in the future who can secure a job and be respected, who the hell wants to work in McDonald's for the rest of their life? So I try my best to encourage younger students at my school to work hard and help them realise that they're in an important stage in their life, maybe even give them some advice or help in their studies or career choices. 

So what will i blog about? 

Well in the new year of 2011 me and one of my best friends began going to the gym, we like to see how far we progress and how we develop so I decided to make a blog to track my progress whether it be muscle growth or strength progress I will post it on here and look back on it all after a few years, and probably think "Bloody hell i look so gay", but i won't regret it of course, everyone starts somewhere and i don't mind looking back on my past and laughing, so i always think twice before acting to make sure i don't do something I'll regret in the future, regret may help you learn from your mistakes but it doesn't feel great lol! So best deny any contact with it.

I'll be posting information on what and how i eat, my workout routines, supplements I may use and my reviews on them, personal best lifts and some progress pictures (No homo :P). I will also be explaining how i get myself motivated and what sort of goals i set to help me progress rapidly. 

I may also post about my other interests such as engineering or sports, and possibly give advice on studying because as i mentioned before, I'd like to increase awareness of the importance of education and working hard in young people. 

Thanks for reading, and remember work hard and study hard to achieve your goals make great progress and flourish, because you weren't made to fail and diminished, you're a star, and you are made to burn brightly while you're alive and go out with a bang!