# MonStar's Walking on the Westside!



## M.J.H. (Jun 26, 2005)

Westsssiiidddeee!!!  

Damn does it feel great to back at home with my training. I decided to look back on my past journals and see which I kept the longest, and which I had the best gains with. Of course, Westside won with flying colors. Of course, with SF's assistance and support, I think nearly *anything* is possible with this program. I am going to be doing the basic Westside program, using the following split:

1. ME Bench
2. DE Squat/Deadlift
3. Rest 
4. DE Bench
5. ME Squat/Deadlift
6. Rest

My rest days are not set in stone, but they're most likely going to happen every 3rd day. But we'll see how things go, of course. 

My diet is going to be clean, the only thing that I'm counting is protein. I'm not at all going to be worried about calories, or anything like that. I am going to be doing a M1T cycle folowed by Nolva for my PCT, so hopefully my gains will be good on this. We'll see what happens, of course. 

Wish me luck guys!


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## M.J.H. (Jun 26, 2005)

Saturday; 6-25-2005​
*ME Bench* (45 minutes, 21 sets) 

*Suspended Bench Presses:* (bar touching chest)

135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 2
295 x 2
315 x 1
325 x Miss

I was honestly happy today with 315 even though it's definitely not a PR for me. Just because I haven't done these Westside style exercises in so long, I expected my strength to have been gone. Nice to see I can still throw around a few amount of weight. Not too shabby at all, IMO. 

*Tate Presses:*

45's x 11
55's x 9
*70's x 6!*
40's x 16

Good sets today of Tate presses! I do these lying down on a flat bench, BTW. Worked up to the 70's for 6, nice PR there. Triceps were on fire from this damn exercise. I really feel like this exercise completely translates into bench lockout strength. 

*Flat DB Presses:*

110's x 8
110's x 7
110's x 7
110's x 6

Good sets here today, especially after the Tate presses. 

*DB Front Raises:*

50's x 7
60's x 5 
60's x 5

Nice sets of front DB raises, front delts were trashed. Going to work on my strength on these in the next few weeks. 

*Cable Pressdowns:*

Stack x 12
Stack x 11

Burned out my triceps with these 2 sets here today. Pretty damn good. Shooting for 20-24 total sets on my ME days and 25-29 total sets on my DE days. Just as a rough estimate for how much volume I'm looking for. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*Meal 2:* tuna wrap, 5mg M1T
*Meal 3:* pasta salad + tuna 
*Meal 4:* low-fat turkey chili + crackers
*Meal 5:* 3 tbsp. of peanut butter, 5mg M1T 

Diet was pretty solid today, not too bad. I honestly wasn't all that hungry today, for some reason. Protein intake was low, around 230g or so. 

Today is my first day starting my M1T cycle as well. Going to be doing 15mg a day for approximately 4 weeks, depending on how I feel. And I'm following this up with 4 weeks of Nolva, BTW.  

Sleep: 6.5 hours.  Woke up for absolutely no reason at all this morning. 

Weight: 223.5 lbs. Higher than usual. I am going to start weighing myself every couple days instead of every day.


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## Rocco32 (Jun 26, 2005)

Damn, look at that strength. You were made for Westside and powerlifting Mike  Nice w/o. 

Now when you do the Suspended Bench for reps, do you bring the bar back down and pause with it on your chest for a few seconds before the next rep?


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## M.J.H. (Jun 26, 2005)

*Rocco:* Hey man, thanks for the support bro! Really appreciate it. Nice to see the first post in my new journal is actually supportive and positive, not some kid telling me I'm a failure, lol. 




> Now when you do the Suspended Bench for reps, do you bring the bar back down and pause with it on your chest for a few seconds before the next rep?



Exactly. You're right on the money Rocco, when you come back down you rest the bar on the pins for a couple seconds, then explode back up.


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## Du (Jun 26, 2005)

What is a Tate press?


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## Triple Threat (Jun 26, 2005)

I can't remember which thread it was in, but P-funk thought that doing two max effort workouts on consecutive days was not a good idea.  One week, due to circumstances beyond my control,  I wound up having to do such a thing, and I agree whole-heartedly.  My suggestion would be ME upper, DE lower, rest.  Then DE upper, ME lower, rest.

The schedule I'm using is Mon ME Upper, Wed ME Lower, Fri DE Upper, Sat DE Lower.  I like having a day off after a max effort workout.


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## fUnc17 (Jun 26, 2005)

lookin good as usual mike


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## M.J.H. (Jun 26, 2005)

*du:* Tate press is named after Dave Tate, Westside powerlifter, and this is what it looks like:

















*CaptainDeadlift:* Wow, interesting point bro, I've never thought about that before but it honestly makes perfect sense. I'm switched my split in my first post. I'm going to do ME bench, DE squat/DL, then DE bench followed by ME squat/DL. Thanks for pointing that out! 

*fUnc:* Thanks bro, I appreciate the support.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 26, 2005)

Sunday; 6-26-2005​
*DE Squat/Deadlift* (65 minutes, 26 sets) 

*Speed Deadlifts:*

315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3

Bar speed needs some serious work! The bar moved slower than ever today. I haven't done deadlifts or trained legs for that matter in months. I can't believe how much I have lost in such a short time period. Whatever, I'll be back into the swing of things in no time. 

*CG Cable Rows:*

245 x 9
245 x 9
275 x 6
275 x 6

Good sets today, nothing too extraordinary. 

*Hack Squats:*

320 x 10
320 x 9
370 x 5
370 x 5

My legs were shaking like crazy after these 4 sets today! I really couldn't believe how out of shape my legs have gotten. I was honestly really dissapointed in how pathetic my legs are at this point. 

*Support Rows:*

165 x 10
210 x 5
210 x 5

*Hyperextensions:*

115 x 6
115 x 6
115 x 5

Hypers were officially flat out painful for my lower back and hamstrings. I'm going to focus on these a lot more in the next month or so. 

*Rope Cable Crunches:*

160 x 20
160 x 20

*Incline DB Curls:*

40's x 8
50's x 5

Finished up with some abs and biceps, good sets. I am going to be doing my biceps on my DE days and just a few sets for sh*ts and giggles. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*Meal 2:* pasta salad + grilled chicken
*Meal 3:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 4:* 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 5:* low-fat turkey chili + crackers
*Meal 6:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt

Ended up with around 290g of protein today. Not too bad, I don't think. For some reason on the weekends lately I haven't been eating as much as I do during the week when I'm at work. 

Sleep: 1 + 6.5 hours.  

Fell asleep downstairs then woke up and had to come upstairs to go back to bed. Whatever.


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## ihateschoolmt (Jun 26, 2005)

MonStar said:
			
		

> My legs were shaking like crazy after these 4 sets today! I really couldn't believe how out of shape my legs have gotten. I was honestly really dissapointed in how pathetic my legs are at this point.


 Your muscle memory will kick in, I bet you will be back to full strength in a month.


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## Seanp156 (Jun 26, 2005)

Are those hack squats free weight or machine? If that's freeweight, that's very respectable.


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## King Silverback (Jun 26, 2005)

Holy Cow Brother MonStar, Incredible weight your movin in here!!!


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## M.J.H. (Jun 26, 2005)

*ihateschoolmt:* Thanks for stopping by, bro. I really hope that my muscle memory kicks in. Deadlifting today felt so damn awkward because I haven't done it in so long. I really hope that I get back into the swing of things fast! 

*Seanp:* I'm not sure what you mean, bro. Hack squats are always done in a plate-loaded apparatus. So no its not a Nautilus machine, but yes its a plate-loaded machine. Here's a pic:






I do them facing away from the weights, if that makes sense.

*Archangel:* Thanks for the support, bro!


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## Seanp156 (Jun 26, 2005)

Not always, you can do BB hack squats : http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBHackSquat.html

 I've tried them, and can't say I'm a big fan of them, they're really hard on my knees.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 26, 2005)

*Seanp:* LOL, that brings back memories. I remember when I was a kid I bought Arnold's encyclopedia of bodybuilding and in there he had barbell hack squats. The exercise was pretty much unheard of in gyms and I tried it and it was nearly impossible. And even when I ended up doing it right, the ROM on the exercise was pathetic. I recommend plate-loaded hack squats hands down!


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## Seanp156 (Jun 26, 2005)

Well the place I go to now doesn't have a Hack Squat machine, but I'm switching in a couple weeks after taking a break, and they'll for sure have it.


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## shiznit2169 (Jun 26, 2005)

i've tried to learn how to do the hack squat machine but i dont know how to do it? I cant properly position myself under it and i dont know how to loosen the safety bar. Nobody ever uses it so i cant learn from anyone.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 27, 2005)

*Seanp:* I think hack squats are a good exercise bro, let me know what you think of them when you finally get a chance to try them. 

*shiznit:* It's really simple man I think if you just use a little trial and error you'll figure it out. There are usually handled that slide out to release the weight, or for mine you just stand up with the weight and it unhooks itself. Good luck, maybe ask someone that works there?


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## M.J.H. (Jun 27, 2005)

Monday; 6-27-2005​
*Rest*

*Cardio:*

10 minutes of interval training on the treadmill; alternating 1-minute of walking at 3.4 MPH with 1-minute of running at 10.6 MPH. 

Wow, my legs and lower back were extremely sore today---running was honestly painful. I did about 10 minutes of light stretching today after my cardio.

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*Meal 2:* pasta salad + tuna
*Meal 3:* whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich, 5mg M1T
*Meal 4:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 5:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 6:* ham & cheese sandwich, chicken noodle soup

Ended up taking in around 300g of protein today, not too bad at all.  

I completely forgot how much M1T kills your appetite! This is somewhat of a nice effect from this supplement. I'm on day 3 now of M1T, no noticeable side effects at all. Looking forward to a solid DE bench session tomorrow morning.  

Sleep: 9 hours.


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 27, 2005)

The Cap'n said it best. Put your DE days between your ME days. Gives you the best chance to rest up. Plus, if your DE Sq/DL day comes before your ME day, you'll have your speed work fresh in mind. Makes for some mental help when you're plowing through a PR.

And don't sweat bar speed. It'll take a couple sessions for your speed to get back up after the break you took.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 27, 2005)

*SF:* Hey man! I was hoping to see your name in here soon, thanks for stopping by bro I know how crazy your schedule has gotten lately. I took Captain's advice and interchanged my ME and DE days. I've never done that before I don't think so I hope this will yield better results than pairing up my ME and DE days together. 

I've never been so sore in my life! My lower back and lower body is just in pain, lol. Great to be back on Westside! I have to start embracing the lower back soreness I get from this program. I'm going to work on my bar speed the next few DE sessions. I think maybe I went too heavy on my speed deadlifts?


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 27, 2005)

Try this for your DE Bench...

Close-grip Speed Bench (grip as close as you can, keep the bar under control. lower controlled, fire up)
8 sets of 3 with 50% of your last 1RM

Incline DB Press (you'll remember these)
stick with one weight and rep to failure. rest briefly and rep to failure. repeat this until you hit 100 reps total

Cable Pushdowns (use the rope)
6 sets of 4 (start heavy and taper down the weight, you should be squeezing out the 4th rep big time)

Side Lateral/Front Raise Superset
3 sets of 12


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 27, 2005)

And here's an ME Sq/DL set...

Deads (off the floor, any stance you want)
you know the drill.

Hypers
3 sets of 12 (your hams and back won't appreciate high/low at this point)

Pulldowns (wide grip)
8 sets of 3 (heavy of course  )

Parallel-grip Rows
4 sets of 6

Hamstring Curls (on the lay down machine, one leg at a time)
5 sets of 5

Shrugs (if you have gas in the tank afterwards)
2 sets of 10

We'll work on the lower back more when it's adjusted to the weight. No use causing an injury a few days into this.


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 27, 2005)

And last but certainly not least...

ME Bench Day would probly look good like so:

Bench
establish a 1rm we can work from

Decline (slightly narrower grip)
figure 75% of the 1rm you just hit and do 8 sets of 2 with roughly 30 seconds of rest between sets

Dips
3 sets of 8

Flies
4 sets of 6

Pushups
go until you can't anymore


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## M.J.H. (Jun 27, 2005)

*SF:* Thanks man! Appreciate you taking the time to post my next couple of workouts. As you know I'll definitely follow them to the letter. I'm curious what my bench and deadlift 1RM right now, I know they're not going to be anything impressive. Last time I deadlifted I pulled 495 and it felt like a million pounds. So I'm hoping for mid 500's or so, but we'll see. 

Thanks again bro!


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## WATTS (Jun 27, 2005)

your looking real strong monstar keep up the good work...do you see much size being added while being on this type of routine?  i have personally not tried westside training, but am open to anything. tell what you like about it if you could. thanks..


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## DeadBolt (Jun 27, 2005)

Lookin good man...solid weights there my friend!

Damn I haven't seen SF in ages holy shit.


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## PreMier (Jun 27, 2005)

Lookin solid Mike.  

Welcome back Adam.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 27, 2005)

*WATTS:* Hey man, thanks for the support! I absolutely love Westside training, and yes, its a hypertrophy based program as well. All the assistance work that I do is basically geared towards hypertrophy. If you do a search I ran a few Westside journals in the past and made awesome gains in strength and size. Especially when I was running M1T while I was doing Westside. 

*DeadBolt:* Thanks for the support, bro. Yeah I am absolutely thrilled to have SF back on IM posting here in my journal. He honestly possesses invaluable training knowledge, IMO. I have never made better gains in my life, than when I was taking his advice. 

*Jake:* Thanks for stopping by, man.


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## Rocco32 (Jun 28, 2005)

Damn, that's some real good advice Mike! Congrats on having Adam back helping you, you did amazing with his tutelage! And your moving incredible weights, your westside journals have always been a HUGE inspiration to me.


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## Triple Threat (Jun 28, 2005)

Saturday Fever said:
			
		

> Flies
> 4 sets of 6



Flies? Really? 
This is the first time I've seen flies as part of a Westside routine.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 28, 2005)

*Rocco:* It's nice to see that my journals are inspiring someone! Really makes keeping them a lot more worthwhile knowing that everyone is reading them, etc. I'm going to try and get some more workout videos up in the next few weeks. Tomorrow I'm going to test my deadlift 1RM just to see where I'm at now. I know I have lost a good amount of strength since I didn't train legs for 3 months or so, oh well.

*CaptainDeadlift:* I'm not complaining, I absolutely love DB flyes!


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## M.J.H. (Jun 28, 2005)

Tuesday; 6-28-2005​
*DE Bench* (40 minutes, 24 sets) 

*CG Speed Bench:* (hands 2-3" apart)

155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3

Bar speed honestly wasn't really too shabby here today. I was happy with my explosiveness right off my chest. Hands were as close as I could comfortably keep them without wrist discomfort. 

*Incline DB Presses:* (CAT 75) 

75's x 21
75's x 11
75's x 10
75's x 8
75's x 7
75's x 6
75's x 6
75's x 6

OUCH, that's about all I have to say after doing this CAT 75 technique for incline DB presses. My triceps and pecs were completely TOAST after this. After the first 2 sets my muscles basically just went completely numb, and I was just going through the motions. The 75's for 21 on though isn't too bad, I guess.

BTW, to those of you who do not know what CAT is---its a technique SF taught me where basically you pick a # such as 50, 75, or 100. And you do as many sets as it takes until you add up to that number in reps. I did CAT 75 today so in 8 sets I got to 75 reps. I rested about 20-30 seconds between sets.

*Rope Cable Pressdowns:*

160 x 4
160 x 4
160 x 4
140 x 7
140 x 7 

Nice sets here today of pressdowns, really good triceps contractions. My triceps were already pumped as hell from the CAT.  

*Nautilus Lateral Raises:*

160 x 11
160 x 11
160 x 9

Shoulders were completely fried. Definitely a solid workout today.  

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich, 5mg M1T
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat ham & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* chicken salad wrap

Day 4 today of M1T, so far I'm feeling great. Workouts are awesome, and my appetite hasn't been too out of control lately, lol. 

Sleep: 7 hours. Not too bad.


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## Rocco32 (Jun 28, 2005)

Great w/o Mike, I bet that CAT technique really fried you LOL.  So where do you put your videos up so we can view them?


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## LauraMarie (Jun 28, 2005)

Wow, look at that strength!  Awesome job baby!  


Hope you have another great workout tomorrow with your ME squat/deadlift.  I'm glad that your appetite hasn't been out of control either recently.  Well, the weekend isn't here yet, lol.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 28, 2005)

*Rocco:* Hey man, well I haven't taken any videos lately at all. But when I do I'll get SF or Rob to post them up so everyone can view them. I always get some funny looks taking my digital camera in the gym with me, lol. 

*Laura:* Hey there! Haha, you sound so funny saying ME squat/deadlift, lol. Remember, ME stands for max-effort and DE stands for dynamic-effort or speed. Like today was my DE bench day and I did speed bench. Yeah lately my diet has been pretty good, M1T has a nice appetite supressing effect, which is really nice. I'm going to be keeping my diet clean from now on---no Chinese buffets no matter what!


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 28, 2005)

CaptainDeadlift said:
			
		

> Flies? Really?
> This is the first time I've seen flies as part of a Westside routine.



They're generally not since the routine teaches benching without mush pec use. I threw them in because as much as we're looking to up strength numbers, he's also still interested in physique. Figured some flies couldn't hurt in that department.


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 28, 2005)

Solid workout Mike. Just remember to load up on protein. Your shoulders need salvation.


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## shiznit2169 (Jun 28, 2005)

monstar, hows the BFFM ebook coming along?


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## LauraMarie (Jun 28, 2005)

"Remember, ME stands for max-effort and DE stands for dynamic-effort or speed."

Got it      LOL.

