John Hansens Training Diary Week of April 20th 2008
by: John Hansen - April 26th, 2008
John Hansen’s Training Diary – Week of April 20th, 2008 Sunday, April 20th, 2008
My bodyweight and waist was the same as yesterday, I weighed 208.5 pounds and the waist was at 34 ½”. Today was my day off from the gym so I ate a total of seven meals and my carbs were really low. I kept the total amount of carbohydrates to 137 grams for the day.
I went to visit my parents today and then I had to stop by my brother’s house so I was gone for a few hours. As a result, I had to bring two protein drinks with me to cover my meals. That’s the biggest pain in the ass about being on a diet. You always have to eat every 2 ½ hours so if you are out of the house for more than a couple hours, you have to bring your meals with you. Here is exactly what I ate today:
Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops of Whey Gold
Meal 3 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 serving Pro Complex, 1 serving Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 4 – 3.95 oz lean ground turkey, 140 grams sweet potato, 3 oz broccoli
Meal 5 – 4.06 oz sirloin steak, ½ cup green peas
Meal 6 – 1 egg, 7 egg whites, 3 T. salsa, 1 T. natural peanut butter
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Today’s diet came out to 2461 calories, 268 grams of protein, 137 grams of carbohydrates and 72 grams of fats. This breaks down to 44% protein, 22% carbs and 26% fats.
Monday, April 21st, 2008
My weight this morning was up a little to 209.5 pounds and my waist was still at 34 ½”. I was training chest, triceps and calves this morning and my strength was down a little. I noticed I’m feeling a little weaker lately from eating the lower carbs. I think I’m going to go lighter the week after my exhibition is finished. A break from the heavy weights will be a good change of pace.
Today in the gym, I was about the same strength on DB Bench Press and Incline Press as I was for the last workout. My Flyes were better and I got more reps this workout than last time. Triceps were pretty good and I did cardio after my training session was over. Here is how the workout went:
DB Bench Press 75x12, 100x10, 120x6, 120x5
Incline Press 225x8, 255x4, 255x4
Incline Flyes 80x10, 80x8, 80x8
Close Grip Bench Press 185x8, 185x8, 205x7
Lying Tricep Ext. 100x12, 130x8, 150x6
Bench Dips BWx15, 80x10 drop set BWx8, 100x10 drop set BWx8
Standing Calf Raises 360x15, 460x10, 520x8
Seated Calf Raises 150x12, 200x8, 200x8
Cardio – Treadmill 3.3 mph @ 8.5 incline for 20 minutes
I increased my carbs a little more today because I felt like I was dragging in the morning so I had a serving of Waxy Maize with my pre-workout drink. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 2 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 3 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 serving Whey Gold, 1 serving Waxy Maize
Meal 4 – (During Workout) - 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 5 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 6 – 4.02 oz lean ground turkey, 107 grams sweet potato, 2.96 oz broccoli
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 8 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Today’s diet came out to 2938 calories with 315 grams of protein, 239 grams of carbs and 70 grams of fats. This breaks down to 43% protein, 33% carbohydrates and 21% fats.
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
My bodyweight today was a little higher again, which is weird. My weight today was 210.5 pounds and the waist is still 34 ½”. I’m glad my weight isn’t dropping too much because hopefully that means I am retaining muscle size and fullness.
Today was leg day at the gym and I was psyched up to have a great workout today. I wanted to really blast the legs today and do much better than the last leg workout and I did. I did more reps on leg presses and I went up in weight on Front Squats. Matt and I also finished off with Walking Lunges. Here is how the workout went:
Hanging Knee Raises BWx40, BWx30
Crunches – Bench BWx30, BWx25
Leg Curls 110x12, 130x9, 140x7 drop set 110x4
DB Stiff-leg Deadlifts 100x12, 120x9, 125x8
Leg Extensions (Body Master) 130x20, 170x15, 210x12
Leg Press 450x15, 630x15, 810x15, 810x14
Front Squats 135x12, 185x10, 205x6
Walking Lunges 115x12, 115x11
With my diet today, I kept the carbs down to close to 200 grams. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 2 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 3 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving creatine
Meal 4 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 5 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 6 – 4.13 oz lean ground turkey, 104 grams sweet potato, 2.75 oz broccoli
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 8 – 3.88 oz sirloin steak, 60 grams pasta sauce, ½ cup green peas, 1 T. natural peanut butter
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Today’s diet came out to 2937 calories with 322 grams of protein, 207 grams of carbohydrates and 80 grams of fats. This breaks down to 44% protein, 28% carbs and 25% fats. Great workout today and back to the gym tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
My bodyweight today was down to 208 pounds and the waist is still holding steady at 34 ½”. I normally take off on Wednesday but my schedule is sort of crazy tomorrow so I’m taking tomorrow off and training shoulders and calves today.
