Arvada, Colorado USA
Nick Andrade’s Body Transformation Log – Day 47 weight training routines
Objective: To Burn Fat Gain Muscle Mass And Transform My Body In 12 Weeks

Today I’m just going to summarize all of my Muscle Mass Advantage week 7 weight training routines.  I decided to completely take the day off  (no weight training or cardio) so I thought it would be a good opportunity to list all of the past weeks workouts.

I felt that overall the week 7 weight training workout routines went pretty well.  While I’m definitely not too big a fan of training in the higher repetition brackets (usually because I have to lower the training weight a bit) – I typically find that my body responds well to this style of training.  Towards the end of this week, I really started to notice a difference in the fullness of my muscles – I feel like I’m getting pretty big and I really like it.

As in last weeks weight training workouts summary, I decided to stick with 4 (20 minute) cardio sessions, but I tried to ramp up the intensity a bit.  Instead of the usual 9 minute per mile pace, I jacked everything up to around 7.5 minutes per mile and carried that pace out for 2 miles during each aerobic workout.

In order to get the most from my weight training routines, I decided to split my cardio and free weights workout sessions up, performing my weight training over my lunch hour and my cardio in the evenings. I felt that this split worked out pretty well – but it was challenging at times having to drag my lazy butt to the gym for the cardio sessions each evening.

The Week 7 Weight Training Routines

Monday’s Weight Training Routine – Chest & Back

Chest Warm-Up:
Incline Press: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Incline Press: 2 sets x 15 reps

Back Warm-Up:
Dumbbell Rows: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Dumbbell Rows: 2 sets x 15 reps

Tuesday’s Weight Training Routine – Biceps & Triceps

Bicep Warm-Up:
Barbell Curl: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Barbell Curl: 2 sets x 15 reps

Triceps Warm-Up:
Skull Crushers: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Skull Crushers: 2 sets x 15 reps

Thursday’s Weight Training Routine – Shoulders & Traps

Shoulder Warm-Up:
Dumbbell Press: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Dumbbell Press: 2 sets x 15 reps

Traps Warm-Up:
Upright Cable Rows: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Upright Cable Rows: 2 sets x 15 reps

Friday’s Weight Training Routine – Legs

Quad Warm-Up:
Squat: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Squat: 2 sets x 15 reps

Hamstring Warm-Up:
Straight Leg Deadlift: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Straight Leg Deadlift: 2 sets x 15 reps

That’s it for the week 7 weight training routines summary post.  Although this week of Muscle Mass Advantage workouts seemed like it would be easy on the surface, all of the workouts really kicked my butt in the end!

Tomorrow I’m going to post a progress update for my body transformation through week 7.

Your Friend And Trainer,

Nick

Arvada, Colorado USA
Nick Andrade’s Body Transformation Log – Day 45 work out routine
Objective: To Burn Fat Gain Muscle Mass And Transform My Body In 12 Weeks

Today I headed off to the gym hoping to bust out a decent leg work out routine.  When I got there, someone was using the only squat rack  in the joint so I had to Wait for about 20 minutes – what a pain in the butt! That said, I was able to pour my hostility into my leg work out and I wound up having a pretty decent day at the gym.

photo credit: jontunn

Today’s Work Out Routine – Legs

Quad Warm-Up:
Squat: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Squat: 2 sets x 15 reps

Glute Warm-Up:
Straight Leg Deadlift: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Straight Leg Deadlift: 2 sets x 15 reps

I was able to get through 2 sets of 15 reps of squats with 275 lbs and 2 sets of straight legged deadlift with 275 lbs. I’ve gotta say that this was a brutal workout…By the 10th rep, my heart felt like it was goin  to jump out of my chest!

Here’s what I ate today for my bodybuilding diet…

• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 4 cups of green tea
• 2 cups of cooked ground beef
• 2 cups of cooked spinach (sauteed in a pat of butter)
• 2 cups of cooked ground beef
• 1/4 cup of walnuts
• 3 eggs fried in olive oil

That’s it for today’s body transformation journal entry and workout out routine.

Your Friend And Trainer,

Nick

Arvada, Colorado USA
Nick Andrade’s Body Transformation Log – Day 44 bodybuilder workout
Objective: To Burn Fat Gain Muscle Mass And Transform My Body In 12 Weeks

Today’s bodybuilder workout hit my shoulders and traps pretty hard.  While the workout felt great while I was grinding through it, I have a feeling I’m going to be pretty sore tomorrow. My shoulders and traps have always been one of my naturally bigger body parts, but I know I can pack on some serious muscle mass in that area if I focus on targeting them with heavy weights, so that’s what I focused on during today’s workout – trying to up the training weights a bit and force my shoulders and traps to grow!

