After a shitty Novemeber/December im about ready to get back into things, so time to get a plan in place.

Goal : To get back to where i was before getting Ill in November, ill use the 3 big lifts as a metric, once i hit my target i will re asses where i want to go, but for now, i just need to get back in the swing of things and get back on it.
So my aims are :-
Deadlift - 250kg
Squat - 210kg
Bench - 140kg

These are lifts ive made comfortably only 8 weeks or so ago so im not going to do anything special and follow a diet and training program i know works for me.

Diet - Clean as poss with lunch time carb cut off (aside from dextrose pwo on evening training days). 3 solid meals a day and 3 shakes.
The shake will always be the same for simplicty with the exception of adding dextrose pwo and will consist of Whey, L-Glutamine, Creatine MonoH, Cold Milled flax seed, Cinnamon.

So a typical day will as follows:-

7am - 3 x wholemeal toast, 4 free range local eggs fried in coconut oil.
10am - Shake
12.30 - Diced chicken and brown rice
3pm - Shake
6pm - Steak/Venison/Butchers sausages/Lamb + leafy veg (spinnach,brocolli,cabbage mostly stir fried with garlic/chilli)
9pm - Shake

Im not going to go into macros as i know this sort of eating works for me from past experience and also know the sorts of quantities required.

Supplements
Aside from the Shakes
ZMA - 3 caps at bedtime
Omega 3 - 5 softgels with each solid meal
BSD Reloaded - From 2nd week, i dont want to waste it on my first week as im getting back into it.

Training.
Friday - Chest/Biceps
Bench Press
Incline DB Press
Incline Flys
Machine Decline Press
Preacher Curls
Hammer Curls
Cable Curls

Sunday - Back/Triceps
Deadlift
Bent over Rows
T-bar Rows
Straight Arm pulldowns
Incline ez extensions
CGBP
Pushdowns

Tuesday - Legs
Squat
ATG Front Squat
Extensions
Curls
Calf Raises

Thursday - Delts/Traps
Powerclean
DB Press
DB side Raise
Upright Row
BB Shrug

Not doing any cardio to start with, ive lost about a stone being ill and look quite small at the moment, so i want to focus on putting a mass back on and getting my strength back to where it should be.

As a side note, i seemed to get ill each time i drank alchohol, coincidence probably but was just weird, i took a few days off supps and training and had a few drinks for my birthday and got ill, recovered 2 weeks before xmas and then drank at the works xmas do and got sick again, pretty sure the combination of stopping taking supps, so of which i know boost my immune system and lowering my guard a bit and drinking make me more susceptible to all the shite floating around, so lesson learned there.. only get pissed in the summer around healthy people


Will use the journal to keep tabs on my progress as usual, id like to hit my goals before the end of Feb.

Good to see you getting back into it,I get ill whenever I have a drink too mate.Delts on Thursday,chest Friday. What about Tricep fatique?

You look like a bigger Simon in that Avatar.

Good to see you back.

You need to add more veg and fruit in that diet Mark.

You've been awake for 11hrs and not eating anything alkalising. Bad move. Get a Green Drink to sip in the day. And eat raw or lightly steamed veg at each meal &/or fruit too. The more alkaline you are the better your health and lower the body fat.

Good to see you back Mark. Good luck with the training.

Good point scott, always been my weak point that.

Ill have an apple and a couple of tomatos a day and crunch on some cucumber sticks, dont have office installed on this machine, so any greens in your sale?


Friday 2nd Jan

Chest/Biceps

Very light session today as im still not 100% and didnt want a repeat of last January when i passed out in Next Gen after training while still jet lagged.

Bench Press - 60kg x10, 60kg x10, 80kg x10
Inc. DB Press - 28kg ea arm x10 x10 x8
Inc. Flys - 18kg ea arm x10 x10 x10
Machine decline press - +40kg x10 x10 x10
Preacher curls - 20kg x10 (close grip) 20kg x10 (wide grip) 20kg x10 (close grip) 20kg x10 (wide grip)
Strict Hammer curls - 10kg ea arm x10 x8 x6

Notes: Called it there as the gym was mega busy, they were doing 'Use the gym and spa for £1' for non members so it was chimp city. Felt like i went back a little early as felt sick and dizzy a fair bit, but got through an ok session and was good to be back, the steam and jacuzzi after did me the world of good.

Nope, no greens from me unfortunately. I'm currently trying out two other brands which so far are very good though. PM if you want details.

Welcome back mate .

I have the same problem with alcohol and after the xmas do is when the flu got me .

You'll soon have those weights back and your Gym back by feb

Welcome back. Everyone was dropping around me before Christmas but somehow i survived. Echinacea seems to help keep the bugs away.
Im sure you will as big as an ox after a month back

Whats the news on the powerlifting front Mark? I remember a couple months back you were going to train with powerlifters or something?

Still plan to mate, part of the reason i want to get back where i was a couple of months ago asap, i wouldnt dream of showing up there at the mo

Good to see you're back at it mate

Sunday 4th Jan

Back/Triceps

Another very light session, felt sick and dizzy quite a lot so didnt push my luck.