My strength seems to have leveled off a little lately, probably from the dieting. My chest and triceps workout this week was about the same as the last workout two weeks ago. My leg workout was really excellent yesterday but today’s workout was also about the same as the same workout two weeks ago also. Here is how it went:
Seated DB Press 45x15, 75x12, 100x7, 100x6
Seated Side Laterals 40x12, 50x8, 50x8
Upright Rows 125x12, 145x8, 145x8
Lying Side Laterals 30x12, 30x12, 35x8
DB Shrugs 120x12, 130x10, 130x8
Donkey Calf Raises 190 plus 45 lbs x 25, 190 plus 135 lbs x 25, 190 plus 180 lbs x 20
Face Down Calf Raises 260x10 x 3 sets
Cardio – 20 min on Treadmill – 3.3 mph @ 8.5 mph
My diet today was right on target and very similar to yesterday’s diet. I kept the carbs right at 200 grams and the protein was over 300 grams. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving creatine
Meal 3 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 4 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery, 1 serving creatine
Meal 5 – 4.06 oz lean ground turkey, 120 grams sweet potato, 3.28 oz broccoli
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 7 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 8 – 1 egg, 4 egg whites, 3 oz chicken, 3 T. salsa
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Today’s diet came out to 2873 calories with 316 grams of protein, 201 grams of carbs and 78 grams of fats. This breaks down to 44% protein, 28% carbs and 24% fats.
Thursday, April 24th, 2008
My weight today was about the same as yesterday, 209 pounds, and the waist is still at 34 ½”. I’m hoping the waist gets down to 34 ¼” by the end of the week so I stay on schedule.
Today was my day off after three straight days of training. I kept the carbs down to around 150 grams of carbohydrates so it was a good off day diet. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold
Meal 2 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 3 – 3.88 oz lean ground turkey, 138 grams sweet potato, 3 oz broccoli
Meal 4 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 5 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 scoop Whey Gold
Meal 6 – 4.23 oz sirloin steak, 44 grams pasta sauce, ½ cup green peas
Meal 7 – 2 eggs, 6 egg whites, 3 T. salsa, 1 T. natural peanut butter
Meal 8 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
My calories today were up to 2820 calories with 320 grams of protein, 151 grams of carbohydrates and 88.5 grams of fats. This breaks down to 45% protein, 21% carbs and 28% fats. My fats were a little higher today because I had 4 whole eggs today but I still kept the carbs around 150 grams so I should be ok. Back to the gym tomorrow.
Friday, April 25th, 2008
My weight today was up because of the extra sodium I ate yesterday with the salsa and pasta sauce, not to mention the extra meal of egg whites. My weight today was at 211 pounds and my waist is still at 34 ½”.
I was supposed to train back and biceps today but my lower back was giving me problems. I decided to hang upside down using my inversion boots today before I started the workout. I don’t think this was the reason my lower back was feeling strained but it could have had something to do with it. If the muscles in my lower back are strained and tight, the inversion will pull those muscles apart, if you will, and maybe cause some more strain.
Whatever the cause was, my lower back was in no shape to handle a back workout today. I got pretty upset and walked out of the gym. I was really pissed off because I didn’t want to miss a workout and I HATE, HATE, HATE injuries or anything that prevents me from training.
I went home and just ate a typical "rest day" diet today. I kept the carbs under 150 grams and hopefully can go back to the gym tomorrow and make up this workout that I missed today. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 3 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 serving Pro Complex, 1 serving Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 4 – 4.23 oz lean ground turkey, 121 grams sweet potato, 3.03 oz broccoli
Meal 5 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold
Meal 6 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 7 – 2 eggs, 6 egg whites, 4 T. salsa, 1 T. natural peanut butter
Meal 8 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
My calories today came out to 2589 calories with 314 grams protein, 146 grams of carbs and 82 grams of fats. The breakdown for today’s calories was 48% protein, 23% carbs and 29% fats.