Thursday’s Bodybuilder Workout – Shoulders

Shoulder Warm-Up:
Dumbbell Press: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Dumbbell Press: 2 sets x 15 reps

Traps Warm-Up:
Upright Cable Rows: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Upright Cable Rows: 2 sets x 15 reps

I was able to get through 2 sets of 15 reps with 55 lbs dumbbells for the dumbbell press and 2 sets of 15 reps with the weight stack set to #18 for upright cable rows.  During this bodybuilder workout, my shoulders and traps were on fire! It felt great, but I can’t wait to get back to the heavier training weights and lower repetition brackets in the upcoming weeks.

As far as my bodybuilding nutrition strategy – here’s what I ate today…

• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 4 cups of green tea
• 2 cups of cooked ground beef
• 2 cups of cooked spinach (sauteed in a pat of butter)
• 2 cups of cooked ground beef
• 1/4 cup of walnuts
• 3 eggs fried in olive oil

That’s all I’ve got for today’s body transformation journal entry. Give this shoulders and traps bodybuilder workout a try and watch as your shoulders literally explode (especially if you don’t normally train in this rep bracket!).

Your Friend And Trainer,

Nick

Arvada, Colorado USA
Nick Andrade’s Body Transformation Log – Week 6 bodybuilding workout routines
Objective: To Burn Fat Gain Muscle Mass And Transform My Body In 12 Weeks

This morning I’m going to summarize all of the bodybuilding workout routines that I performed last week during the 6th week of my body transformation. Looking back on my week 6 bodybuilding workouts, I’d have to say that I’m making some pretty decent progress towards my goals. Overall my body feels bigger and I’m definitely continuing to get stronger as the weeks go on. In last weeks workout summary, I mentioned that I didn’t feel like I’d “hit the wall” yet and so far working through week 6 I’d still have to agree with that.  The Muscle Mass Advantage workouts are still keeping things fresh for me with each and every workout – and because of this I think I’ve been able to avoid any type of mental sticking point.

This week I continued where I left off and worked 4 (20 minute) cardio sessions into my bodybuilding workout routines in order to really start the process of stripping off some body fat. While I typically don’t stress about cutting down to 8 % body fat, for some reason I feel like I need to be very careful this time around.  I guess I just don’t want to get too comfortable with the progress that I’ve made so far and try to coast down through the homes stretch only to find that I left something on the table.  I want to be able to focus on building muscle mass and stop having to obsess about losing body fat for the last few weeks of this training cycle.

With that out of the way, on to the bodybuilding workout routines…

The Week 6 Bodybuilding Workout Routines

Monday’s Bodybuilding Workout Routine – Legs

Warm-Up:
Barbell Squat: 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6
Work Sets: (rest interval 1.5 minutes)
Barbell Squat: 6 sets x 5 reps
Leg Press: 3 sets x 5 reps

Warm-Up:
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6
Work Sets: (rest interval 1.5 minutes)
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 6 sets x 5 reps
Leg Curls: 3 sets x 5 reps

Tuesday’s Bodybuilding Workout Routine – Chest & Back

Warm-Up:
Incline Press: 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6
Work Sets: (rest interval 1.5 minutes)
Incline Press: 3 sets x 5 reps
Bench Press: 3 sets x 5 reps

Warm-Up:
Barbell Rows: 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6
Work Sets: (rest interval 1.5 minutes)
Barbell Rows: 3 sets x 5 reps
Pulldowns: 3 sets x 5 reps

Thursday’s Bodybuilding Workout Routine  – Chest & Back

Biceps Warm-Up:
Alternating Dumbbell Curl: 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6
Work Sets: (rest interval 1.5 minutes)
Alternating Dumbbell Curl 3 sets x 5 reps
EZ Bar Curl: 3 sets x 5 reps

Triceps Warm-Up:
Skull Crushers: 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6
Work Sets: (rest interval 1.5 minutes)
Skull Crushers: 3 sets x 5 reps
French Press: 3 sets x 5 reps

Friday’s Bodybuilding Workout Routine  – Shoulders & Traps

Shoulder Warm-Up:
Shoulder Press: 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6
Work Sets: (rest interval 1.5 minutes)
Shoulder Press: 3 sets x 5 reps
Seated Dumbbell Press: 3 sets x 5 reps

Traps Warm-Up:
Upright Cable Rows: 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6
Work Sets: (rest interval 1.5 minutes)
Upright Cable Rows: 6 sets x 5 reps

That’s it for the week 6 bodybuilding workout routines summary post.  This week of Muscle Mass Advantage workouts really kicked my butt and helped me to stimulate some new muscle growth – so if you’re in the market for a few solid bodybuilding workouts give these babies a shot!