How's your back?  Still sore from your workout earlier babe?


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## M.J.H. (Jun 28, 2005)

*SF:* Good point about the flyes, bro. I am training just as much for my physique as I am for my strength. The CAT really beat me up today man, I don't know about maxing out on bench on Friday. We'll see how I feel, though. I am afraid that tomorrow my lower body is going to be too sore to max out on deadlifts. If I am still aching tomorrow what do you recommend? Maybe work up to my 2-3RM instead? 

BTW, what should I do about my ME day and the dips and push-ups. The push-ups kill my wrists so I can't do them and the dips my gym doesn't have a decent dip station. The only time I do dips is when I'm training in my basement. 

*shiznit:* I haven't had a chance to read it that much but what I have read looks solid, thanks bro.  

*Laura:* Hey! Yeah ME days are heavier days usually and DE days are lighter, for the most part. Today I didn't work my back at all, I work my back on squat/deadlift days not bench days. And my back is feeling okay, though. My legs are still hurting, but oh well. Hopefully tomorrow they'll be fine.


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## soxmuscle (Jun 28, 2005)

I am curious as to why you continously cycle m1t.  do you plan on trying AAS in the future?


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## M.J.H. (Jun 29, 2005)

*soxmuscle:* To answer your question I don't plan to ever do AAS. I absolutely love M1T though, the gains that I get from it are always very good. Makes it a worthwhile supplement, IMO. I don't have much of a reason not to do M1T. I had the idea of injections, etc. But I am not at all opposed to PH's and PS's.


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## fUnc17 (Jun 29, 2005)

damn mike. incline db's 75's for 21?


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## Riverdragon (Jun 29, 2005)

I feel like I am having a flashback   

knew I shouldn't have done that acid in the early 90's!


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## M.J.H. (Jun 29, 2005)

*fUnc:* Yeah, the 75's for 21, not too bad I guess. Nice slow reps really focusing on my pecs. I set the incline pretty low for those, actually. Thanks for checking out my journal. 

*Riverdragon:* Flashback? I'm lost, lol.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 29, 2005)

Wednesday; 6-29-2005​
*ME Squat/Deadlift* (55 minutes, 26 sets) 

*Conventional Deadlifts:* 

135 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 2 
405 x 2
495 x 1
585 x Miss  
585 x Miss 

Really upset with myself today on this first attempt at 585, I got it about 50-60% of the way up, and all I had to do was lock it out. Stuck at the top for a second or two and then just dropped it. My legs were still very sore today so I think this might have had something to do with it. Although 495 came up like cake, and I did get my 2nd attempt at 585 5-6" off the floor. 

*CG Cable Pulldowns:*

275 x 3
275 x 3
275 x 3
275 x 3
275 x 3
275 x 3
275 x 3
275 x 3

Did some high/low today for pulldowns, good sets, really hit my lats hard. Nice slow negative part of each rep. 

*Hyperextensions:*

95 x 10
95 x 10
95 x 8

My lower back was absolutely FRIED after these 3 sets of hypers today, holy sh*t. Really beat the hell out of my lower back today after these. I know for sure I'm going to be hurting tomorrow. 

*Incline DB Rows:*

50's x 9
50's x 9
50's x 10

Good sets of incline rows today, I do these facing an incline bench---really go nice and slow for each rep focusing on my lats.

*Nautilus Lying Leg Curls:*

200 x 5 
200 x 5
200 x 4
200 x 4

Finished up today with some leg curls, not too bad at all. My hamstrings were completely toast after these 4 sets. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich, 1 pint of skim milk
*Meal 3:* chicken salad wrap, 5mg M1T
*Meal 4:* tuna + crackers 
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 7:* salad + grilled chicken + italian dressing, 5mg M1T

Took in right around 320-330g of protein today.  

Sleep: 6.5 hours. Not enough.


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## Riverdragon (Jun 29, 2005)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *fUnc:*
> 
> *Riverdragon:* Flashback? I'm lost, lol.



you + westside + saturday fever = flashback.

I guess things really do happen in cycles.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 29, 2005)

*Riverdragon:* I think what you mean to say is me + Westside + SF = phenomenal gains, lol. Thanks for stopping by man its nice to know that you're still checking out my journal.


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## JerseyDevil (Jun 29, 2005)

Hey Mike.  You know I have been following your journals silently (and sometimes not so silently  ), but my observation is that you are happiest with the "Westside/SF" connection .


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## Rocco32 (Jun 29, 2005)

I agree with JD. And great w/o today, huge numbers there!


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## M.J.H. (Jun 29, 2005)

*JerseyDevil:* Hey man! Nice to know that you're still reading. I haven't seen your name lately in my journal. I completely agree man that the Westside/SF connection can't be beat for me! As long as SF sticks around, I can assure that this journal will stick around, too. 

*Rocco:* Thanks man, appreciate the support. Yeah today overall was a good workout, but I really wanted to hit 585. Whatever, I'll get it next time for sure.


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## ihateschoolmt (Jun 29, 2005)

Good lifting, I'm sure you will hit 585 next time.


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## DeadBolt (Jun 29, 2005)

Heya man awsome w/o!!!!!  Puts my deads to shame LOL!!!


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## M.J.H. (Jun 29, 2005)

*ihateschoolmt:* Hey man! Thanks for stopping by. I really hope that I hit 585 next time in the gym, too. 

*DeadBolt:* Thanks for the support bro! I really wanted to hit 585, but whatever. At least now I know where my sticking point is in deadlifts, thats one good thing.


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## DeadBolt (Jun 30, 2005)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *DeadBolt:*  At least now I know where my sticking point is in deadlifts, thats one good thing.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 30, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* I am waiting for SF to stop by and post my next couple of workouts. I have DE squat/deadlift, and then my DE bench and my next ME squat/deadlift.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 30, 2005)

Thursday; 6-30-2005​
*Rest*

*Cardio:* 

10 minutes interval training on the treadmill; alternated 1-minute if walking at 3.4 MPH with 1-minute of running at 10.6 MPH. Exhausting! 

*Rope Cable Crunches:*

160 x 20
160 x 20

Few quick sets of abs, nothing too intense. My lower back was cramping up during my running so I decided to do some light abs after.

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 3:* whole-wheat chicken salad sandwich
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat ham & cheese sandwich
*Meal 5:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 6:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk 
*Meal 7:* oatmeal + 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk 

Sleep: 8.5 hours.


----------



## Rocco32 (Jun 30, 2005)

I just watched your vids again Mike and they are awesome! I'm excited to go and work on my Deads tomorrow


----------



## LauraMarie (Jun 30, 2005)

When are you gonna post your new workout videos?  I want to see them.


----------



## Triple Threat (Jun 30, 2005)

LauraMarie said:
			
		

> When are you gonna post your new workout videos?  I want to see them.



Can't you just watch him at the gym?


----------



## King Silverback (Jun 30, 2005)

My GOD you have some HUGE numbers!!! Hows it goin Brother Mike?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 1, 2005)

*Rocco:* Thanks for the support Rocco, I really hope to have some new videos up in the next few weeks. We'll see what happens with my strength, I am not sure if I'll be maxing out on deads anytime soon or not. 

*Laura:* Hey there! Hopefully soon but I'm not sure. It has to be in the morning when its not busy, and when I am going for a 1RM on a particular exercise. 

*CaptainDeadlift:* She's at work when I go to the gym, lol. And I would feel kind of dumb if Laura came all the way to my gym in PA just to watch. 

*Archangel:* Hey man, thanks for the support I really appreciate it. Things are going great my friend---absolutely no complaints at all. This M1T is absolutely awesome stuff, as usual. My gains are nothing but extraordinary, I honestly feel like I look bigger and bigger everyday on M1T. Not to mention my pumps in the gym are about 2-3x what they normally are.


----------



## Triple Threat (Jul 1, 2005)

MonStar said:
			
		

> She's at work when I go to the gym, lol. And I would feel kind of dumb if Laura came all the way to my gym in PA just to watch.



Oops, sorry.      I thought the two of you were geographically closer.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 1, 2005)

DE Sq/DL

Speed Deads (off pins)
8 sets of 3 and do them off pins, not off the floor. Maybe 6" up

Hypers
10 sets of 2

Bentover Rows
3 sets of 8

Seated Rows
4 sets of 6

Abs
100 reps total


Sorry for the delay. Like I said, no free time anymore. Workouts are looking good. Don't sweat the dead. You've been off 1rm routines for awhile, it'll take your CNS time to "remember" how to lift. Do your speed deads off rack pins. I'll get your other days posted up this evening.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 1, 2005)

*CaptainDeadlift:* We're about 30 minutes from each other but our gyms are nowhere near each other, lol. 

*SF:* Hey man, thanks for taking the time to post in here. I appreciate it bro, I know how busy you are with school and everything else. Anyway, yeah I'm not going to worry about missing the 585. I was more than pleased with my bench strength today. So I really think today's workout made up for my deadlift miss. 

I'm going to maybe do my CAT technique for my abs tomorrow that will be interesting. I think I'm going to do it with Nautilus crunches, and see what happens. Maybe 5 sets of 20 or something.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 1, 2005)

Friday; 7-1-2005​
*ME Bench* (55 minutes, 23 sets)

*Bench Presses:*

135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 2
275 x 2
295 x 1
315 x 1
345 x 1
*355 x 1!*
365 x 1 (short)

Absolutely GREAT sets of bench today!  I was extremely pleased with my PR today on bench. 355 came up like cake, no struggle at all, no sticking point, anything. I went for 365 and I lost some balance when my spotter gave me my lift-off. That really through me off and when I came down I stopped about an an inch off my chest. I hit 365 without a problem but since I didn't touch my chest so I didn't count it. 

*Decline Bench Presses:* (shoulder-width grip) 

315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2

Great sets today of declines, did a medium-grip with my hands shoulder-width apart. Did 8 sets of 2 with 3 plates, all good solid sets. My last few sets were really close to failure. Triceps were definitely feeling it after these 8 sets. 

*Overhead Rope Extensions:*

140 x 12
170 x 9
170 x 9

Beat up my triceps with some leaning overhead rope extensions, nice sets. My triceps were SWOLE, lol.

*Flat DB Flyes:*

65's x 7
65's x 7
65's x 6

Finished up with some quick sets of flyes today, nothing too bad at all. I absolutely love DB flyes and I haven't really done them in ages. Overall workout was great.

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk 
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat chicken salad sandwich
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich, 5mg M1T
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat chicken salad sandwich
*Meal 5:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 6:* 1/2 ham & cheese sandwich
*Meal 7:* chicken noodle soup
*Meal 8:* 1/2 peanut butter sandwich

Ended up today with right around 300g protein. Not too bad at all. 

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


----------



## fUnc17 (Jul 1, 2005)

355, damn.. nice man


----------



## Rocco32 (Jul 1, 2005)

Congrats on that PR Mike! I'll be happy when I hit 100lbs behind you


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 1, 2005)

*fUnc:* Thanks for the support, bro. 

*Rocco:* Thanks for stopping by man, I really appreciate it. I was really pleased with 355. It came up like nothing, honestly. Perfect lift-off, and really smooth execution. 365 honestly was more of a struggle, I just wish I would have touched my chest with the damn bar! I was off balance going down so was somewhat intimidated by the weight, I think. Oh well.


----------



## Rocco32 (Jul 1, 2005)

The liftoff is so important. Even with squatting coming outta the rack. The slightest imbalance throws everything off IMO. Think how much extra energy and effort you had to put back into balancing the bar. Even though it was only a split second it's quite a bit. I bet with a good lift off you woulda had it much easier


----------



## Alaric (Jul 1, 2005)

Awesome numbers MonStar.  By any chance, have you ever posted an outline of what you plan on doing??  I was interested in reading up on Westside training, just don't know where to start learning...


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 1, 2005)

*Rocco:* I completely agree bro, the lift-off is definitely everything. I think it really makes or breaks the lift, for sure. Without a good lift-off it really throws off my lift completely. 

*Alaric:* Hey man, check out www.elitefts.com for some more info on Westside training. Its a fairly simple program, and you can really do the program any way that you want to. You don't have to follow any kind of strict guidelines at all which is something that I always really liked. There are 4 basic workouts per week---ME bench, ME squat/deadlift, DE bench, and DE squat/deadlift. The ME workouts are max-effort, and I start them off with a max-effort exercise, and work up to my 1RM, 2RM, or 3RM. The DE workouts are dynamic-effort, and start off with speed work.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 2, 2005)

Whats up mike!!!!  Sorry been workin alot couldn't get on.  Thats awsome SF is helpin ya out with everything!  He is a good guy...he always helped every time I asked for it.  Couldn't ask for a better guy to be helpin ya IMO.

Damn bro awsome benching!!!!!!  That entire w/o is sick....you were built for this shit LOL.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 2, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. Yeah I agree that SF is the absolute best trainer I could have ever asked for. I've never had more productive workouts in my life. I just hope he can squeeze the time in his schedule to keep giving me workouts. Yeah I was really pleased with my bench strength, I was almost shocked because I haven't maxed out in bench in 6+ months.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 2, 2005)

Geez man, that was big!

Had to do a birthday dinner for a pal in San Francisco last night so I was out. What are your next couple days and I'll get something posted for you.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 2, 2005)

*SF:* Hey man, thanks! I was really impressed with my bench strength. I've never felt so strong on bench before in my life. Maybe its this M1T starting to really kick in. Tomorrow is a rest day and then on Monday I have DE bench and Tuesday I have ME squat/deadlift. 

BTW, were going to have to cross off hypers from now on unless its 3-4 sets of 8. We got a new hyperextension bench at my YMCA and its absolutely painful to  go heavy on it. Crushes my manhood, along with my thighs, etc. Not to mention there's no place to put the weight.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 2, 2005)

Saturday; 7-2-2005​
*DE Squat/Deadlift* (55 minutes, 25 sets) 

*Speed Rack Deadlifts:* (plates 6" off the floor) 

315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2

Felt very strong here today on my rack pulls. 315 felt like cake, I really think that I can hit 585 if I try it again. Trying to really focus on bringing my deadlifts up to par with my bench. I don't care AT ALL about squats, honestly. I realize that genetically I'm not a strong squatter, and I don't have much of a desire to be. 

*Bentover Rows:*

275 x 8
275 x 8
275 x 8

Nice sets today of bentover rows, alternated between an overhand and underhand grip. Both seem to hit my lats effectively, but overall I think I prefer an overhand grip, and Yates style, of course. 

*Hyperextensions:*

165 x 4
165 x 4
165 x 4
115 x 8
115 x 7

OUCH, my gym got a new hyperextension and its absolutely painful to go any higher than 115. Did a few sets of 4 with 165 and absolutely crushed my boys---then dropped the weight and realized it wasn't even worth it. 

*CG Cable Pulldowns:*

215 x 7
215 x 7 
215 x 7
185 x 11

Nice sets today of pulldowns, lats were toast. 

*Rope Cable Crunches:* (multiple variations)

160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20

I did all kinds of variations of rope crunches today. One set was twisting to hit my obliques more, one set was knees spread, one set was knees together, one set was with my body further away from the weight stack than usual, etc. Just trying to mix it up, basically.  

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* MRP bar
*Meal 2:* grilled chicken sandwich
*Meal 3:* whey protein & fruit smoothie 
*Meal 4:* turkey & cheese sandwich, soy chips
*Meal 5:* 4-5 tbsp. peanut butter 
*Meal 6:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk 

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


----------



## King Silverback (Jul 2, 2005)

I can't get over the amount of weight your throwin around like it's nothing!!! Awesome w/o!!!


----------



## P-funk (Jul 2, 2005)

> I realize that genetically I'm not a strong squatter, and I don't have much of a desire to be.



everbody has their lifts.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 3, 2005)

Kick ass w/o bro!!!  nice rack pulls!  I don't think 585 is going to be a problem what so ever for ya this time around!!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 3, 2005)

*Archangel:* Thanks for stopping by man, I really appreciate the support! That was my DE day so a little lighter than my ME day, so not too too heavy. But thanks for the post! 

*Patrick:* I concur. 

*DeadBolt:* Thanks for the support! Yeah I really don't think that 585 will be too much of a problem. I yanked it halfway up and just basically gave up on it I think. I'm not going to try for it again for a few weeks so hopefully when I do this M1T will really have kicked in.


----------



## Rocco32 (Jul 3, 2005)

Great w/o Mike. Sucks about the Hypers though, that's such a good exercise. What's different about it and how did you hold that much weight before?

Oh, and I thought you'd be pleased to know I did Speed Bench today


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 3, 2005)

*Rocco:* Thanks for stopping by man, I have no idea about the hyperextension! It absolutely SUCKS now its a whole new unit. The padding is very poor and it almost hurts to do them normally (without any weight at all). So now I don't know what to do. I guess I'm going to have to focus a lot more on good mornings, etc.  

Nice to hear you did speed bench! I think you'll find it definitely helps your bar speed when you're maxing out.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 3, 2005)

Sunday; 7-3-2005​
*Rest* 

*Cardio:*

10 minutes of interval training on the treadmill; alternating 1-minute of walking at 3.4 MPH with 1-minute of running at 10.6 MPH. 

*Smith-Machine Calf Raises:*

245 x 10
245 x 10
245 x 10
245 x 10
285 x 8
285 x 8
195 x 15
195 x 15

Did some calf raises today basically because I know my calves are getting neglected like crazy anymore. Really hit my calves hard today though with a lot of volume. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat ham & cheese sandwich
*Meal 3:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 4:* low-carb grilled chicken wrap 
*Meal 5:* chicken & rice soup
*Meal 6:* 4 tbsp. peanut butter 
*Meal 7:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk 

Took in a good amount of protein today, trying to slam down a few extra shakes a day to get my strength up. I also notice the more I clean food I eat the less I want to binge. Binging has crossed my mind lately but I haven't thought twice about it at all. 