Saturday, April 26th, 2008
My weight today was again at 211 pounds, no doubt because of the extra sodium with that extra meal of egg whites and salsa. My waist was disappointing because it is STILL at 34 ½”. Usually, I up my calories a little on Friday for my back workout and, as a result, this tends to kick up my metabolism and my waist typically goes down on Saturday. I was able to get my workout in today so I’m hoping the waist goes down on schedule tomorrow.
I went to the gym again today to make up for my abandoned workout yesterday. My back was still bothering me so I wasn’t about to try going heavy on barbell rows or deadlifts again or I knew I was going to have a repeat of yesterday’s disastrous workout. I stayed at 225 pounds on Barbell Rows, which is warm-up weight for this exercise. Instead of going heavier, I did 4 sets with the lighter weight. I was able to still go heavy on Seated Cable Rows but I had to abandon Deadlifts for this workout because of my lower back. I was able to do Hyper-Extensions though. Biceps were ok so I had a good workout with them. Here is how it went:
Close-Grip Pulldowns 130x15, 180x10
Barbell Rows 135x12, 185x10, 225x8 x 4 sets
Seated Cable Rows 250x9, 260x6, 270x6
Hyper-Ext. BWx20 x 3 sets
Incline Curls 45x12, 50x8, 50x8
Barbell Curls 115x8, 115x7
Hammer Curls 45x10, 50x7
Cardio – 23 minutes on Treadmill, 3.3 mph @ 8.5 incline
My diet was a little higher in both calories and carbs but I stuck with three protein drinks today instead of the extra egg whites and salsa meal so I’ll see if that helps to bring down the waist and weight tomorrow morning. Here is what I ate today:
Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 serving Whey Gold, 1 serving Waxy Maize
Meal 3 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 4 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery, 1 serving creatine
Meal 5 – 4.2 oz lean ground turkey, 139 grams sweet potato, 2.65 oz broccoli
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 7 – 3.21 oz sirloin steak, 35 grams pasta sauce, ½ cup green peas
Meal 8 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
My total calories today came out to 3017 with 319 grams of protein, 245 grams of carbs and 72 grams of fats. This breaks down to 42% protein, 32% carbohydrates and 21% fats.
The information contained in this article is not intended to be used for, or replace, the advice, medical diagnosis, or treatment of your doctor. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other licensed healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, diet, or exercise routine or when you have questions regarding any medical condition. Use of this article indicates that you expressly acknowledge and agree that Optimum Nutrition, Inc., its suppliers, licensees, and sub-licensees are not responsible for the results of your decision resulting from the use of this information including, but not limited to, your choosing to seek or not seek professional medical care based on the information contained in this article.
04/28/08
Hey John.....Question from your book... Arms, being a small muscle group, that gets worked out with every other body part, I do agree with you about the not over training, especailly for a natural bodybuilder, but, here is the question, if you are at a point were your not seeing growth in your arms, what then?... Six sets for bi's ? Like I had mentioned before in one of my other posts to you, I went back to doing arms on there own, not tri's after chest and bi's after back (feel like I get a better arm work-out that way). but how much is to much and how much is to little as in sets.... Love to hear your feed back on the topic of Arms. I'll also tell you why, I keep refering back to your book. When I was competing at 19, I was given to read a book on natural bodybuilding by the gym owner then, I never forgot about that book, and later on in life I tried to find that same book, but not knowing the author or the exact title, I didn't have any luck. Then I found your book, and I'm a big believer of the things you cover in there. Thanks Again for your time...
Nick
Nick
04/29/08
Keep it up John...Everything looks good on your diet...You should be looking really good when the Illnois state show rolls around...
chris
chris
05/05/08
Nick, regarding the arm training, my biceps always grew very easy. I had a peak on my biceps when I was 13 years old, before I was doing any serious weight training. When I started training back really heavy with weighted wide-grip chins, barbell rows, t-bar rows, etc, my biceps got really big. I did a lot of sets for my biceps when I was younger but I really cut back on working them as I got older because they were my best bodypart. For a few years, I never trained my biceps in the off season because they were too big in proportion to the rest of my body. To answer your question, I think the best routine is to do biceps with back and triceps with chest and then do a light, pump workout for both biceps and triceps about 3 days after your heavy workout. This should help to shock them into growing. I think you could do a maximum of 8 sets for biceps and 12 sets for triceps on the heavy training days. I was doing six sets for biceps but, like I said, they grew very easy for me.
I agree its a pain in the butt to have to eat every few hours, but its worth the end result!