Your Friend And Trainer,

Nick

Arvada, Colorado USA
Nick Andrade’s Body Transformation Log – Days 42 & 43 weight lifting routines
Objective: To Burn Fat Gain Muscle Mass And Transform My Body In 12 Weeks

Monday day I hit the gym pretty hard for one of my first weight lifting routines of the week.  While the structure of the Muscle Mass Advantage workouts has completely changed up again (from hard and heavy to lighter with more reps), this time my body feels like it could really use a lighter training week, so I’m actually looking forward to the weight lifting routine changes that I’m going to see throughout this week.

Now that I’m starting to get closer to my 12 week body transformation deadline, I’m starting to get anxious. This week I’m really going to focus on stripping off body fat and sort of take it easy on the muscle building front. In order to make this happen quicker, I’m going to lower my target calorie level just a bit and increase the amount of cardio I’m doing this week in conjunction with my normal weight lifting routines.  In order to spread out the calorie burn over the course of the day, I plan on hitting the gym 2 times each day for the next few weeks (1 time for cardio and 1 time for my weight lifting workout).

I’m hoping that by really focusing on stripping off body fat, that I’ll be able to get very close to my initial goal of 8% by the end of this week.  If I can make that happen, it’ll take a lot of pressure off of me and allow me to relax a bit and focus on building muscle mass for the duration of this training cycle. I really like to focus my efforts on building muscle mass and let the fat loss take care of itself naturally as I start to bulk up, but as far out of shape as I was when I started this program (over 23% body fat!), I’m a bit nervous that I won’t be able to reach my goals if I don’t try to do something about it right now!

The Weight Lifting Routines

Monday’s Weight Lifting Workout  – Chest & Back

Chest Warm-Up:
Incline Press: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Incline Press: 2 sets x 15 reps

Back Warm-Up:
Dumbbell Rows: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Dumbbell Rows: 2 sets x 15 reps

On Monday, I was able to crank out 2 sets of 15 reps of incline press with 185 lbs.  Definitely not record setting training weights, but it was a challenge to get through all 15 reps for sure. As far as dumbbell rows, I was able to pump out 2 sets of 15 reps with 85 lb dumbbells.  All in all, a decent workout – nothing too crazy but it was challenging working in the 15 rep training bracket.

Tuesday’s Weight Lifting Workout  – Biceps & Triceps

Bicep Warm-Up:
Barbell Curl: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Barbell Curl: 2 sets x 15 reps

Triceps Warm-Up:
Skull Crushers: 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Work Sets: (rest interval 2 minutes)
Skull Crushers: 2 sets x 15 reps

Today I performed 2 sets of 15 reps of barbell curls with 95 lbs and 2 sets of 15 reps of skull crushers with 115 lbs.  By the end of this workout, my arms felt like they were going to explode!

As far as my bodybuilding diet goes, I made a few small adjustments but nothing to write home about.  I’m really trying to focus my efforts over the course of the next few weeks on leaning out and stripping off body fat.  I know from past experience that there’s not too many things worse than having to strip off 2 -3 % body fat during the last week of a training cycle, so hopefully giving myself a few weeks to make it happen will allow me to avoid the misery of having to do too much too fast.

In order to strip off the body fat, I’ve decided to take a 2 headed approach and increase my energy expenditure by performing a few more cardio workouts during the week and lower my overall calorie intake just a bit. The potent combination of adding more cardio to my weight lifting routines and eating slightly less should be enough to get me over the hump as far as fat loss goes.

Here’s my modified bodybuilding nutrition outline for today (probably for the rest of the week as well)…

• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 4 cups of green tea
• 2 cups of cooked ground beef
• 2 cups of cooked spinach (sauteed in a pat of butter)
• 2 cups of cooked ground beef
• 1/4 cup of walnuts
• 3 eggs fried in olive oil

Well, that’s all I’ve got for today’s body transformation journal entry.  If you’re in the market for a few decent weight lifting routines give the two listed above a shot – although they seem like they’d be easy to work through if you use a weight that’s challenging enough they’ll totally kick your butt.

Your Friend And Trainer,

Nick

Arvada, Colorado USA
My Body Transformation Log – Day 41
Objective: To Burn Fat Gain Muscle Mass And Transform My Body In 12 Weeks

Yesterday I posted a few pictures of myself before I started my body transformation workouts and diet. Today, I thought I’d post a few current pictures highlighting my progress so far (at the 6 week point). So far I’d have to say that I’m really pleased with the progress that I’ve made.  While I don’t feel like I’ve stripped off too much body fat, I do feel like I’ve packed on quite a bit of muscle mass. If I can continue to strip away body fat and pack on muscle mass at the same time, I’ll be able to easily reach my goals!

Here are a few pictures of my body transformation progress at the end of 6 weeks…