Sleep: 8.5 hours.


----------



## Alaric (Jul 3, 2005)

Awesome workouts MonStar, and thanks for the site.

On average how long do you spend in the gym??


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 3, 2005)

*Alaric:* Hey man, if you check out next to my workout that day I have how long I am in the gym, and the total # of sets that I perform in that workout. Normally 45-65 minutes for these Westside workouts. Because they're slightly higher volume than what I normally do.


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## P-funk (Jul 3, 2005)

just an idea...............trying to sprint for a minute can be tough and, can it really be called a sprint if it takes 60sec to complete?  I usually have people go balls out for 20-30sec.  If you drop your sprint to a shorter amount of time like that you can turn up the speed and go a heck of a lot faster, increasing the lactic acid burn and anerobic affect you are looking for.  For the rest interval it can be anywhere from 30-120sec.


----------



## soxmuscle (Jul 3, 2005)

Has it been a week?  wow, im impressed.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 3, 2005)

DE Bench

Speed Bench (as wide as you can hold it and balance)
8 sets of 3

OH DB Press
12 sets of 2 (as heavy as you can handle, drop 5lb between sets if necessary)

Side Laterals
3 sets of 8

Front Raise
4 sets of 6

Cable Pulldowns ( pull them apart HARD)
2 sets of 12

I want to overload on shoulders again because I think we're on to something. We ran CAT on them last time and you responded with a big PR. I think maybe we can run on your shoulders for a few weeks and see good returns on your ME days. We'll have to shift things a bit to keep your CNS guessing, but I think we can ride your shoulders to another PR before we do.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 3, 2005)

*Patrick:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. I am going to take your advice 100% as I completely agree with you. I hate running for a full minute. Not only does it completely wipe me out, but I am not running at an all out sprint. At 10.6 MPH I am running at a good pace---but its far from a sprint. I'm going to do 60-90 seconds of walking with 30 seconds of an all out sprint. As fast as my treadmill will go, lol.  

*soxmuscle:* Yes, yesterday was a week. 

*SF:* Hey man! Thanks for the post bro, I appreciate it. I am going to do that DE bench session tomorrow. I am guessing you read about my gym's new hyperextension bench---so thats not going to be an option anymore. Unless I'm doing 3 sets of 8 or something light. I wanted to try and get back into suspended GM's, etc. I agree that pounding my shoulders I think is a great idea. Do you think I could do something other than OH DB presses though? For the simple reason that I spend more time trying to get the first rep than anything. What about BTN presses or push presses?

And the cable pressdowns, should I do rope pressdowns? Overhead rope extensions? Regular pressdowns? Regular old pressdowns I can handle the stack for 12-15 reps. So what do you think? 

BTW, any ideas for Tuesday's ME squat/deadlift session? Trying to hit a new deadlift PR in the next few weeks.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 3, 2005)

You could do anything that is close to an overhead press. What we want to nail are your shoulders.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 4, 2005)

*SF:* Thanks for stopping by, bro. I started off with seated DB presses today but lost my balance with the 100's and just said f*ck it and did some seated BTN presses instead.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 4, 2005)

Monday; 7-4-2005​
*DE Bench* (55 minutes, 29 sets) 

*Speed Bench:* (wide-grip) 

155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3

Wow, I really like benching with an extremely wide grip. I can't tell if I am stronger this way or not but it was definitely nice for a change of pace, that's for sure. My hands were right around double shoulder-width apart. 

Seated DB Presses:

100's x Miss  

WTF? I didn't sit back with the DB's properly at all. Lost my balance and couldn't even complete a single rep with the 100's. I said f*ck it and did BTN presses instead. 

*Seated BTN Presses:*

205 x 2
195 x 2
195 x 2
195 x 2
195 x 2
195 x 2
195 x 2
195 x 2
185 x 2
185 x 2
185 x 2
185 x 2

WOW, these sets absolutely KILLED me today. I started off with 205 for a double, OUCH. That was near failure so I had to drop down to 195 for 7 sets of 2. Then when I started to hit failure with 195 I dropped to 185 for 4 sets of 2. 

*DB Lateral Raises:*

45's x 6
45's x 6
35's x 11

Nice sets today of lateral raises---really beat up my shoulders pretty bad. Especially after BTN presses. 

*BB Front Raises:*

85 x 8
85 x 8
85 x 7
85 x 7

Finished up my shoulders with some BB front raises. Raised the BB to my forehead, and then lowered slowly. This exercise honestly beat the hell out of my front delts. No complaints here today at all. My shoulders were absolutely TOAST. 

*Rope Cable Pressdowns:*

160 x 12
160 x 12

Really hit my triceps hard today with these 2 sets. After 8 sets of speed bench, and then 12 sets of BTN presses, my triceps were already pretty shot. These definitely finished off my triceps nicely.  

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*Meal 2:* 1 bag of peanuts
*Meal 3:* garden salad, dinner roll, 2 grilled chicken breasts + bruschetta
*Meal 4:* garden salad + tuna 
*Meal 5:* MRP bar
*Meal 6:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter

Sleep: 8 hours.


----------



## P-funk (Jul 4, 2005)

when I get up to and over 90lb DBs I try to stand infront of the bench and clean them to my shoulders and then sit down and press.  they get to hard to kick up for me when they are that bulky.  Or you caould ahve someone hand them to you in the top position?


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 5, 2005)

Hopefully this isn't too late...

ME Sq/DL

Suspended Good AMs
work to a 3RM and set the pins slightly higher than your belly button

Hack Squats
6 sets of 4

Ham Curls
3 sets of 8

Lat Pulldowns (as wide as you can grip)
4 sets of 6

Rear Lateral Raises
2 sets of 8

Calves
2 sets of 12


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 5, 2005)

*Patrick:* I'm going to try and clean the DB's the next time I do seated DB presses, because honestly the way I get them up is very difficult. Honestly when someone hands them to me it makes them even more difficult. For some reason one at a time it pre-exhausts that side, if that makes any sense. 

*SF:* Hey man, lol, you were too late. But that's going to be my next ME squat/DL for sure. Can you give me an ME bench and DE squat/deadlift for Thursday and Friday?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 5, 2005)

Tuesday; 7-5-2005​
*ME Squat/Deadlift* (50 minutes, 25 sets)

*Rack Deadlifts:* (bar set at knee level) 

135 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 3
405 x 2
495 x 2
585 x 1
635 x Miss (grip)  

Damn was I pissed off today! My gym always has a bag of chalk thats available for everyone to use and for whatever reason today the chalk wasn't there. Pulled 635 all the way up almost 100% lockout but my grip slipped and I dropped the weight on the pins. 

*Incline DB Rows:*

45's x 12
45's x 12
60's x 7
60's x 7
60's x 7

Did some reverse incline DB rows today, hit my lats pretty hard. My rotator cuffs were killing me after yesterdays 12 sets of BTN presses, lol. Still managed to hit my lats pretty hard here today. 

*Suspended Good Mornings:*

225 x 2
225 x 2
225 x 2
225 x 2
225 x 2
225 x 2
225 x 2
225 x 2

Did 8 sets of 2 in suspended GM's, really good sets. My lower back was toast after these 8 sets. Not bad, at all. 

*Nautilus Pullovers:*

240 x 12
240 x 12

Did a few sets of pullovers since I rarely do these anymore on Westside. Good sets, though, nice slow negative. 

*Smith-Machine BTB Shrugs:*

245 x 10
245 x 10
245 x 10

Nice sets of shrugs to finish up my workout today, really hit my traps hard. I absolutely love BTB smith-machine shrugs! 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + 1 pint of skim milk
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + 1 pint of skim milk
*Meal 5:* soy protein bar
*Meal 6:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 7:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 8:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter 

Sleep: 7 hours.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 5, 2005)

ME Bench

Decline
run to a 1RM

Tate Press
10 sets of 2

Close-grip Bench (as close as you can balance and control)
4 sets of 6

Side Laterals
2 sets of 12

Flat DB Press
1 set, rep to failure. (try to pick a weight where you fail around 25)


DE Sq/DL

Speed Deads
8 sets of 3 (use a wide stance for 4 sets and a narrow stance for 4, but not your normal stance)

Pull-Throughs
5 sets of 5

SLDL
6 sets of 2

Ham Curls
3 sets of 12


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 5, 2005)

*SF:* Thanks man, will do. Both workouts look good---I am looking forward to doing them. If you get a chance before Saturday to post up my DE bench workout that would be great man, thanks again. I'm feeling great so far combining your workout advice with M1T---I really think this combo is as good of gains as I can get.


----------



## King Silverback (Jul 5, 2005)

SICK weight Brother, just SICK!!!


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 5, 2005)

Jump on MonStar's program, Arch.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 6, 2005)

*Archangel:* Thanks man! Like SF said, jump on the Westside bandwagon! 

*SF:*


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## M.J.H. (Jul 6, 2005)

Wednesday; 7-6-2005​
*Rest*

*Cardio:* 

12 minutes of interval training on the treadmill; alternating 75-seconds of walking at 3.5 MPH with 30-seconds of running at 12.0 MPH. This was exhausting! 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 3:* low-carb peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich, 5mg M1T 
*Meal 6:* grilled chicken wrap
*Meal 7:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*Meal 8:* chicken noodle soup, 5mg M1T

Sleep: 6.5 hours.


----------



## shiznit2169 (Jul 6, 2005)

it's weird. Some days you get like 6 hours of sleep and other days you get 8. Is it because you wake up in the middle of the night, not sleep too well or go to bed later than usual?

btw, hows the BFFM book if you had time to read it?


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## M.J.H. (Jul 6, 2005)

*shiznit:* Hey man, thanks for checking out my journal. Yeah my sleep is all over the place a lot of the time. I try and get a minimum of 7 hours every night without fail but sometimes due to my schedule and different things going on, its just not possible.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 6, 2005)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *shiznit:* Hey man, thanks for checking out my journal. Yeah my sleep is all over the place a lot of the time. I try and get a minimum of 7 hours every night without fail but sometimes due to my schedule and different things going on, its just not possible.


Just get what ya can when ya can lol.  I ussually get a solid 7-8 at night but I always nap at work LOL.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 7, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* LOL, that would be nice. I always feel like taking a nap in the late afternoon but I'm at work so its not really an option.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 7, 2005)

Thursday; 7-7-2005​
*ME Bench* (50 minutes, 23 sets)

*Decline Bench Presses:*

135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 2
315 x 2
345 x 1
385 x 1
*395 x 1!*  

Really really impressed myself with my decline pressing strength today. I don't know if its the M1T or what but I am nothing but pleased. 395 came up very smooth. I was going to try 405 but I figured I am better off trying it fresh not after 385 and 395 singles. 

*Tate Presses:*

90's x 2 
90's x 2 
90's x 2 
90's x 2 
90's x 2 
90's x 2 
90's x 2 
90's x 2 

Nice sets of Tate presses here today, did 8 sets of 2 instead of 10 sets of 2 because I was a bit pressed for time. I've been late to work nonstop lately. Really hit my triceps though with these 8 sets. My triceps were TOAST.

*CG Bench Presses:* (hands 3" apart)

225 x 6
225 x 6
225 x 5
225 x 5

WOW, these CG bench sets were exhausting! After 8 sets of Tate presses my triceps had nothing left. Did these with as close of a grip as I could possibly handle without wrist pain. 

*Nautilus Lateral Raises:*

180 x 11
180 x 11

*Flat DB Presses:*

*85's x 27!*

Finishing set of flat DB presses was great, beat the hell out of my pecs and triceps. After about 20 reps I was completely trashed. The last 7 reps I was barely completing each rep. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 3:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 4:* raw walnuts, 5mg M1T
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*Meal 7:* tuna wrap, 5mg M1T 

Sleep: 8 hours. Not bad.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 7, 2005)

That's a superb ME day! When you're free, take a second and just add up all the weight you lifted today. That's what a routine is supposed to look like.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 7, 2005)

*SF:* I can't argue with you there bro, I was really impressed with my workout this morning. I was feeling pretty damn good when I woke up so I had a feeling I was going to have a solid workout. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's DE session so we'll see how that goes.  

Any ideas yet for my DE bench day? Also, is a bad idea to throw in some rows in tomorrow's DE squat/deadlift session?


----------



## sftwrngnr (Jul 7, 2005)

Hey Mike,
You rock man.... so I did some Tate presses today.  You definitely get my props.  Awesome workout!


----------



## Rocco32 (Jul 7, 2005)

Wow Mike!!! That is a great w/o, congrats on your PR and ALL that weight!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 7, 2005)

*sftwrngnr:* Hey bro, thanks for stopping by. Those Tate presses today absolutely blasted my triceps! I really like the 8-10 sets of 2-3, lately I attribute a lot of my strength to this principal that SF showed me.

*Rocco:* Thanks man! I was really really pleased with 395. My spotter said I should have tried 405 but I knew that if I didn't get it, mentally this would have slowed me down some. So maybe in a few weeks I'll try 405 on decline fresh.


----------



## LauraMarie (Jul 7, 2005)

Hey sexy, have a great DE squat/deadlift day tomorrow   
Your workouts are looking awesome baby!  
You have some unbelievable strength, rock hard triceps too


----------



## King Silverback (Jul 7, 2005)

Awesome PR!!! Huge numbers!!!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 8, 2005)

*Laura:* Hey there! I'm a little pissed that I woke up so damn late today, but whatever. I'm going to workout tonight when I get out of work around 7:30. But gym closes at 9:00 so I really have to hurry up, lol. Yeah everytime I do this Westside program my triceps and ghetto booty always blow up. 

*Archangel:* Thanks man!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 8, 2005)

Monday; 7-4-2005​
*DE Squat/Deadlift* (60 minutes, 24 sets) 

*Speed Deadlifts:* (sumo style feet 1" from plates)

315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3

*Speed Deadlifts:* (conventional style feet 6" apart)

315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3

Nice variations for my speed lifts here today, ended up doing first sumo style with my feet just barely not touching the plates. And then the next 4 sets I did with my feet almost touching, which was very interesting. Both sets were great. 

*Rope Cable Pull-Throughs:*

Stack x 12
Stack x 12
Stack x 12
Stack x 12

Used the entire stack for 4 sets of 12, nothing too exciting here today. I honestly wasn't all that impressed. The stack at my gym is so damn light for these. But there isn't really another way to do them. 

*SLDL:*

455 x 4
455 x 4
455 x 4
455 x 4

OUCH! These absolutely killed me, for some reason. My hamstrings were kind of tired after the speed deads and then the pull-throughs. My grip was aching because we don't have any chalk at my gym. And my strength was giving out. So instead of 6 sets of 4 I cut it down to 4 sets of 4. 

*CG Cable Pulldowns:* (underhand close-grip)

245 x 9
245 x 8
245 x 8

Nice sets, wanted to do some lats today. 

*Nautilus Seated Leg Curls:*

160 x 12
180 x 10
180 x 10

Good sets of leg curls, nothing too exciting at all. 

*Concentration Curls:* 

40's x 12
40's x 12

Finished up with some quick biceps because I haven't done them in forever. I really liked them actually. Biceps actually got a good pump from these 2 quick sets. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Meal 1:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk
*Meal 2:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 3:* 1 pint of skim milk, 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 5:* chili + beans
*Meal 6:* 2 chicken breasts + tomato sauce, 5mg M1T 

Sleep: 7 hours.


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## DeadBolt (Jul 8, 2005)

Wow bro thats some damn nice demonstrations of pure strength my friend!!  Awsome w/o's.  Damn 27 w/ the 85's!!!!!  Thats funny LOL.  And 395 on the decline...my man mike keep at it brotha!!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 9, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by I really appreciate it. Yeah lately I really feel like this M1T is starting to kick in because I'm hitting new PR's constantly. I'm hoping SF will post my DE bench workout before I head to the YMCA tomorrow. I want to see what he has in mind for me.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 9, 2005)

Saturday; 7-9-2005​
*Rest* 

*Cardio:*

12 minutes of interval training on the treadmill; alternated 75-seconds of walking at 3.4 MPH with 30-seconds of running at 12.0 MPH.

*Smith-Machine Calf Raises:*

285 x 12
285 x 12
285 x 12
285 x 12

Nice sets of calf raises today, really trying to blast my calves on my rest days. Between running at seated calf raises I think this might get them growing.

*Rope Cable Crunches:* (multiple variations)

160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20

Good sets of abs today, nothing too intense. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + mixed fruit
*Preworkout:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*Postworkout:* MRP shake
*Meal 3:* tuna wrap
*Meal 4:* lettuce wraps + chicken
*Meal 5:* salad + vinegarette dressing, 2 chicken breasts, green beans 

Diet was pretty good today, not too bad. I had defensive driving all day so I had to do the best I could. My parents tried making lettuce wraps, lol. They were okay, nowhere near as good as P.F. Chang's, though, lol. Ended up today with roughly 260-270g of protein. A little on the low side, but oh well.

Sleep: 6 + 1 hours.


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## Rocco32 (Jul 10, 2005)

Looking great Mike. How are you feeling?


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 10, 2005)

Heya bud...glad SF is keepin ya on your toes LOL.  Keeps ya guessin week to week heh.  Man I wish my shoulder wasn't hurt so I could try westside.  I was gonna do it before I attempted my comp but I decided not to pre contest.  I regret it!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 10, 2005)

*Rocco:* So far I'm feeling great man, 2 weeks without binging, on the same program, with SF's (now Fighting Irish I believe) assistance. M1T is going great, I think it's really starting to kick in. I'm hoping for a solid DE bench session today, we'll see how things go.

