Okay, so, week 1.
My first session back (a Y3T, Week 1 “Push” workout) was
fantastic; my palms were shredded and sizzling an hour later, so eagerly had I
grasped the bars, handles, dumbbells, and the glory – if you’ll excuse the
zeugma. My chest was pumped, shoulders bursting, triceps utterly
blood-engorged: a mark of vigour, not of pre-workout nitric oxide
supplementation (you could say I’m super-pumped, to the max, with SuperPumpMAX).
My pre-workout buzz was psychology; my intra-workout pump was fervent exertion;
my post-workout burn was a self-imposed frying of the CNS and pectoral region.
After workout #1, I can safely say: I’m back, baby.
I was so wiped that I guzzled my post-workout
shake in a matter of seconds. And, on that note, let me take you through my
supplementation routine.
Upon waking – multivitamin/multimineral, fish oils &
glucosamine/chonodritin joint-support tablets, and a WPI (whey protein isolate)
shake with breakfast.
Throughout the day – a Myofusion shake, for amino-acid
saturation in my system; this will soon be replaced by a homemade egg-white/WPI/milk
protein blend (for a multi-sourced EAA and BCAA influx), when the Myofusion –
and my cash – runs out.
Post-workout – a 2:1 (Vitargo:WPI) shake, as soon as I drop
the last dumbbell.
Before bed – milk protein shake.
You may note the scarcity of supplementation in my weekly
routine, and you’d be right to. It may slow progress, but this hyper-organic approach is partially in order
to prove my own body’s capability of transforming, and largely due to the fact
that I’m a student… and therefore strapped for cash — so it’s got to happen.
Fortunately, I’m currently at home, and so free to enjoy
copious amounts of home cooking. My workouts and my diet this week have
inflated my confidence and my musculature; let’s call it the
carbohydrate-pumps, eh? My previously loosening clothes are becoming snug across my chest again
and my energy is unstoppably returning. It really has been an ideal week for my
appetite to come back, and come back hard; I’m able to fuel my workouts with
vast quantities of good-quality carbohydrates and varied protein sources in my
diet, without much supplementation at all… which is just as well, because my
workouts have been hefty!
With my shoulder totally recovered, I skipped the
strength-replenishing workout programme I’d pencilled for myself, in favour of
Y3T. This week, therefore, has revolved around heavy compound lifts. A sample
“Push” workout follows:
Flat DB press, 3X 6-8 reps
Incline DB press, 3X 6-8 reps
Decline DB press, 3X 6-8 reps
DB Arnold press, 3X 6-8 reps
Next week shall see the introduction of isolation movements
and slightly higher reps.