BOR - 70kg x10 x10 x8 x6
T-Bar row - +50kg x10, +60kg x10 x10 x8 x6
Machine lat pulldown - 70kg x10, 80kg x10, 90kg x8, 100kg x6, 110kg x4
CGBP - 60kg x10 x10 x10
Rope pulldowns - 25kg x10 x10 x10

Notes: Felt lame doing such low weights but know i cant go mad for a month or so.

Mark

How come you are feeling sick and dizzy?...this surely shouldnt be happening?

Still not 100% over the chest infection, probably restarting too soon in all honesty, but i find so long as i dont go crazy, some light training and a steam makes me feel a lot better.

Tuesday 6th Jan

Delts/Traps

DB Press - 18kg ea x10, 24's x10, 28's x8, 28's x8
Pronated grip lateral raise - 10kg ea x10 x10 x10 x8
Neutral grip lateral raise down the rack (16kg-12kg-8kg) - 3 per weight per set for 3 sets
Face down rear delt raise - 10kg x10, x10, x10, x10
Upright row to ribs - 20kg x10, 30kg x10 x10 x10
BB Shrug - 110kg x10 x10 x10 x10
Weighted crunch (machine) - 50kg x20 x15 x10

Notes : Still very weak but a good and fast session, done in 45 mins despite the gym being packed, no dizzys and no sick feeling. Im adding pasta and potatoes back to my diet as despite being at a lower BF% than usual at the moment, i really dont like how i look and feel and want to put the strength and mass back on, and i know i do that with starchy carbs and lots of cals.. bit a of a discovery being ill, id rather be a bit fatter than a bit weaker.

Thursday 8th Jan

Legs

Sub // Back Squat - 70kg x 10, 110kg x 8, 140kg x 5, 160kg x 3
ATG Front Squat - 70kg x 5 x 5
Seated Calf raise - 100kg x 25, 140kg x 18, 170kg x 10, 200kg x 5
Ham curls - 50kg x 10 x 3
Leg Extensions - 70kg x 10, 80kg x 10, 90kg x 8, 100kg x 6
Weighted Crunches - 50kg x20 x15 x10

Notes - Squats a little dissapointing as 160kg was a struggle, but being as its my first leg exercise since early novemeber i shouldnt bitch too much, also had no belt and wraps with my so not terrible. Aside from that very pleased with the session, moved some decent poundage and felt great throughout.. and youve got to love that cowboy waddle to the car after a good legs session.

I reckon you should lash the belt & wraps personally, i'm going to make a point of not using it now. Get my own internal belt working again.

Not too bad a sesh considering you've had like, what, 2 months off?!

Aye, not back squatted for about 3 though as i got a nice back injury from a incredibly bad rack pull.

Belt i can leave but i prefer to wrap my knees once heading up around 160+ , the injury that put me out of the forces still nags at the back of my mind, the wraps stop me thinking about it.

If you like the wraps use them pal, I love wraps and am gonna use them much more. Also wicked workout pal 3 months off thats mental!

They do give a ton of support, but also reduce alot of work out of the hole, obviously. I love wraps meself cause they allow me to increase poundage by about 20kg!

im not sure what i get out of them but even if the took 10kg off me id use them, my knee is probably fine, but my feckin brain wont accept that so when ever im in the hole above bodyweight with no wraps my brain is saying 'oooh remember when you fell out of that truck.. are you sure youre knee is up to this, go on, tilt back slightly and ditch the weight on the safteys'

The mental barriers in weightlifting are shocking sometimes,if it makes you confident then they are definately a good thing. I remember when I first started lifting free weights I had no comprehension of how much weight 100kg was,on my first shoulder day I pressed it for 4-5 reps and my training partner who had not long reached that weight was shocked. He said it taken him ages to get it into his head that he could press 100kg above his nut. I just had no idea,so I was confident.

160x3 is really good after 2 months out mate.

Saturday 10th Jan

Chest/Biceps

Bench - 60kg x10, 80kg x10, 100kg x8, 110kg x3, 120kg x1
45deg Incline DB press (full rom)- 34kg ea arm x10 x8 x6
45deg incline DB press (short rom) - 24kg ea arm x10 x10 x10
45deg incline flyes - 14kg ea arm x10, 18kg ea x10, 20kg ea x10, 24kg ea x8
Hammer Decline press - +60kg x10, +80kg x10, +90kg x8
Preacher curls - (narrow grip)30kg x10, (wide grip) 30kg x10, (narrow grip)30kg x6, (wide grip) 30kg x6
Alternating DB hammer curls - 18kg ea arm x10, 16kg ea x10, 14kg ea x10, 12kg ea x10, 10kg ea x10
Seated Zottman curls - 10kg ea arm x10 x10 x10
Rope curls - 10kg x10, 12.5kg x10, 15kg x10
Reverse bb wrist curls - 15kg BB x10 x10 x10
Weighted machine crunches - 50kg x20, x15, x15

Notes - Decent volume, felt like i could have gone forever, quite happy with Bench, 120kg was very fast and easy so i dont think ive lost a lot there, confident ill be back to 140kg+ within a few weeks. Biceps as pathetic as ever, think i may use wednesday for some additional arm work, i do find it odd tho that im very strong at pulling, but not at curling.