*DeadBolt:* Westside is great man, when I first got into the program (without SF's posting all my workouts) I wasn't a huge fan of it. Because it felt like the same damn thing all the time. But with SF posting different variations all of the time, it really keeps things interesting. 

BTW, talked to SF on AIM today and my DE bench workout, so stay tuned.


----------



## BritChick (Jul 10, 2005)

Hi Mike,
Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by and saying hello.
Congrats on sticking with the new journal and program... keep up the hard work!


----------



## Fighting Irish (Jul 10, 2005)

I remember when you first started Westside. You hated deads and your first time you pulled just over 300lb. Now you've pulled 600+ on more than one occassion and you love deads. 


(if anyone's curious, my SF login is screwed up because I tried to change my email address and something got blitzed.)


----------



## Alaric (Jul 10, 2005)

Nice jobs on the lifts here MonStar, a quick question though.  Do you follow a specific percentage range for your lifts, or are they continuosly varying as your exercises changes?


----------



## King Silverback (Jul 10, 2005)

Whats goin On Brother MonStar? I see your still throwin around unGODly numbers!!!


----------



## PreMier (Jul 10, 2005)

Fighting Irish said:
			
		

> I remember when you first started Westside. You hated deads and your first time you pulled just over 300lb. Now you've pulled 600+ on more than one occassion and you love deads.
> 
> 
> (if anyone's curious, my SF login is screwed up because I tried to change my email address and something got blitzed.)



PM Prince, I bet he could help you out with it.


----------



## Fighting Irish (Jul 10, 2005)

I couldn't send PM's under the login. One has already been sent though, thanks.

Alaric, percentages are a large part of the scheme, but they're not precise numbers. When I tell him 8 sets of 3 on a lift, he simply chooses a weight that he thinks he can squeeze 3 reps with. If he chooses too light, he either increases or knows better next time.

In general, though, when doing sets of 2 or 3, you'll be working with 85% or more of your 1RM. Then you'll see the scaled down lifts where it goes sometimes as low as 60%. You will be familiar with this principle, as it is applied in P/RR/S. The main difference in what I do/teach and what gopro does/teaches is that where you do the lifts in weekly cycles, MonStar does the lifts in daily cycles.


----------



## Alaric (Jul 10, 2005)

Thanks for the explanation SF.  So even on DE days, he is still going to failure on all sets?


----------



## Fighting Irish (Jul 10, 2005)

Yes. The only difference between ME and DE days is the way the main lift is performed. It is feasible to do pin presses or suspended good mornings, for example, on either day. On the DE day he would use much less weight, however, and focus on speed/explosion.


----------



## Alaric (Jul 10, 2005)

Thanks for the explanation!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 10, 2005)

*BC:* Hey there, thanks for stopping by I appreciate the feedback a lot. Yeah I'm glad to be on this program and binge-free for 2 weeks now. Now I just have to stick it out another couple weeks. I think once I'm a month binge-free I should be good to go in terms of stopping my binging completely.

*SF:* Sorry dude, I still have to call you SF even if that's not your name anymore. Its stuck in my head, lol. When I first started Westside training I wasn't a big fan of deadlifts at all. I think I actually pulled 345ish my first time ever. And I did absolutely HATE deadlifts, lol. That's a fact, I dreaded doing them for whatever reason. But now I can't imagine not doing them. 

*Alaric:* SF can answer better than I can, lol. Thanks for stopping by though, man. 

*Archangel:* Thanks for stopping by dude! 

*Jake:* Yeah hopefully he gets the SF name back, I'm so used to that.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 10, 2005)

Saturday; 7-9-2005​
*DE Bench* (65 minutes, 24 sets)

Decent workout today I guess, I stopped taking ephedrine which really seemed to slow me down some. 

*Flat DB Presses:*

75's x 20 
75's x 20 
75's x 20 

Good sets today of flat DB presses, on my 3rd set of 20 I was pretty damn exhausted. Pretty good sets though, so no complaints. 

*Seated DB Presses:*

85's x 5
85's x 5
85's x 5
85's x 5
85's x 5

Decided to do 5x5 here today for seated DB presses, pretty damn good. Really seemed to hit my shoulders hard. Good ROM on all 5 sets, not too shabby. 

*DB Front Raises / DB Lateral Raises:* (superset)

45's x 9 / 30's x 7
45's x 9 / 30's x 7
45's x 8 / 30's x 6

Beat the hell out of my shoulders with this damn superset! My shoulders were completely fried after this, ouch. Really wasn't looking forward to doing the high/low with incline BB presses after this. 

*Incline Bench Presses:*

245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3
255 x 3
*275 x 3!*

I really didn't go heavy enough here today. I was trying to pick a decent weight for do 8x3 with, and 245 felt heavy at first. But then after 4-5 sets I bumped it up to 255 and that wasn't too bad. And finished up with 275 for a triple, at total failure I might add. 

*Overhead Rope Extensions:*

160 x 12
160 x 12

Nice sets of overhead rope extensions! Really finished off my triceps nicely with these couple of sets. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Meal 1:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk
*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 2:* oatmeal + skim milk
*Meal 3:* 1% cottage cheese + mixed fruit
*Meal 4:* tuna + rice pilaf 
*Meal 5:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter
*Meal 6:* grilled chicken soft taco + rice 
*Meal 7:* chicken salad 

Diet was pretty good today I guess, trying to start incorporating some more carbs into my diet since I'm strength training. 

Sleep: 8 hours.


----------



## Fighting Irish (Jul 10, 2005)

You inclined a total of 6000lb at the end of a workout. That's impressive. Your bench seems on the brink of a serious explosion very soon. We may even hear 405 in the near future...


----------



## Seanp156 (Jul 10, 2005)

Why'd you make a new account SF?


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## Fighting Irish (Jul 10, 2005)

> (if anyone's curious, my SF login is screwed up because I tried to change my email address and something got blitzed.)



See above. I'm sure DiMaggio can fix it when he has a chance.


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## DeadBolt (Jul 10, 2005)

Fighting Irish said:
			
		

> See above. I'm sure DiMaggio can fix it when he has a chance.


The same thing happened to me last year. I made a new name for the meantime but I emailed rob and he sorted it out really fast for me.  I was back to normal in a few days.  Hope it works out bud!

Damn Mike!!!!  Over 6000 huh...I agree with SF you are def gonna be see'in some large numbers soon heh.


----------



## Fighting Irish (Jul 10, 2005)

Yeah, worst case he axes the SF account and I can just create a new one.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 10, 2005)

*SF:* I'm going to honestly crap myself if I hit a 405 lbs. bench, I can't imagine loading that much weight up and actually hitting it. I spotted my friend Chris today in the gym and he hit 370 for a single, really really impressive. I had no idea he could throw around that kind of weight! I was impressed, for sure. Anyway, I want to smash a 405 lbs. decline PR and then hit a 405 lbs. bench.  

*Seanp:* LOL, funny how so many people care SF has a new account. 

*DeadBolt:* Thanks for stopping by bro, and honestly I can only see myself hitting huge PR's with SF's coaching. For some reason I'm 100x more confident when I go for new PR's with his assistance. Sounds stupid but I think because so much of what he advises is based on science (a lot from the book Supertraining), and Westside principles.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 10, 2005)

Here are 3 new pics I snapped today, my Arnold pose is backwards, my fault. My right triceps is better from the rear, and my left biceps is more peaked from the rear.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 10, 2005)

Lookin good man!!


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## Saturday Fever (Jul 11, 2005)

What's today? I got SF back (thanks to Prince) so I can put a day together if you want.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 11, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Thanks bro, appreciate it. 

*SF:* Nice to see that you have your name back bro! Haha it just didn't feel right you not being SF. Today I used the ME squat/DL workout that you posted last week. But if you feel so inclined you can can post my ME bench workout and DE squat/deadlift for Wednesday and Thursday.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 11, 2005)

Monday; 7-11-2005​
*ME Squat/Deadlift:* (45 minutes, 23 sets) 

I was a little tired again in the gym today, I'm thinking because of the fact that I'm off ephedrine. I'm feeling a little sluggish all day long. 

*Suspended Good Mornings:*

135 x 3
185 x 3
205 x 3
225 x 3
245 x 3
*265 x 3!*

Decent sets today of suspended GM's. These were done right around my belly button height so fairly deep. Worked up to 265 for a triple, not too bad I don't think. I might have been able to go heavier but I'm not sure. 

*Hack Squats:*

500 x 4
500 x 4
500 x 4
500 x 4
500 x 4
500 x 4

OUCH! These 6 sets of 4 for hacks beat the hell out of my quads, I was absolutely exhausted after these sets. 

*BTN Cable Pulldowns:* (widest possible grip)

185 x 9
185 x 9
185 x 8
185 x 7

I actually really liked BTN pulldowns with such a wide grip. At first it felt a little awkward but then after a few sets I really go into then. Was nice for a change of pace, for sure. 

*Nautilus Leg Extensions:*

Stack x 14
Stack x 13
Stack x 11

*Bentover DB Lateral Raises:* 

30's x 11
30's x 10

Leg ext. beat my quads into the ground, I could barely walk after those 3 sets. Did some bentover raises for my rear delts. 

*Seated DB Hammer Curls:*

55's x 8
55's x 7

Finished up today with some quick sets of hammers, pretty good sets I guess.

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich, 1 pint of skim milk
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat chicken salad sandwich
*Meal 5:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 6:* 2 chicken breasts + rice
*Meal 7:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter

Sleep: 7 hours.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 11, 2005)

As an alternative to ephedrine, and if you can afford VPX prices, I highly recommend Redline. It says drink half a bottle at a time and they aren't kidding. I drank a whole bottle before physical therapy a week or so ago and I was bouncing off the damn walls. It's stellar stuff for energy and it's legal so it's easy to get.

Good session. I'll get the next couple days mapped out and posted for you in a bit.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 11, 2005)

*SF:* I'm going to look into the VPX stuff bro, thanks for the advice. Anymore though I have been so dependant on stimulants for the longest time I'm trying to get away from them. At least for a while. I mean the past 2 days my energy in the gym has been sluggish for the simple fact that they have been stimulant-free. 

What do you think about suspended bench for my ME lift for Wednesday? I hit 315 in the beginning of this journal and I really think I can handle more than that now.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 11, 2005)

ME Bench

Suspended Bench (limited ROM)
work to a 1RM

Here's the gist, if your gym has the facilities. Set the pins as usual, but a little more than halfway up, set the safety bars so you can't reach lockout. Call it a full rep when you hit the bar against the safety bars. This will give you the suspended effect but also keep the bar in the lower part of the ROM and build in your strength off the chest.

Tate Press
10 sets of 2

Decline CG Bench
3 sets of 12 (close but balanced)

Skullcrushers (elbows in tight)
4 sets of 6

Side Laterals
2 sets of 20 (don't be afraid to fail anywhere from 12 on)


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## M.J.H. (Jul 11, 2005)

*SF:* Hey man, unfortunately my power rack only has 1 set of safety pins. So I can bend from the bottom, even with the bar touching my chest. Should I just press to right before lockout maybe? Or maybe just bench from a few inches off my chest and lock it out? And what kind of grip on the suspended bench? My usual bench grip or a CG or extremely wide grip? I'm thinking about variation, here.


----------



## King Silverback (Jul 11, 2005)

Awesome w/o there BRother Mike!!! You are really throwin around some MonStar weight!!!


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 11, 2005)

Go with your normal grip width and try to make the effort to stop short of lockout. If it proves to be annoying, standard suspended bench will be just as effective as always.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 11, 2005)

Wow mike awsome w/o.  Those are some damn nice GM's!  I think my best was like 185x4.  But then I was forced to stop b/c the owner of the gym banned that exercise!


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## M.J.H. (Jul 12, 2005)

*Archangel:* Hey man, thanks for the support, I appreciate the feedback bud. 

*SF:* I'm going to try and do it that way, but honestly my last couple of inches in bench is the part that I usually fail at. So I'm thinking maybe I should just do regular old suspended bench with the bar touching my chest.

*DeadBolt:* Wow, your gym banned GM's? Time to find a new gym, lol. That's really ridiculous I can't even imagine. My gym was thinking about banning deadlifts at one point, thank God they didn't!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 12, 2005)

Tuesday; 7-12-2005​
*Rest*

*Cardio:*

12 minutes of interval training on the treadmill; alternating 75-seconds of walking at 3.4 MPH with 30-seconds of running at 12.0 MPH. 

Damn, no matter how many times I do this on the treadmill it always beats the hell out of me, lol. 

*Rope Cable Crunches:*

180 x 15
180 x 15
180 x 15
180 x 15

Some pretty good sets of abs today, I was absolutely drenched in sweat after 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk 
*Meal 1:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich, 1 pint of skim milk
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 3:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat chicken salad sandwich
*Meal 5:* 1% cottage cheese + mixed fruit 

Sleep: 7 hours.


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## Saturday Fever (Jul 12, 2005)

> standard suspended bench will be just as effective as always.



If you feel like lockout is your weak point, we can start putting rack lockouts in the mix. I assumed through conversation that you were slow off the chest and fine the rest of the way.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 13, 2005)

Yea everyone is against GM's in my gym!  He doesn't have a chance in hell in getting rid of my deadlifts.  I'll change gyms in a heart beat if he does!!

Ahhh IT always gets ya...I hear ya bud!  You would think it would get easier but thats bull heh I think it just gets harder LOL!


----------



## P-funk (Jul 13, 2005)

How can they ban good mornings?  How can they ban an exercise you are doing to yourself?  It is a free country.  I could see if they wanted to ban something like a deadlift becasue of jackasses always dropping weights.  But good mornings?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 13, 2005)

*SF:* Well, it's hard to say. In suspended bench today I failed about 4-5" off my chest. But from what I remember from about a year ago I always failed inches before lockout. 

*DeadBolt:* Hey bro, that's ridiculous I can't believe any gym would ban good mornings, never heard of that. Yeah interval training absolutely kills me---for whatever reason no matter how much I do it its always absolute torture!

*Patrick:* I completely agree, I've never heard of a gym banning an exercise like that. I guess if they see you doing them you either have to stop or leave?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 13, 2005)

Wednesday; 7-13-2005​
*ME Bench* (60 minutes, 24 sets)

*Suspended Bench Presses:* (bar touching chest)

135 x 3
185 x 2
225 x 2
275 x 2
295 x 1
315 x 1
*335 x 1!*
345 x Miss

I was really pleased today to hit 335 on suspended bench, I definitely feel like my bench strength is coming along nicely. My previous PR on this lift is 315 so this was a nice 20 lbs. gain. Tried 345 and failed about 3-5" off my chest. 

*Tate Presses:*

95's x 2
95's x 2
95's x 2
95's x 2
95's x 2
95's x 2
95's x 2
95's x 2

OUCH, these sets beat the hell out of my triceps. Did 8 sets of 2 with the 95's for Tate presses---my wrists especially took a beating during these 8 sets. 

*CG Decline Bench Presses:* (hands 6-8" apart) 

245 x 9
245 x 9
245 x 8

My triceps were SHOT after the Tate presses so I was basically just going through the motions for these today. 

*Skullcrushers:* (elbows tight)

115 x 11
115 x 9
115 x 8

*One-Arm Cable Lateral Raises:*

50 x 11
50 x 11

Finished up today with some skulls and then some cable laterals, I was competely exhausted. Overall my workout was good, especially considering that I was running on such low sleep. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* 1/2 whole-wheat chicken salad sandwich
*Meal 3:* tuna wrap
*Meal 4:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk 

Sleep: 6 hours.


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## Seanp156 (Jul 13, 2005)

Nice workout Monstar, congrats on the bench. I just tried suspended bench pressing last night and found I like it quite a bit.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 13, 2005)

Suspended bench is tough because you don't get the benefit of a stretch reflex when you lift the bar. So to fail close to your chest on suspended bench isn't too uncommon. Your bench strength has been solid lately and you seem to be getting full bench presses off your chest without too much trouble. I wanted to put a solid emphasis on your triceps today because we're gearing up for that 405 press. 


What's next? I've got a free afternoon in about 30 minutes.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 13, 2005)

*Seanp:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. I absolutely love suspended bench man, like SF said you don't have the stretch reflex that you do with normal full ROM bench pressing. Usually my regular bench press 1RM is about 50 lbs. more than my suspended bench press 1RM. 

*SF:* Hey man thanks for stopping by. Tomorrow I have DE squat/deadlift and then Saturday is DE bench and Sunday is ME squat/deadlift. I would love to hit 405 on bench, but I really think I should shoot for 365-375 before jumping all the way up to 405. I do think that I could hit 405 on decline though for a single.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 13, 2005)

I didn't mean today or tomorrow. Just that 405 is the goal. I'm trying to look at all the lifts between now and 405 as being on the road to where you're going.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 13, 2005)

*SF:* Oh okay now I see what you're saying, thanks for clarifying. My goal by 2006 is a 405 lbs. bench and 675 lbs. conventional pull. So I guess we'll see what happens. I think with a few M1T cycles between now and then, anything is possible.  

Any ideas for tomorrow's DE squat/deadlift?


----------



## Seanp156 (Jul 13, 2005)

Squats eh !? I thought you didn't care about legs/squating anymore?


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 13, 2005)

He won't be squatting. 

DE Sq/DL

Speed Rack Deads (not much off the floor)
8 sets of 3 (mix stances between wide and narrow, switch every set)

SLDL
6 sets of 4

Rows (any kind but use a close grip)
4 sets of 6

Pulldowns (wide grip)
5 sets of 5

Ham Curls (single legged)
3 sets of 12

Abs
150 reps total


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## M.J.H. (Jul 13, 2005)

*Seanp:* Nope, no squats. I told SF specifically that I'm not a fan of squats, and have zero interest in my squatting strength. It's not my lift and I'm not going to bother with trying to improve it. My bench and deadlift I'm much more comfortable with. And you reminded me of this Sean, I'm going to now list my days as ME and DE _deadlift_ only instead of squat/deadlift. 

*SF:* Looks good man, thanks. Do you think its a bad idea to do platform SLDL? Because I just did regular SLDL 6 sets of 4 a few days ago, that's the only reason I ask. Damn, that's a lot of abs! I'm probably going to mix it up between rope cable crunches and Nautilus crunches.


----------



## sftwrngnr (Jul 13, 2005)

Hey Monstar,
Stupendous workout as always! So... I have a question for you or SF.  What is the difference between pin presses and suspended bench presses.  I ask, because the other day on my ME bench day, I did pin presses.
Incidentally, I'm going to be purchasing some jump-stretch bands and a platform to use with deads.  I'll let you know if I see any significant gains from them.  I know Louie Simmons swears by 'em, so I'm going to try 'em out.  (Louie also swears by chains... I've been using chains for a couple of weeks now, and I've noticed a difference, so I figure adding bands will help with bar acceleration on DE leg day).


----------



## Seanp156 (Jul 13, 2005)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Seanp:* Nope, no squats. I told SF specifically that I'm not a fan of squats, and have zero interest in my squatting strength. It's not my lift and I'm not going to bother with trying to improve it. My bench and deadlift I'm much more comfortable with. And you reminded me of this Sean, I'm going to now list my days as ME and DE _deadlift_ only instead of squat/deadlift.


 Hehe, sounds good. I thought I remembered you saying you didn't like them, then I read you were getting ready for a squat/deadlift day and I was like, "wtf."

 I don't think I've found my lift/lifts yet.... Both my squats and deads are anywhere from 155-185lbs for reps depending on how I feel, and benching's around 135-145 for reps... I guess that looks well balanced, but I'm probably too early in my lifting career to tell yet...


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 13, 2005)

sftwrngnr said:
			
		

> Hey Monstar,
> Stupendous workout as always! So... I have a question for you or SF.  What is the difference between pin presses and suspended bench presses.  I ask, because the other day on my ME bench day, I did pin presses.
> Incidentally, I'm going to be purchasing some jump-stretch bands and a platform to use with deads.  I'll let you know if I see any significant gains from them.  I know Louie Simmons swears by 'em, so I'm going to try 'em out.  (Louie also swears by chains... I've been using chains for a couple of weeks now, and I've noticed a difference, so I figure adding bands will help with bar acceleration on DE leg day).



Pin presses you simply set pins to limit your ROM.

Suspended bench is like a box squat, almost. You start with the bar on pins just over your chest and you explode up. When you bring the bar down you let it rest on the pins, release, and then press again.

With suspended bench you have to make sure you're not letting your elbows flare out, as you're putting yourself in a position that makes it easier to tear a pec.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 13, 2005)

> SF: Looks good man, thanks. Do you think its a bad idea to do platform SLDL? Because I just did regular SLDL 6 sets of 4 a few days ago, that's the only reason I ask. Damn, that's a lot of abs! I'm probably going to mix it up between rope cable crunches and Nautilus crunches.



You can do platforms. I just wanted something heavy on the hams. And definitely mix it up for abs. Got to try to make them interesting somehow.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 14, 2005)

P-funk said:
			
		

> How can they ban good mornings?  How can they ban an exercise you are doing to yourself?  It is a free country.  I could see if they wanted to ban something like a deadlift becasue of jackasses always dropping weights.  But good mornings?


Yea tell me about it.  Its a bunch of old timers who have all been injured in one way or another and say the exercise is no good.  You get the same shit with hyper extentions.  I was like then how come I can't move 185lbs on that damn thing!  Its not worth fighting it b/c they are all stubburn.  If and when i do switch to westside in the futur I'll just change the hours I go and start doign it in the morning when the owners not there...just some yuppy worker.


Mike!!!!  Awsome workout bro!!!  Those are some damn nice weights!!!!


----------



## Seanp156 (Jul 14, 2005)

WTF Deadbolt, your gym doesn't allow good mornings?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 14, 2005)

*sftwrngnr:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by bro I appreciate it. I think SF did a pretty good job at answering your question, lol. 

*Seanp:* Yeah I think it is in fact too early for you to say yet what lifts are stronger. Because for years I thought my bench strength was always going to be a joke. I never dreamed to ever hit 315 on the bench, just because I have long arms, etc. 

BTW, yes DeadBolt's gym doesn't allow GM's! LOL, can we keep this out of my journal now and maybe post it in his.  

*SF:* Great response bro, damn I am always impressed at the knowledge you possess. I think suspended bench is a great exercise, it's honestly what I attribute a lot of my recent bench strength to. Just for the simple fact that benching from the bottom is so much more difficult than full ROM benching. 

*DeadBolt:* Thanks for the support man, and yes I definitely think that GM's are a big part of Westside. Not many exercises hit your lower back the way GM's do.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 14, 2005)

Thursday; 7-14-2005​
*DE Deadlift* (55 minutes, 31 sets)

*Speed Rack Deadlifts:* (plates 2-3" off the floor, alternating conventional & sumo)

315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3

Some good sets of speed deads today off the rack, I did these 2-3" off the floor and definitely worked on my bar speed. Alternated between sumo and conventional every other set. 

*Platform SLDL:* (off a 3-4" platform) 

405 x 4 
405 x 4 
405 x 4 
405 x 4 
405 x 4

Ouch, these 5 sets of 4 absolutely killed me. My hamstrings and lower back were beat to hell after these sets. I don't have any chalk and deadlifting with bare hands is torture, for sure. 

*Nautilus Rows:* 

240 x 9 
240 x 9
Stack x 7 
Stack x 7

Did some quick sets of Nautilus compound rows today, really hit my lats hard. Started off with 2 sets of 9 with 240 then used the entire stack for 2 sets of 7.

*BTN Cable Pulldowns:*

170 x 12
170 x 10

*Nautilus Seated Leg Curls:* 

220 x 8
220 x 8
220 x 7

Did some quick BTN pulldowns and leg curls, nothing too exciting. 

*Rope Cable Crunches:* 

160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20
Stack x 12
Stack x 12

*Hanging Knee Raises:*

12
12 

*Nautilus Crunches:*

150 x 15
150 x 15

Finished up today with a lot of abs! Didn't get all the way to 150 reps but I came close, that's for sure. My stomach was on fire after these 9 sets of abs. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* 1/2 whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* tuna wrap
*Meal 5:* 1/2 whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* MRP bar
*Meal 7:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter 

Sleep: 7 hours.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 14, 2005)

Excellent session. So the million dollar question is which stance could you pull faster from? Sumo or conventional?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 14, 2005)

*SF:* Honestly bro, I really think that its conventional. I mean my bar speed sumo is quick simply because its a shorter ROM, but when it comes right down to it I feel 100x more powerful pulling conventional for whatever reason. It might all be in my head, though, who knows. I'm curious what kind of 1RM I would have off a platform pulling conventional.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 15, 2005)

Friday; 7-15-2005​
*Rest*

*Cardio:* 

Decided to do some sprints outside today and wow, what a mistake. I did 6 uphill sprints that were roughly 60-yards, and I walked back. On the 6th sprint I had a SHARP pain in the back of my right knee. Not my hamstring at all, just the back of my knee, and then I tried running another sprint and couldn't make it 10 feet. Now I'm limping and it hurts when I walk. 

I don't know what the hell I've done it doesn't feel like it's muscle related at all, it almost feels like the tendon. I am hoping its nothing major. 

I am thinking about dropping my cardio completely, and just doing abs/calves on my rest days and seeing how that works out for me. I doubt my 10-15 minutes of HIIT style cardio is doing much, anyway. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 2:* raw walnuts
*Meal 3:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 4:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 5:* turkey wrap
*Meal 6:* tuna wrap
*Meal 7:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter
*Meal 8:* 1% cottage cheese + mixed fruit

WOW, took in a ton of protein today! Ended up today with right around 330g or so today.  

Sleep: 7 hours.


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## Cris2Blis (Jul 15, 2005)

ice ice ice this weekend! i have that problem now and then with sprints no matter how much i stretch... should be fine since it it's not the hamstring   have a good weekend!


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## M.J.H. (Jul 15, 2005)

*Cris2Blis:* Wow, nice to hear that I'm not alone! I thought this was like a freak problem or something. I'm going to definitely be putting some ice on it over the weekend. We'll see what happens. I'm so tempted to just cut out cardio completely.


----------



## P-funk (Jul 15, 2005)

yes, ice it up.  also, make sure to watch it to see if you have any swelling behind the knee either today or tomorrow.


----------



## King Silverback (Jul 15, 2005)

Agreed with the Ice, Hope everything is okay with you Brother MonStar!!!


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## DeadBolt (Jul 16, 2005)

Good lookin w/o man...awsoem DE day!  Sorry for cluttering your journal up with those other posts bud...i take the blame!

Hows the knee feeling.  I agree with pat...check for swelling and radiating heat.  Keep icing it through the weekend and hope it gets better.  Did you warm up good enough before you sprinted?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 16, 2005)

*Patrick:* Thanks for the advice man, will do. Today honestly it feels totally fine. I think maybe it was just yesterday it was a little sore or something.

*Archangel:* Thanks man! Today I feel great.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 16, 2005)

Saturday; 7-16-2005​
*DE Bench* (55 minutes, 27 sets)

*Speed Bench Presses:* (wide-grip)

155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3

Love the wide grip! I might try and do some suspended bench like this just to see what kind of numbers I could throw around with a wider grip. 

*Flat DB Presses:*

140's x 4
140's x 4
140's x 4
140's x 4
140's x 3
140's x 3

Absolutely GREAT sets today of flat DB presses! Worked out in a different YMCA today and threw around the 140's like cake. This M1T is definitely kicking it that's for sure. The 140's weren't bad at all, the heaviest DB's in this YMCA, which was nice. Guys kept walking by making jokes about the weights in the gym not being heavy enough for me, lol.

*Skullcrushers:* (shoulder-width grip, elbows tight)

125 x 5
125 x 5
125 x 5
125 x 5

Did these with a new EZ-curl bar, shoulder-width grip, and flawless technique. 

*Cybex Lateral Raises:*

150 x 6
150 x 6
150 x 6

Beat up my shoulders pretty good here, not too bad though. 

*Tate Presses:* (CAT 100)

45's x 26
45's x 16
45's x 12
45's x 11
45's x 10
45's x 9

Only made it to 84 reps today. My triceps and elbows were absolutely WASTED. They had nothing left after the first couple sets. I could barely even feel the burn they were so damn exhausted. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Meal 1:* oatmeal + skim milk, 5mg M1T
*Meal 2:* 1% cottage cheese + peaches 
*Preworkout:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + 2% milk
*Meal 3:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter
*Meal 4:* tuna wrap
*Meal 5:* garden salad + vinegarette dressing
*Meal 6:* 2 grilled chicken breasts, spanish rice, mixed vegetables, 1 glass of wine 

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


----------



## Rocco32 (Jul 16, 2005)

Wow, great w/o Mike and nice numbers as usual! So what is wide grip for you? I've found I like using a wider grip personally.


----------



## Du (Jul 16, 2005)

How long have you been on M1T for? And for how much longer?


Nice numbers.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 16, 2005)

*Rocco:* Hey bro, thanks for stopping by. Normally I do a pretty medium style grip for bench. Hands outside shoulder-width of course, but never THAT wide. When I put wide-grip in (-) I'm going WAY wider than usual. I'm talking as wide as I can possibly keep my hands without crushing them when I reset the bar. 

*du:* Hey man, thanks for stopping. I've been on M1T for 3 weeks now, 15mg per day. Going to do another week or so then start my Nolva.


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## ihateschoolmt (Jul 16, 2005)

Damn, you know your strong when they don't have enough weight for you. Good DB presses.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 17, 2005)

*ihateschoolmt:* LOL, thanks dude, appreciate it. The gym that I normally go to only goes up to the 120's so it was nice for a change of pace to throw around the 140's. Definitely takes a bit more effort to sit back with them, though.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 17, 2005)

Sunday; 7-17-2005​
*ME Deadlift* (65 minutes, 27 sets)

*Platform Deadlifts:* (4-5" extended ROM) 

135 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 2
415 x 2
495 x 1
*565 x 1!*
*585 x 1!* 

DAMN RIGHT!! I was very very pleased today with my strength off the platform. I had no idea I would be able to hit 585 with a 4-5" extended ROM off a Reebok box. I had a friend of mine yelling in my face to lock it out when I was pulling it so I think that definitely helped a lot. 

*Support Rows:*

210 x 9
210 x 9
210 x 8
210 x 8

Some decent sets today of rows, my hamstrings were honestly destroyed from the deadlifts. My right hamstring especially was giving me some trouble. Nothing too painful just felt very very tight. 

*Smith-Machine Lunges:*

195 x 6
195 x 6
195 x 6
195 x 6

Did some quick lunges here today to hit my quads a little bit, nothing too bad at all. 

*CG Cable Pulldowns:*

260 x 4
260 x 4
260 x 4
260 x 4
260 x 4
260 x 4

Did 6 sets of 4 with pulldowns---these were pretty damn intense. I really feel like my lats are going to start growing with all of the effort I have put into them lately. I'm dying for a huge lat spread, lol. 

*Seated DB Shrugs:*

90's x 12
90's x 12

Nice sets of shrugs today, I really like doing them seated. It really forces me to use perfect form on the shrugs. Nice sets. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + 2% milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + pineapple
*Meal 2:* 2 grilled chicken soft tacos
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt 
*Meal 5:* tuna & cheese wrap

Sleep: 9 hours.


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## King Silverback (Jul 17, 2005)

Incredible!!! Great w/o there Brother Mike!!!


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## fUnc17 (Jul 17, 2005)

great deads mike. 585 off a 4" platform is HUGE


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## Rocco32 (Jul 17, 2005)

Holy crap man! I'd get tired just loading that much weight on the bar LOL! And congrats on the sleep as well


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## DeadBolt (Jul 17, 2005)

Damn bro I'm with rocco here...loading that much is a low back workout itself haha.  

Awsome work man....very nice numbers!!!  Makes my goal of 285 look that much smaller


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## ihateschoolmt (Jul 17, 2005)

585 of a 4 inch platform is huge. That's insane.


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## Saturday Fever (Jul 18, 2005)

Sorry for the absence. Had a long weekend getaway that was well overdue. Those pulls are sick. If you want to give me the next 3 days worth, I'll crop up a few sessions. I think we've rooted out the very few areas where some extra focus will create big PRs.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 18, 2005)

*Archangel:* Thanks bro, appreciate the kind words. 

*fUnc:* Thanks dude, I was definitely impressed. Right after I hit 585, and after the light-headedness subsided, I was like wow I actually locked it out. 

*Rocco:* I actually had a friend of mine loading one side of the barbell. So at least I wasn't doing all the loading, lol. Also picked up some chalk of course so mentally I think this really helped me out. I knew that my grip wasn't going to be a problem, etc.

*DeadBolt:* Haha, thanks for the post man. You should hit 285 no problem, hang in there.  

*ihateschoolmt:* Thanks bud, appreciate it.

*SF:* Don't worry about it man, no big deal. Hope you had a good weekend. If you want to layout my next 4 sessions that would be great, they're going to be:

- ME Bench
- DE Deadlift 
- DE Bench
- ME Deadlift

Let me know what you have in mind, bro.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 18, 2005)

Monday; 7-18-2005​
*Rest*

Instead of doing painful miserable cardio I decided that I'm going to do 3 exercises every rest day, an exercise for calves, an exercise for abs, and an exercise for forearms. 

*BTB Wrist Curls:*

135 x 12
135 x 12
135 x 12
135 x 11
135 x 10

Nice sets today, really feels great to get back into training my forearms again. I feel like I neglected them for the longest time and now that I'm back into the swing of things they're feeling great. Great pump and feeling of exhaustion after these 5 sets. 

*Seated Calf Raises:*

245 x 20
245 x 20
245 x 20
245 x 20

My calves cramped up like crazy today doing seated calf raises! Again I've neglected my calves for the longest time, so maybe this will help kickstart some growth. 

*Rope Cable Crunches:* 

180 x 20
180 x 20
180 x 20

Finished up with some abs, nothing too exciting.

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* tuna wrap
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* MRP bar
*Meal 7:* 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich
*Meal 8:* peanut butter crackers
*Meal 9:* 2-3 tbsp. peanut butter

Damn, I was STARVING today!  

Sleep: 7 hours.


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## Saturday Fever (Jul 18, 2005)

ME Bench

Decline Bench (wider grip than usual)
work to a 2RM

Overhead Press/Side Lateral Superset
3 sets of 8

Tate Press
8 sets of 3

(at this point, go grab some water and pray)

Tate Press
2 sets of 12

Uprights OR Front Raise
4 sets of 6

Especially focus on any slow or sticky points when working towards the 2RM.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 19, 2005)

*SF:* Great session man, just finished it about an hour ago. Take a look and let me know what you think. My lower back is still aching a little from the 585 off the platform. So I might want to take it a little easier tomorrow on my lower back and focus some on my lats, traps, maybe some biceps? 

I'm doing abs/calves/forearms on my rest days so no need for that on my deadlift days anymore.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 19, 2005)

Tuesday; 7-19-2005​
*ME Bench* (60 minutes, 27 sets)

*Decline Bench Presses:* (wide-grip)

135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
255 x 2
275 x 2
295 x 2
315 x 2 
335 x 2
355 x 2
*370 x 2!*

Really good sets today of decline presses with a wide-grip. I really like a wider grip, and I feel pretty damn strong with this grip, too. This was the same width that I used for my wide-grip speed bench, as well. Hit 370 for a double which honestly wasn't too difficult at all. I feel very strong in decline lately, I get a great arch with decline pressing as well. 

*Seated BTN Presses / Nautilus Lateral Raises:* (superset)

155 x 8 / 160 x 10
155 x 8 / 160 x 10
155 x 7 / 160 x 8

Nice supersets today, really beat the hell out of my shoulders. My delts were on fire after 3 of these supersets. 

*Incline Tate Presses:*

75's x 4
75's x 4
75's x 4
75's x 4
75's x 4
75's x 4
45's x 12
45's x 12

Decided to do incline Tate presses since I have only ever done them on a flat bench. After 6 sets of 4 with the 75's, I was DRAINED. The last 2 sets of 12 really was intense. I hit failure right at 12 reps on both of those sets. 

*Cable Upright Rows:*

Stack x 8
Stack x 8
Stack x 8

Finished up today with some upright rows---nothing too bad today. Hit my shoulders hard, no complaints at all. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* tuna wrap
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt

Sleep: 7 hours.


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## Saturday Fever (Jul 19, 2005)

That's solid pressing. And props on the Tates. Those were supposed to be brutal and you nailed it. So on the last decline set of 370x2, did you ever feel there was a point where the bar slowed down?

DE Deadlift

Speed Deads (use a double overhand grip, go easy on the back)
8 sets of 2 

Hamstring Curls
5 sets of 5

Seated Row/Pulldown (superset as best you can. I know sometimes these machines are a few feet away)
8 sets of 3/4 sets of 6

(basically do 2 sets of seated rows, then one set of pulldowns. only superset the 2nd set. so do a set of seated rows, rest, do a second set and superset the pulldowns. rest. repeat)

Biceps
80 reps total between both arms, any lift you want, any set and rep scheme you want.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 19, 2005)

*SF:* Honestly man, if the bar slowed down at all, which it didn't feel like it was doing---it was probably 3-5" off my chest. I should have tried 385 for a double but my right wrist always gives me a little discomfort and I didn't want to risk anything.

My workout tomorrow looks interesting I'm really looking forward to it. I'm not sure what you meant by the superset just the 2nd set so if its okay I'm just going to superset the seated rows and pulldowns. Probably going to do a CG for the rows and then do BTN for the pulldowns. Definitely going to beat the lats up pretty hard. BTW, this is 4 supersets (8 total sets) of what 6-10 reps each, correct? 

For my biceps I'm thinking about doing 3-4 sets of 12 with concentration curls and then some reverse curls. I haven't really done much volume for my biceps in the longest time! It's going to be nice for a change of pace to do some of them.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 19, 2005)

The super set would look like this, and I hope this makes sense...

rows
rest
rows
pulldowns
rest
rows
rest
rows
pulldowns
rest
rows
rest
rows
pulldowns
rest
rows
rest
rows
pulldowns
rest


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 19, 2005)

I like that the bar wasn't slowing down, means the shoulders and lats are working right.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 19, 2005)

*SF:* Oh okay I see what you're saying now, that looks good. I'm going to give it a shot tomorrow and see what I think. Basically its a set of rows, then a superset of rows and pulldowns, then repeat. I should be able to make that work. I'm going to be stopping my M1T in about a week or so and start up with Nolva. So hopefully I'll keep gaining after I stop the M1T. 

BTW, anymore my bar strength all around feels solid on decline and flat BB pressses. I really want to shoot for 365-375 on bench and see what happens. I'm not sure if I'll hit it or not but it will definitely be nice to see how I do with it. I just feel like lately my strength is climbing and climbing and climbing and mentally I'm feeling superb.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 19, 2005)

You could always try it next week and see how it goes. I'm pretty confident you'll hit it. If you want, I'll make sure to note it in next week's ME day.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 19, 2005)

*SF:* Yeah I think I'll hit 365 as well, but then again so much of 1RM's for me is mental for whatever reason. It's honestly more mental for me than anything else. I think I do want to try it next week though just to see how I handle it. If I hit 365 pretty smooth, depending out how it goes I might even try 370-380. Because honestly 355 came up very very smooth the last time I maxed out.


----------



## Rocco32 (Jul 19, 2005)

Great job Mike. There is so much good info in this journal as well! Did you feel any difference doing Tate's on an incline? 

For bench do you use any wrist wraps?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 19, 2005)

*Rocco:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. Nice to see my journal has some useful knowledge in it! The Tate presses are great from an incline actually, you have a slightly increased ROM. And no I don't use any kind of wraps on my wrists or knees or anything, etc. At one point a few years ago I used a belt for deadlifting, but not anymore.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 20, 2005)

Wednesday; 7-20-2005​
*DE Deadlift* (35 minutes, 21 sets)

Really AWFUL workout today!  I was pissed but at the same time I completely expected this. I was running on 4 hours sleep and didn't get a chance to eat much last night at all. So it's basically my fault, but whatever. My lower back was still sore from pulling 585 off the platform. 

*Speed Deadlifts:* 

315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2

These honestly felt like a million pounds, today. For whatever reason pulling 8 sets of 2 with 315 felt nearly impossible. Bar speed sucked, today. 

*Nautilus Lying Leg Curls:*

220 x 5
220 x 5
220 x 5
220 x 5
220 x 5

Decent sets of leg curls today---this was about the only decent exercise I had all day. My lower back felt sh*tty, my whole body felt weak, I was completely drained from the lack of sleep and no food. 

*CG Cable Rows / BTN Cable Pulldowns:* (superset)

275 x 8
260 x 9 / 185 x 7
275 x 8
260 x 9 / 185 x 6

I was supposed to do twice as much volume for these, but I was drained as hell. Whatever. 

*Concentration Curls:*

50's x 7 
50's x 6

Finished up with 2 sets of curls real quick---definitely good sets. I was supposed to do WAY more volume for my biceps but I felt like I was about to fall asleep in the gym. So obviously this workout was just not happening.

Late curl-jockey workout tonight in my basement! 

*Standing BB Curls:*

105 x 12
105 x 12
105 x 11
135 x 5
135 x 4
75 x 18

Not too bad, worked up a good sweat doing 6 sets of BB curls.  

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* tuna wrap
*Meal 5:* 2 scoops of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 6:* oatmeal + skim milk 
*Meal 7:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter 

Sleep: 4 hours. 

WTF? I am so pissed off at myself for doing this. It's totally not like me to ty and workout on such a sh*tty amount of sleep. I'm definitely catching up on my sleep tonight, no questions asked.


----------



## shiznit2169 (Jul 20, 2005)

everybody has their bad days


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 20, 2005)

*shiznit:* Thanks for the post man, I appreciate it. I agree that everyone has bad days. And as a matter of fact I think I might even go home today and do another short workout in my basement. Take a short nap at work, eat up all day, and then around 9:00 tonight try and slam down another quick biceps session. Just do some more curls.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 21, 2005)

Thursday; 7-21-2005​
*Rest*

*Vertical Knee Raises:*

12
12
12
12

Some quick sets of abs today, nothing too intense. Just did some knee raises on the vertical bench. I really like these a lot, being it's a weight-less ab exercise. 

*One-Leg DB Calf Raises:*

60's x 12
60's x 12
60's x 12
60's x 12

Some decent sets of calf raises here today, hit my calves pretty hard. I really hope that my calves start to respond. For whatever reason my calves just don't friggin' grow, I have no idea why. 

*Reverse BB Wrist Curls:*

65 x 20
65 x 20
65 x 20
65 x 20
45 x 36

Nice sets of reverse wrist curls today---really hit my forearms pretty damn hard. My forearms were pumped and vascular as hell from these 5 sets. Finished up with the bar for 36 reps. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk 
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* oatmeal + skim milk
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* tuna wrap
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 6:* beef stew
*Meal 7:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter 

Sleep: 8 hours.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 21, 2005)

Ahh some decent rest....finally!!!  Hope you catch up on the lost sleep the next few days bud you need it!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 22, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Yeah man my sleep is all over the place sometimes. I really want to try and get a minimum of 7 hours a night no matter what. But sometimes thats just simply not possible, unfortunately. Oh well.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 22, 2005)

Friday; 7-22-2005​
*ME Bench* (50 minutes, 26 sets) 

*Incline Bench Presses:*

135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
245 x 2
275 x 1
295 x 1
*315 x 1!*
*325 x 1!* 
335 x Miss 

Huge PR for me here today! I have never touched anything over 285 for a single on incline BB presses. I was more than pleased hitting 325 for a single. With 335 I basically just gave up. Got about halfway up and said f*ck it, whatever. 

*Suspended Bench Presses:* (bar 2" off chest) 

315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2
315 x 2

Wow, these were some tough sets of suspended bench here today. Did these with my normal bench grip, and really hit my triceps hard. 8 sets of 2 with 315 starting with the bar 2" off my chest. Really good sets here today, no complaints at all. The last set of 2 I just BARELY completely the 2nd rep. 

*Cable Pressdowns / Overhead Rope Extensions:* (superset) 

Stack x 12 / 140 x 10
Stack x 10 / 140 x 8
Stack x 8 / 140 x 6 

Triceps were PUMPED from these 3 supersets, lol. I supersetted regular pressdowns with overhead rope extensions, and wow, my triceps were swole, hah.  

*Seated DB Lateral Raises:*

30's x 12
30's x 12
30's x 10

Finished up with some lateral raises, hit my shoulders pretty damn hard. No complaints at all here today---I noticed a new vein or two in my delts in the mirror, lol. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk 
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 2:* oatmeal + skim milk + walnuts
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* garden salad + tuna 
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 6:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter 

Sleep: 7 hours.


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## ihateschoolmt (Jul 22, 2005)

Congradulations on the PR.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 22, 2005)

You know, of course, all these PR's mean you'll be smashing the 405 mark before you think. 

That was a GREAT session you constructed. I like the combination of ME Incline and high/low on suspended.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 22, 2005)

*ihateschoolmt:* Thanks man! 

*SF:* Thanks for stopping by, bro, I know how busy your schedule gets. Yeah today's session was great, I really enjoyed it. Was a great feeling to hit 325 on the incline, especially considering how damn steep our incline bench is at my gym. Tomorrow I have DE deadlift so if you get a chance maybe throw something together. I think I want to do some ghetto t-bar rows, since I haven't done them in a long time.


----------



## AnnaDTX (Jul 22, 2005)

hey MonStar! Just wanted to say HI! Keep up the good work, your pics look great . . .  as usual!


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## M.J.H. (Jul 22, 2005)

*Anna:* Hey there! I haven't talked to you in forever! Hope that everything is going well, thanks for stopping by. I'm actually pretty pleased with myself lately I am pretty sure that tomorrow marks 4 weeks without any binges, lol.


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## P-funk (Jul 22, 2005)

great job on the incline.  I like it out of all the benches because it is the hardest.  325 is a good press.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 22, 2005)

*Patrick:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. I completely agreee that incline is definitely the hardest lift out of all 3. It's amazing that going from incline to decline my 1RM is about 70-80 lbs. different. Especially since at my gym our incline bench is ridiculously steep, much steeper than I personally prefer. When I do incline DB presses I always just do a very low-incline, not putting too much stress on my front delts.


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## JerseyDevil (Jul 22, 2005)

P-funk said:
			
		

> 325 is a good press.


325 is a good press?  DAMN 325 is a GREAT incline press .  I agree incline is the best of the 3 bench press angles..


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## Saturday Fever (Jul 22, 2005)

DE Deads

Speed Racks Pulls
8 sets of 2 (2 different stances, half the ROM)

Pull-Throughs
4 sets of 20

Rows
8 sets of 3

Ham Curls
4 sets of 6

Rear Delt Raises
2 sets of 12

Pulldowns
1 sets to failure (try to fail around 25)


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 22, 2005)

Also, try to get a set or two of HEAVY shrugs in. This will help your lockout strength as well as your grip, since you've mentioned losing the grip a couple times.


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## Seanp156 (Jul 22, 2005)

Nice work on the incline and suspended presses Monstar, that's some crazy weight to be pushing so often. This is kind of random, but I see your supplementing with M1T. That's been banned hasn't it (along with a lot of other supps)? Do you just have a large leftover supply?


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## King Silverback (Jul 22, 2005)

You are a MonStar Brother Mike!!! Outstanding Inclines!!! Sweet PR too!!!


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## M.J.H. (Jul 23, 2005)

*JerseyDevil:* I honestly probably prefer declines the most out of all 3 presses, but oh well. Thanks for stopping by JD, I appreciate it bro. 

*SF:* Done, bro. Workout sucked today for whatever reason. I had a ton of sleep but my energy was absolutely awful. I really need to work some more complex carbs into my diet or something, whatever. If you get a chance bro can you post my DE bench and ME deadlift workouts. 

*Seanp:* I actually get it from members that were smart enough to stock up on it before it was banned. 

*Archangel:* Thanks man!


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 23, 2005)

Saturday; 7-23-2005​
*DE Deadlift* (50 minutes, 24 sets)

*Speed Rack Deadlifts:* (bar set just below knee level)

315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3

Eh, basically just speed lockouts honestly. Nothing too extraordinary. 

*Rope Cable Pull-Throughs:* 

Stack x 15
Stack x 14
Stack x 14

Lower back and hamstrings were toasted after these 3 sets. For whatever reason my lower back started to cramp up after these sets, I don't know if it was the high-reps or what. 

*T-Bar Rows:*

315 x 6
315 x 6
270 x 12

OUCH! These 3 sets really beat the hell out of my midback and lats, no complaints at all. I haven't done these in ages. 

*Nautilus Seated Leg Curls:*

180 x 10
230 x 7
230 x 7
230 x 6

*Bentover DB Lateral Raises:*

25's x 12
25's x 12
25's x 12

Did some leg curls and some bentover raises, pretty good sets. 

*CG Cable Pulldowns:*

170 x 22

*Seated DB Shrugs:*

100's x 9
100's x 9

Finished up today with  a set of high-rep pulldowns and then 2 sets of seated DB shrugs. Really trying to add some size to my traps, they've always been a stubborn bodypart of mine. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Meal 1:* oatmeal + skim milk + walnuts + raisins 
*Preworkout:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk, 5mg M1T 
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + 2% milk
*Meal 2:* 1% cottage cheese + peaches 
*Meal 3:* MRP bar
*Meal 4:* low-fat turkey chili + beans
*Meal 5:* 6-7 tbsp. peanut butter
*Meal 6:* oatmeal + raisins + 2% milk 

Sleep: 9 hours.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 23, 2005)

DE Bench

Speed Incline (alternate between close and wide grips)
8 sets of 3

OH Press/Side Lateral Superset
3 sets of 8/3 sets of 8

Uprights
4 sets of 6

Rope Pushdowns
6 sets of 4

Decline Flies (or flat if declines are awkward)
2 sets of 12


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 23, 2005)

ME Deadlift

Suspended Good AMs
work to a 2RM

SLDL
2 sets of 12

Ham Curls (one legged)
3 sets of 8

Ghetto Rows
8 sets of 2

Pull-Throughs
2 sets of 10

WIDE-grip Pulldowns
4 sets of 6


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 23, 2005)

Oh, and get a couple sets of shrugs in. I keep forgetting them, but I want to include them in about 4 Deadlift days in a row.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 24, 2005)

*SF:* Thanks man! I'm really looking forward to trying out incline speed bench tomorrow, I think its going to be nice for a change of pace. I'm going to throw some shrugs in at the end of my deadlift days from now on. Lots of variations, see if I can squeeze some growth out of them.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 24, 2005)

Sunday; 7-24-2005​
*Rest* 

*BB Wrist Curls:*

95 x 15
95 x 15
95 x 15
75 x 25
75 x 25
45 x 30

Some pretty good sets today of forearms, really hit them hard. No complaints at all here today. My forearms always get pumped as hell. I really am trying to get my dman forearms to start growing again. 

*Seated Calf Raises:*

285 x 20
285 x 20
285 x 20
285 x 20

Nice sets of calf raises here today, really hit my calves hard. After the first 2 sets my calves were cramping up like crazy. Really pleased with my sets here today. 

*Rope Cable Crunches:* (multiple variations) 

180 x 15 
180 x 15 
180 x 15 
180 x 15 
180 x 15 

Finished up my workout today with some crunches, not too bad. Did a few different variations, all 5 sets were pretty damn good. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Meal 1:* oatmeal + skim milk + raisins + honey 
*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 5mg M1T 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + 2% milk
*Meal 2:* 2 tuna wraps 
*Meal 3:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt 
*Meal 4:* fat-free / sugar-free soft ice-cream 
*Meal 5:* low-fat turkey chili & beans 
*Meal 6:* 5-6 tbsp. peanut butter 
*Meal 7:* grilled chicken soft taco
*Meal 8:* oatmeal + raisins + skim milk 

Cheated tonight a little bit with some fat-free / sugar-free ice-cream, whatever. 

Sleep: 8 hours.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 24, 2005)

Heya man lookin good!!  Hows the body holdin up for ya??


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 25, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* So far so good man, my body is feeling pretty good. Little aches and pains here and there, but nothing that lasts long. It all depends on how much sleep I get, etc.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 25, 2005)

Monday; 7-25-2005​
*DE Bench* (50 minutes, 25 sets) 

*Speed Incline Bench Presses:* 

155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3
155 x 3

Some decent sets of speed incline presses today, definitely a lot different than regular speed benching. The extended ROM on the incline bench really makes it a bit more difficult to have any kind of decent bar speed at all, oh well. 

*Smith-Machine Military Presses / Seated DB Lateral Raises:* (superset)

195 x 8 / 30's x 9
195 x 8 / 30's x 8
195 x 6 / 30's x 8

These 3 supersets here today really honestly completely beat the hell out of my shoulders. I absolutely love military presses seated in the smith-machine, really great for hitting my delts. And doing these back to back with seated DB lateral raises really finished off my shoulders. My delts are still cramping up writing this. 

*Upright Rows:*

135 x 6
135 x 6
135 x 6
135 x 5

My shoulders were trashed, these were just icing on the cake. 

*Rope Cable Pressdowns:*

Stack x 5
Stack x 5
Stack x 5
Stack x 5
Stack x 5

Ouch, 5x5 with the rope was painful. I LOVE rope pressdowns they really let me squeeze the balls out of my triceps a lot more than other exercises. 

*Flat DB Flyes:*

55's x 12
55's x 12

Did a 2 quick sets of 12 on flat flyes to finish my chest. I haven't done flyes in months and months and months. These felt great, however, they were definitely a little painful. Whatever. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk, 5mg M1T
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* oatmeal + skim milk + raisins 
*Meal 2:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* tuna wrap
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* 10 tbsp. peanut butter 
*Meal 7:* ground beef + tomato sauce
*Meal 8:* 2 scoops of whey protein + skim milk 

Wow, my last meal tonight was about a 1/2 jar of peanut butter. I got home from having a little too much fun and was STARVING. So I almost finished a full jar of peanut butter.  

Sleep: 8 hours.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 25, 2005)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Monday; 7-25-2005​
> *DE Bench* (50 minutes, 25 sets)
> 
> *Speed Incline Bench Presses:*
> ...


Looks good big guy!

I agree Smith MP's ss'ed with side laterals...they are an awsome combo!  I use to do those alot and loved the same combo!!


----------



## Jill (Jul 26, 2005)

*Happy 1 month journal anniversary*


----------



## Seanp156 (Jul 26, 2005)

Jill said:
			
		

> *Happy 1 month journal anniversary*


  Congrats on that indeed Monstar .


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## M.J.H. (Jul 26, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Thanks man, I appreciate the feedback. And military presses supersetted with laterals are friggin' awesome for my shoulders, I love the combo. 

*Jill:* Aww, thank you. 

*Seanp:* Thanks man, appreciate it.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 26, 2005)

Tuesday; 7-26-2005​
*ME Deadlift* (55 minutes, 27 sets) 

*Suspended Good Mornings:* (bar set at waist level) 

135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 2
245 x 1
265 x 1
285 x 1
295 x 1
305 x 1
*315 x 1!*
325 x Miss

Nice sets today of suspended good AM's, beat the hell out of my lower back pretty bad. I worked up to 3 plates for a single, not too bad for starting from the bottom. Really hit my lower back hard, along with my hamstrings. 

*Nautilus Seated One-Leg Curls:* 

120 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8

Skipped 2 sets of 12 with SLDL because my lower back was cramping up like crazy from the good AM's. 3 quick sets of 8 with one-leg curls, not too bad. 

*Support Rows:* 

300 x 2
300 x 2
300 x 2
300 x 2
300 x 2
300 x 2
300 x 2
300 x 2

OUCH, 8 sets of 2 on the support rows really beat my lats up pretty damn bad. Used 6 plates for 8 sets of 2, underhand grip. Really pumped myself up for each of the 8 sets. Hit my lats really hard. 

*Rope Cable Pull-Throughs:*

Stack x 12
Stack x 12

Two quick sets of pull-throughs today, really hit my hamstrings and lower back hard. My hamstrings were burnt out completely after these 2 sets of 12. 

*BTN Cable Pulldowns:* (wide-grip)

185 x 11
185 x 11
215 x 5
215 x 5

Used a very wide grip on these BTN pulldowns, finished off my workout with these. Hit my biceps, rear delts, and lats with this wide-grip. 

DAMNIT! I totally forgot to do a few sets of shrugs today, whatever.  

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* oatmeal + skim milk + raisins 
*Meal 2:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 3:* 1 bag of peanuts 
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 6:* chicken noodle soup
*Meal 7:* 2 scoops of whey protein + skim milk, 1/2 whole-wheat turkey sandwich
*Meal 8:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk

Sleep: 8 hours.

BTW, nothing feels better than being single!


----------



## shiznit2169 (Jul 26, 2005)

> BTW, nothing feels better than being single!


   you and your girlfriend broke up? Is that what i am reading?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 26, 2005)

*shiznit:*


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## Riverdragon (Jul 26, 2005)

Glad I read your journal today. Today is shoulders and I am going to try those supersets and see how it feels.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 26, 2005)

*Riverdragon:* I'm telling you man, if you've never supersetted overhead presses with lateral raises you're really missing out. Doing that a while back really kickstarted my shoulders. Lately for whatever reason, though, my traps seem to be overtaking my shoulders, visually, at least.


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 26, 2005)

Sorry to hear ya broke up with her...sounds like you don't mind though LOL.  I had me one of them...I enjoyed the day I split with her!!!  Cause the next day was my first day of a new semester....had to have gotten like 15 numbers that day LOL!!

Killer w/o man!!!  315 on the gm's is killer!!!!


----------



## Seanp156 (Jul 26, 2005)

DeadBolt said:
			
		

> Sorry to hear ya broke up with her...sounds like you don't mind though LOL. I had me one of them...I enjoyed the day I split with her!!! Cause the next day was my first day of a new semester....*had to have gotten like 15 numbers that day LOL!!*


 Geeez how'd you manage 15? Come on now, you must show me the way of the pimp .


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## DeadBolt (Jul 26, 2005)

Seanp156 said:
			
		

> Geeez how'd you manage 15? Come on now, you must show me the way of the pimp .


Well you figure I had 5 classes that semester.  So as soon s I got in...always early I would go sit and chat with one girl.  As class started I would change seats next to another then as I walked out of the class I would partner up with one while we walked to our cars.  So thats 3 per class 5 classes = 15.  And in the chance I didn't get a girls number...I would always find some random hot ones walking around the halls and play the I'm lost and from florida bit!  That one always worked....they love the beach story shit.


----------



## Seanp156 (Jul 27, 2005)

Haha, you're rediculous .


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## M.J.H. (Jul 27, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* LOL, that's really hilarious. I'm the same way though honestly, when I'm single I get girls numbers everywhere I friggin' go. Especially when I'm riding around in the Lexus, lol. 

*Seanp:* He's a P.I.M.P.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 27, 2005)

Wednesday; 7-27-2005​
*Rest*

*Nautilus Crunches:*

180 x 20
180 x 20
180 x 20
220 x 8
220 x 8  

Some decent sets of crunches today, nothing too exciting though. 

*Reverse BB Wrist Curls:*

65 x 15
65 x 15
65 x 15
65 x 15
45 x 40

My forearms were still sore from doing them a few days ago and today I hit them hard all over again. Nice sets today, good pump in my forearms, for sure. 

*Smith-Machine Calf Raises:*

285 x 15
285 x 15
285 x 15
285 x 13
195 x 15 

Finished up with 5 quick sets of calf raises. Nothing too bad today. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* oatmeal + skim milk + raisins 
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 3:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 5:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter 
*Meal 6:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter
*Meal 7:* 2 scoops whey protein + 2% milk 

Sleep: 8 hours.


----------



## BritChick (Jul 27, 2005)

Still going strong with this journal I see Mike... good job.
Training and diet looks awesome. 
LOL @ 10tbsp peanut butter... it's just so damn hard to stop!


----------



## DeadBolt (Jul 27, 2005)

See thats my downfall...the second they see my hoopty its all over LOL.  Thats why I gotta keep them as far away from my car as possible.


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 27, 2005)

Really impressive ME day. Nothing seems to be falling behind or causing failures. That's a really good sign. You're in a total groove right now.

As far as your traps blowing past your shoulders, it's probably due to the amount of weight you've been putting on your traps with the heavy pulling and such. Although the last round of pics wouldn't lead anyone to believe your shoulders are lagging. Your traps are just exploding.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 27, 2005)

*BritChick:* Hey! Thanks for stopping by, haven't seen a post from you in ages. How is everything? Yeah lately my diet/training has been pretty solid. So no complaints at this point. I just finished up a M1T cycle for around 4 weeks at 15mg a day, and now I started Nolva. So its definitely nice to be getting my boys back to their right proportions, lol.

*DeadBolt:* LOL, that's hilarious bro. I had a Prelude before my Lexus all hooked up that girls seemed to love, too. So my car always helps me game, that's for sure, lol. 

*SF:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. My lats are killing me today! I think the 8 sets of 2 with support rows was a great way of blasting my lats. I can't wait to get in the gym tomorrow for my bench ME day. I'm thinking about shooting for a 405 lbs. decline single or a 365 lbs. flat single. We'll see how I feel come tomorrow morning. Any ideas for the rest of my ME bench day tomorrow? Or my DE deadlift day? 

BTW, I do really think my traps are growing like weeds lately. I don't know what I've done differently. Usually my shoulders always appear much much larger than my traps---but lately my traps have really taken off. But oh well, I'm not complaining.


----------



## soxmuscle (Jul 28, 2005)

what was that weight gainer you used?  cytogainer possibly?


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 28, 2005)

*soxmuscle:* You got it bro, Cytogainer. I'm probably going to order more when I I get a chance. I'm not a fan of this flavor it's banana cream. The last bottle I had of the stuff was choclate mint which was friggin' great. Tasted like mint choclate chip ice-cream.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 28, 2005)

Thursday; 7-29-2005​
*ME Bench* (45 minutes, 22 sets) 

*Decline Bench Presses:*

135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 2
315 x 2
365 x 1
*405 x 1!*
*425 x 1!*  

Huge, HUGE, huge PR today for decline bench. I was more than pleased with 405, and 425 was just absolutely insane. Came up slow but whatever, I locked it out, I don't give a f*ck. After 405 my spotter was like "dude you can hit 425." So that pumped me up a little bit and I hit 425 without much of a struggle. 

*Incline Bench Presses:* (wide-grip)

225 x 6
225 x 6
225 x 6
225 x 6

Good sets today of inclines, used a very wide grip. Wanted to see how it felt with such a wide grip and its definitely a different kind of feeling. Hit 4 sets of 6 with 225, not bad. 

*Overhead Rope Extensions / Cable Pressdowns:* (superset)

160 x 12 / Stack x 7
160 x 10 / Stack x 6
160 x 8 / Stack x 6

I absolutely love supersetting 2 styles of pressdowns talk about a great pump in my triceps. Started with overhead rope extensions and moved onto some quick pressdowns. Nothing too bad today. 

*Seated DB Front Raises:*

35's x 10 
35's x 10

*Nautilus Pec-Deck Flyes:*

180 x 12
180 x 12 

Finished up today with some front raises and then 2 quick sets on the pec-deck. Nothing too extreme today. My triceps were completely shot from the supersets.  

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + 2% milk
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + 2% milk
*Meal 1:* oatmeal + raisins + skim milk
*Meal 2:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 5:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 6:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 7:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter
*Meal 8:* MRP bar
*Meal 9:* 2 scoops whey protein + 2% milk

In case you didn't notice I was STARVING today! 

Sleep: 8 hours.


----------



## soxmuscle (Jul 28, 2005)

Thanks MonStar.  Even if we have our disagreements at times, it has to be noted that your doing a real good job on westside.


----------



## WATTS (Jul 28, 2005)

DAMN!!!!  425 for a single is F-ing great! Workouts are looking superb keep it up


----------



## Saturday Fever (Jul 28, 2005)

I've always noticed roughly 30lb difference in what I can decline and what I can flat press. By my body's math, you're benching 395.


----------



## M.J.H. (Jul 28, 2005)

*soxmuscle:* It's all good man, thanks for the support. 

*WATTS:* Thanks dude, I was pretty damn impressed with myself today. Lately I've been eating a lot more, carbs and protein especially and just keeping the crap out of my diet. And I really think it's paying off. I've lost a little bit of fat in my midsection---and my strength gains have been awesome. 

*SF:* Ouch, 395 sounds pretty damn close to my all-time goal of 405 on bench. I guess we'll see what happens these next few weeks or so. I want to do another M1T cycle in the next couple months. Any ideas for my DE deadlift session tomorrow?


----------



## Seanp156 (Jul 28, 2005)

Your decline bench is higher than your flat?


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## ihateschoolmt (Jul 28, 2005)

Seanp156 said:
			
		

> Your decline bench is higher than your flat?


 A lot of people are stronger on decline.


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## DeadBolt (Jul 28, 2005)

ihateschoolmt said:
			
		

> A lot of people are stronger on decline.


Most people are LOL.  Shorter ROM for many people.

*MIKE* Hot dog man!!!!  Awsome pressing there my fine fellow!  425 is friggin killer...I'm blown away!  I can't wait till your ME flat press....I know you'll blow 405 away my man!


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## Seanp156 (Jul 28, 2005)

DeadBolt said:
			
		

> Most people are LOL.  Shorter ROM for many people.


 Interesting, I never knew that . Either way, Mike, those are incredible presses.


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## Saturday Fever (Jul 28, 2005)

Decline puts you in a position, functionally, that allows you to  use less shoulders and lats. And since we all know triceps are stronger than those muscles, you can lift more. As well as the decreased ROM mentioned previously.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 29, 2005)

*Seanp:* Yeah bro, my decline is about 30-40 lbs. more than my flat for the most part. And then my incline is usually 30-40 lbs. less than my flat. It really just comes down to how much front delts you're throwing into the equation, etc. With incline obviously you're using more front delts with a little more ROM, hence why most people are weakest on incline. 

*ihateschoolmt:* Agreed.

*DeadBolt:* Thanks man! I really want a 405 lbs. bench and a 675 lbs. deadlift by January 1st, 2006. That's my goal for the next 5 months or so. 

*SF:* Thanks for the explanation, bro. I swear I learn more and more reading your posts, lol.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 29, 2005)

Friday; 7-29-2005​
*ME Deadlift* (50 minutes, 21 sets) 

*Deadlifts:* 

135 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 3 
405 x 2 
495 x 1
*645 x 1!* 

Awesome PR here today for conventional deadlifts, really pleased with my strength today. I pulled 645 nice and smooth today. Came up nice, and my lockout felt strong. I'm going to take 1-2 weeks off from heavy pulling and see if I can get 655. I really think that I get stronger the less often I do max attempts.

Really severely messed up my left hand today, with 405 for 2. I got a little too intense and slammed down the weight and I think I jammed my hand into the bar. I can't even write with it (I'm left-handed) and it hurts just to move/touch.  

*T-Bar Rows:*

360 x 5
360 x 5
360 x 5
360 x 5
360 x 5

Did 5 sets of 5 with 7 plates here today on ghetto t-bar rows. Used some wrist wraps for this exercise since my left hand was pretty much horsef*cked. 

*Seated Good Mornings:*

185 x 4
185 x 4
185 x 4
185 x 4 

I was going to do 6 sets of 4, but instead I just did 4x4 since my lower back started cramping up. 

*Nautilus Pullovers:*

Stack x 6
Stack x 6
Stack x 6
Stack x 6

Nice sets of pullovers today, used the entire stack (320 lbs.) for 4 sets of 6 today. Really hit my lats and serratus hard, I was feeling pretty damn good today. 

*Bentover DB Lateral Raises:*

25's x 12
25's x 12

Finished up with some laterals, not bad. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + 2% milk
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + 2% milk
*Meal 1:* oatmeal + raisins + skim milk 
*Meal 2:* chili + beans
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 5:* 10 tbsp. of peanut butter 
*Meal 6:* chicken noodle soup
*Meal 7:* 2 scoops of whey protein + 2% milk
*Meal 8:* 2 scoops of whey protein + 2% milk

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


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## DeadBolt (Jul 29, 2005)

Heya bud awsome PR there man!  Congrats!!  I don't think its going to take you 5 months to hit those PR's bro!  Your like right there as it is....just keep truckin and you'll get there in no time!

Sux to hear about the hand man....thats not kewl.


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## ihateschoolmt (Jul 29, 2005)

Damn a 645 deadlift, I couldn't even load the bar with out a break.


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## P-funk (Jul 29, 2005)

great deadlifts!!


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## Tony_L (Jul 30, 2005)

Dude, you're a f'n beast.

Awesome numbers.  What do you weight right now?  

You should take that strength of yours into competition.  You'd do really well in a push pull.  If you wanted to compete with a bench shirt, I could see you getting 500 no problem, assuming you learn the shirt well.

Do you periodicially schedule de-load/easy weeks?  Are they set or do you just go by feel?


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## Cold Iron (Jul 30, 2005)

Hey Mike, sweet PR bud !!!

Long time, no talk. How you been?

Congrats on the diet lately


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## PreMier (Jul 30, 2005)

All I can do is laugh at what you lift hahaha...  Fuckin' strong Mike.. fuckin' strong.  Whats the weight like?


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## Saturday Fever (Jul 30, 2005)

> Do you periodicially schedule de-load/easy weeks?



 

Deloading is for weeners. 

In all seriousness, though. Look at his last three weeks of sessions. How often do you see him do the same lifts, same set/rep schemes, same anything? Not very. This is why he can lift and lift and lift and not ever need a deloading phase. He (and you) can recover from physical fatigue in almost no time flat. It's the constant change that allows him to avoid mental fatigue. That's why he doesn't deload, or even have to deload.

That's a sweet pull, Mike. You probably hurt your hand because the bar was bending so much it wrapped around your hand.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 31, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. I don't know how long it will take me to get to 675 and 405, but those are my 2 big goals at this point. A lot of my friends are trying to convince me to get back into bodybuilding style workouts but I honestly feel so much damn better on a powerlifting style routine. 

*ihateschoolmt:* LOL, thanks for the support, man. 

*Patrick:* Thanks bro, appreciate it. 

*Tony_L:* I am going to guess that right now I weigh 225 lbs. I haven't weighed myself or binged in the past month or so and I really don't want to get back into the habit or either. I actually don't do any deloading weeks as SF explained. I pretty much follow all of the advice that SF gives, to the T. Sometimes I change up a few things here and there but overall he's where I get all of my workouts from. 

*Cold Iron:* Hey man, nice to see your name in here its been a long time. Workouts are going well, diet is pretty decent, haven't binged in a long time. So far no complaints at all. Everything seems to be on the right track.

*Jake:* Thanks dude, lol. I am probably weighing around 225 lbs. these days. Just my guess.

*SF:* Yeah I really don't think that this style program calls for deloading either, honestly. I'm feeling pretty damn good as of lately, so I don't see much of a reason for deloading with zero signs of overtraining. I have to admit there was some pretty damn good bar bend when I hit 645.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 31, 2005)

Saturday; 7-30-2005​
*Rest* 

Didn't have that much time today at all to do anything. I ended up running around like crazy all day today. 

*Reverse BB Wrist Curls:*

65 x 25 
65 x 25 
65 x 25 
65 x 25 
65 x 25 

Some pretty good sets of reverse wrist curls today, nothing too intense. My hand is still aching from those damn deadlifts, whatever. 

*One-Leg DB Calf Raises:*

60's x 15
60's x 15
60's x 15
60's x 15

Good sets of calf raises I guess. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + 2% milk
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + 2% milk
*Meal 1:* 2 egg rolls, garden salad + vinegarette dressing
*Meal 2:* 2 chicken breasts + vinegarette dressing, beans, mixed vegetables
*Meal 3:* 2 low-fat stuffed chicken breasts 
*Meal 4:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* apples + peanut butter 
*Meal 7:* 1/2 gallon of skim milk 

I was starving all day as usual! Lately my appetite has been out of control. I really did take in a good amount of protein and calories, though. At 3:00 AM I downed an entire 1/2 gallon of skim milk, which was 720 calories, 64g protein, 96g carbs, 4g fat. 

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


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## DeadBolt (Jul 31, 2005)

Damn mike... 1/2 gallon of milk at 3am.  I bet your stomach was crying the next day LOL.  Hey get them cals in where ever you can brotha!


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## M.J.H. (Jul 31, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Yeah man, 1/2 a gallon of skim milk last night. And tonight I pigged out again and ended up eating 6 packets of oatmeal, lol. At least its semi-clean calories, better than binging. This late night pigging out really has to stop, I've got to stop smoking.


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## M.J.H. (Jul 31, 2005)

Sunday; 7-31-2005​
*DE Bench* (55 minutes, 20 sets) 

Absolutely HORRIBLE workout today! My left hand is absolutely killing me and I can't even grip the bar at all. My palm and fingers are just throbbing, I don't know what the hell I have done. I'm going to keep icing it but seriously this is started to get ridiculous.

*Speed Bench Presses:*

185 x 3
185 x 3
185 x 3
185 x 3

My left hand today was absolutely killing me! I could barely finish these 4 sets of speed bench with 185 today it hurt so bad. 

*Seated French Presses:*

125 x 8
125 x 8
165 x 5
75 x 29

These weren't so bad on my hand, so I had a few decent sets here today. 

*Incline Cable Flyes:*

70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10

I knew that cable flyes wouldn't irritate my hand so I did a few sets of these. Really beat up my pecs, a lot. 

*Rope Cable Pressdowns / Cable Pressdowns:* (superset)

140 x 15 / 180 x 8
140 x 15 / 180 x 8

*Seated DB Lateral Raises:*

30's x 12
30's x 12

Did 2 supersets for triceps then some DB laterals. 

*Rope Cable Pressdowns:* (dropset)

160 x 9
130 x 8
100 x 8

Finished up today with a triple dropset. My triceps were toast. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt, 2 granola bars 
*Preworkout:* 2 scoops weight-gainer + 2% milk
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + 2% milk
*Meal 2:* grilled chicken soft taco
*Meal 3:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter
*Meal 4:* garden salad + grilled chicken + balsamic vinegarette dressing
*Meal 5:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 6:* tuna + crackers
*Meal 7:* 6 packets of oatmeal + 2% milk 

Today again I was absolutely STARVING. Lately I've just been out of control with my appetite. Ended up today with a TON of protein, probably around 330g+ I'd say. I was a litte mad at myself for having 6 packets of oatmeal at midnight, right around 130-140g of carbs in those alone, before bed.  

Sleep: 7 hours.


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## BritChick (Aug 1, 2005)

Pigging out on oatmeal eh? I'm impressed!! 
Hope that hand of yours gets better quickly Mike - you're doing great!


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## DeadBolt (Aug 1, 2005)

Hell oatmeal is better then crap....it will help out for your workouts the next day LOL.


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## M.J.H. (Aug 1, 2005)

*BritChick:* Hey! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate the support. I really hope that my hand gets better too. I can't believe its still hurting this bad. I expected it to be gone the next day or so. I learned my lesson, that's for sure. I'll never slam down the weight on deadlifts again.

*DeadBolt:* Agreed, man. Even though carbs before bed aren't the best thing for you, there is certainly a LOT worse, lol.


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## M.J.H. (Aug 1, 2005)

Monday; 8-1-2005​
*ME Deadlift* (45 minutes, 27 sets)

*Platform Deadlifts:* 

135 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3

Whatever, today I was going to try and test my 3RM off the platform, I was hoping for 495 for a triple. But of course my left hand started killing me after 315. So I did a few more sets of 315 and called it a day. 

*BTN Cable Pulldowns:*

215 x 7
215 x 7
215 x 6
185 x 12

Did some BTN pulldowns, couldn't go too too heavy because of my damn left hand. Hopefully by Wednesday it will be okay. It's honestly hard to say though because I've never had this kind of pain before. It has gotten better, every day, though. 

*Nautilus Seated Leg Curls / Nautilus Lying Leg Curls:* (superset) 

220 x 10 / 160 x 8
220 x 10 / 160 x 8
220 x 8 / 160 x 7

OUCH! Nice supersets here today for my hamstrings. 

*Incline DB Rows:* 

45's x 12
45's x 12
45's x 12

*Nautilus Leg Extensions:* 

Stack x 12
Stack x 12
Stack x 12 

Did some DB rows and then some leg extensions, nothing too exciting here today. 

*Smith-Machine BTB Shrugs:* 

195 x 20
195 x 18
195 x 16

I wanted to do some kind of shrugs and I knew I couldn't go too heavy because of my hand, so I did 3 sets with 195 in the Smith-machine. 

*Concentration Curls:* 

40's x 10
40's x 9

Did 2 quick sets of curls and called it a day. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk 
*Meal 1:* oatmeal + raisins + skim milk
*Meal 2:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* grilled chicken soft taco
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 6:* 1/2 whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 7:* 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter 
*Meal 8:* 1% cottage cheese + mixed fruit

Sleep: 8 hours. 

For some reason I'm falling asleep nonstop today! I feel so drowsy I'm not sure whats gotten into me. I guess maybe because I'm just sitting at a damn desk all day, who knows.


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## Cold Iron (Aug 1, 2005)

mike, you smoke?


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## M.J.H. (Aug 1, 2005)

*Cold Iron:* I do, but not cigarettes.


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## Seanp156 (Aug 1, 2005)

Cold Iron said:
			
		

> mike, you smoke?


 Heh, why'd you ask that? Seems a little random.


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## Cold Iron (Aug 1, 2005)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *DeadBolt:* Yeah man, 1/2 a gallon of skim milk last night. And tonight I pigged out again and ended up eating 6 packets of oatmeal, lol. At least its semi-clean calories, better than binging. This late night pigging out really has to stop, *I've got to stop smoking*.



.


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## Cold Iron (Aug 1, 2005)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Cold Iron:* I do, but not cigarettes.




you smoke crack?


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## M.J.H. (Aug 1, 2005)

*Seanp:* LOL, I mentioned it in an earlier post.

*Cold Iron:* Crack? LOL, what do I look like you, homeless? Grass, dummy.


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## M.J.H. (Aug 2, 2005)

Tuesday; 8-2-2005​
*Rest* 

*BTB Wrist Curls:*

135 x 15
135 x 15
135 x 15
135 x 15
95 x 30
95 x 30
45 x 40

OUCH! Beat the hell out of my forearms today with BTB wrist curls. I absolutely love doing these. Finished up with the bar for 40 reps, my forearms were on f*cking fire, lol. 

*Standing Calf Raises:*

Stack x 10
Stack x 10
Stack x 10
300 x 15
225 x 20

Nice sets today, I am going to be aching tomorrow. I worked out in a new gym today with a friend of mine and the new equipment was definitely nice for a change of pace.

*Rope Cable Crunches:*

100 x 12
100 x 12
70 x 20

Three quick sets of abs, then called it a day. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* grilled chicken salad + italian dressing, vegetable beef soup 
*Meal 2:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* tuna wrap
*Meal 5:* whole-wheat turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* turkey chili + beans 
*Meal 7:* peanut butter 
*Meal 8:* 1% cottage cheese + peanut butter 
*Meal 9:* oatmeal + raisins + skim milk 

Once again, a late night feast, lol.  

Sleep: 6 hours.


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## DeadBolt (Aug 2, 2005)

Hell yea btb curls are brutal on the forearms!  I did those for a long time!  I was thinkin of starting them up soon but I'm gonna wait and see how my COC is and my new book on grip training is before I add to much shit.


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## M.J.H. (Aug 2, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Hey man, I agree BTB wrist curls are awesome for your forearms. Like you said though the Captains of Crush grippers are also great, I used to use the #2 and #3 all the time back when I was obsessed with training forearms. I remember sitting in class in highschool and when I first got to college squeezing them constantly, lol.


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## Saturday Fever (Aug 2, 2005)

Be careful with your hand. Something so small, but it can cause lots of trouble. I can't do a lot of things that I took for granted because of the pins in my leg hindering my ankle.

Just be good to it amigo.


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## M.J.H. (Aug 2, 2005)

*SF:* Thanks for stopping by, man. Yeah my middle 2 knuckles from the outside of my hand are dark brown and bruised. I am not sure what I did but obviously it was something more major that I thought at the time. Right when it happened I felt like everything was fine---but then after it was throbbing the rest of the day and the following day, I knew I had to do something about it.


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## M.J.H. (Aug 3, 2005)

Wednesday; 8-3-2005​
*ME Bench*

*Suspended Bench Presses:* (wide-grip, bar 2" from chest)

135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x OUCH! 

My left hand is absolutely killing me, I really need to get it checked out. I tried 275 and my left had was just in excruciating pain. I don't know what I am going to do about this. I think its just a really bad sprain, hopefully. 

*Rope Cable Pressdowns:*

Stack x 5
Stack x 5
Stack x 5
150 x 12
150 x 12

Some good sets today of rope pressdowns for my triceps. Used the entire stack for 3 sets of 5 then dropped down for a few sets of 12. My triceps were trashed. 

*One-Arm DB French Presses:* 

40's x 8
40's x 8
40's x 8

Did some French presses for my triceps, nothing too exciting. Beat my triceps up pretty good with these after rope pressdowns. 

*Nautilus Pec-Deck Flyes:* 

220 x 8
220 x 8
220 x 8
170 x 14

Nice sets of pec-deck flyes today, I really love this exercise. Just one set of this exercise and my chest is completely pumped. Its one of the few exercises that really isolates my pecs completely. 

*Upright Rows:*

135 x 7
135 x 7
135 x 6
135 x 6

Did some upright rows today---not too bad I guess. Hit my shoulders pretty damn hard. 

*Nautilus Lateral Raises:*

200 x 8 
200 x 8
170 x 11
170 x 11
150 x 16 

Finished up today with some lateral raises! I did a few extra sets to get a good look at this girl in the Nautilus room of my gym, wow, smokin' hot. Of course I didn't have the balls to say anything to her, lol. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 6" turkey & cheese sub
*Meal 2:* tuna wrap
*Meal 3:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 4:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 5:* grilled chicken + broccoli & cheese
*Meal 6:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 7:* 5-6 tbsp. of peanut butter
*Meal 8:* low-fat turkey chili & beans 

Estimated Calories: ~4,500 

Sleep: 7 hours.


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## Saturday Fever (Aug 3, 2005)

Good session. Definitely get the hand checked out. They'll probly wrap it and give you an icing schedule and recommend resting it. Either way, take care of it.


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## Alaric (Aug 3, 2005)

Hey hope that hand feels better for ya.  Nice work in your sessions!

Do you use chalk and/or straps, more specifically...for deadlifts?


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## M.J.H. (Aug 3, 2005)

*SF:* Yeah man, we'll see. I honestly just think that its really badly bruised. I mean my knuckles on the outside are dark brown compared to my other hand. It's felt better every single day. So I'm going to give it a few more days before I do anything. 

*Alaric:* Thanks man, tomorrow's session is going to be lame because my hand is still f*cked up. I don't ever use straps or gloves on any lifts, and especially not deadlifts. The only thing that I use is chalk. No belt, no straps, no hooks, no gloves, no suits, etc.


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## DeadBolt (Aug 3, 2005)

Heya man sorry to hear the hand stillllll isn't getting better!  Def go get it checked out brotha!!

I use chalk on my deads as well and love it!


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## M.J.H. (Aug 4, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by. Yeah I really hope that my hand is 100% back to normal in the next week or so. It feels a little bit better every single day. So I really think that it's just a matter of time.


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## M.J.H. (Aug 4, 2005)

Thursday; 8-4-2005​
*DE Deadlift* (50 minutes, 25 sets) 

Worked out in a new gym today and got a few comments on my physique and a few on the A&F shirt that I was wearing, it said "you're better off without me" on it, lol. 

*Speed Deadlifts:*

365 x 2
365 x 2
365 x 2
365 x 2
365 x 2
365 x 2
365 x 2
365 x 2

Decent sets today, my left hand was bothering me throughout all of these 8 sets. Whatever. Used a little more weight and did 8 sets of 2 instead of my usual 8x3. 

*BTN Cable Pulldowns:* 

220 x 5
220 x 5
175 x 9
175 x 9

Good sets today of BTN pulldows, hit my lats pretty damn hard. Dropped the weight and finished up with 2 sets of 9 with 175. 

*Suspended Good Mornings:*

225 x 4
225 x 4
225 x 4
225 x 4

Ouch, beat up my lower back hard with these 4 sets of suspended good AM's. Really hit my lower back hard, trying to kickstart my lower back strength to eventually pull 675. 

*Hammer Strength Iso-Rows:*

245 x 12
245 x 12
335 x 6
335 x 5

*Hammer Curls:* 

65's x 7
50's x 12

Did some Hammer Strength rows, and then some hammer curls. The rows were great, I really liked them a lot. Nice for a change of pace, for sure. 

*CG Cable Upright Rows:*

160 x 10
160 x 10
160 x 10

Finished today with some upright rows for my traps, good sets. My traps really seem to be coming along, finally. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 2 scoops of weight-gainer + skim milk
*During Workout:* 24 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1/2 smoked turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 2:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* 1/2 smoked turkey & cheese sandwich 
*Meal 5:* 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich
*Meal 6:* MRP bar
*Meal 7:* 4-5 tbsp. peanut butter 
*Meal 8:* 1% cottage cheese + peanut butter

Estimated Calories: ~4,300  

I decided to start keeping a rough estimate of how many calories I'm consuming at the end of each day. Just to get an idea, basically. Lately I feel like I might be either 1) retaining some water or 2) gaining a little flab. So I'm going to start some T3 as soon as it comes in the mail and take care of this problem. 

Sleep: 7 hours.


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## M.J.H. (Aug 5, 2005)

Friday; 8-5-2005​
*Rest*

*Rope Cable Crunches:*

80 x 15
80 x 15
80 x 15
80 x 15

Some decent sets of cable crunches today, really seemed to hit my abs harder than usual. Probably because I'm working out in a new gym. 

*Seated Calf Raises:*

270 x 20
270 x 20
270 x 20
315 x 15
180 x 40

Nice sets today, really trying to add some size to my calves. 

*BTB Wrist Curls / Reverse BB Wrist Curls:* (superset) 

135 x 15 / 45 x 25
135 x 15 / 45 x 25
135 x 15 / 45 x 25

Ouch, hit my forearms pretty damn hard today. Supersetting these really beat the hell out of my forearms. Nice burn, and pump. 

Diet/Supplements:

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 50mcg T3 
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
*Meal 1:* 1% cottage cheese + kashi cereal
*Meal 2:* 1/2 smoked turkey & cheese sandwich 
*Meal 3:* 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich
*Meal 4:* 1/2 smoked turkey & cheese sandwich 
*Meal 5:* chicken noodle soup
*Meal 6:* whole-wheat tuna sandwich
*Meal 7:* grilled chicken pita 
*Meal 8:* garden salad, chicken noodle soup, breadsticks 
*Meal 9:* 1% cottage cheese + yogurt

Estimated Calories: ~5,000

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


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## Alaric (Aug 5, 2005)

Hey MonStar, awesome session are you cutting or maintaining at the moment?


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## Saturday Fever (Aug 5, 2005)

If by cutting or maintaining strength, I'd say the answer is neither. He's exploding.


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## DeadBolt (Aug 8, 2005)

Saturday Fever said:
			
		

> If by cutting or maintaining strength, I'd say the answer is neither. He's exploding.


I concur with this....he is just goin nuts LOL.  

Mike that was an awsome w/o....killed good AM's!!!!  Hows the hand big guy?  I ordered a COC and a book on stregth training.  I hope it gets here today!


----------

