# MonStar's Journal: SF's Guinea Pig



## M.J.H. (Sep 4, 2004)

SF (Saturday Fever) told me that he wanted 9 weeks for me to follow his training, his way of eating, and give him a promise that I'll stick with it for at least 9 weeks. I am going to give him my word that I'll stick it out for the next 9 weeks. If all goes well I am hoping that it's going to last more than 9 weeks. The program is going to focus on variety as usual. Here is what the training is going to look like: 




> *Ripped Up Routine ala SF*
> 
> What lifts you do is strictly up to you. Deads and squats will both count as legs, Pull Day will be your shortest.
> 
> ...


Basically the training is pull/legs/push/rest, for the most part. On the rest day I am going to do SOME sort of cardio, I am not sure what kind yet to be honest. We'll see what happens. I am awaiting SF's advice on diet. I am not sure what he has in store for me but I am sure that it's promising. 

Wish me luck and stay tuned for how I do on his program, I am expecting to drop some serious fat, and hopefully that will work out well.


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## atherjen (Sep 4, 2004)

you didnt need a new journal  but that doesnt matter, as long as you stick with it!! and I hope that with Adams guidance you can. Diet as well <---big one!!  
Good luck.


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## dianas05 (Sep 4, 2004)

Mike,
I am hoping that all goes well for you with this new routine. You should definitely stick to the plan to see if you get results you want -- you won't know unless you try! I wish you good luck.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 4, 2004)

*Jen:* Hey there, thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it. I really do plan on sticking this one out no questions asked. I gave SF my word that I would give him at least 9 weeks on his training/diet advice 100%. And that's what I am going to do, and nothing less. There's no reason that I shouldn't be able to stick with something hardcore for 9 weeks. Especially since it's so close to what I am already doing. 

*Diana:* Hey, thank you for the post, appreciate the support. I am going to stick with it---my progress is always superb with SF as my coach.


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## lakergirl (Sep 4, 2004)

hey Mike

Good luck with everything. if you want it badly enough, youll get it. so just think of how great you'l feel at the end!


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## dianas05 (Sep 4, 2004)

Great to hear! You should be lean and mean in no time!


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## fantasma62 (Sep 4, 2004)

Hey Mike,


Be good and keep on with it.  SF will help you out and you will WIN at the end.
Behave.....


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## Rocco32 (Sep 4, 2004)

Good luck Mike! Looking forward to seeing the diet he's putting you on!


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## yellowmoomba (Sep 4, 2004)

I'll be watching too     I'm doing a Push/Pull/Legs routine right now too so maybe I can pickup some tips!!!


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## M.J.H. (Sep 4, 2004)

*lakergirl:* Agreed. And I want it badly enough. I am going to post a before picture in a few minutes. Just something that I can use as a comparison at the end of the 9 weeks. I am really looking forward to dropping off some of this stubborn fat around my midsection that I have had for years now. I know that SF won't let me down. Thanks so much for stopping by. 

*Diana:* Let's hope so! 

*fantasma62:* I am definitely going to hang in there with SF. My gains are never anything less than superb with his guidance. I am really looking forward to what he has in mind for me diet wise.

*rock4832:* Same here, man. I think that were all looking forward his take on my diet. Especially since he knows me better than anybody in terms of what I can and can't deal with. 

*yellowmoomba:* I absolutely love a push/pull/legs split. I find though that I have to put legs in between pull and push because my rotator cuffs for whatever reason can't take back-to-back stress like that. But I guess everyone is different.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 4, 2004)

Here is my before pic. This morning I weighed 228.5 lbs. Looking to harden up a bit and maybe get down to the 215 lbs. range. But who knows because SF said my weight won't change much, the mirror will. 

BTW, sorry for the lack of lighting. My digital camera is really pissing me off lately.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 4, 2004)

9-4-2004​
*Pull*

*CG Cable Pulldowns*
4 sets of 6 with 170

*CG Cable Rows*
1 set of 5 with 180
3 sets of 4 with 210

*Alternating DB Curls* 
3 sets of with the 60's
1 set of 8 with the 50's

*Bentover Rows* 
4 sets of 4 with 305

*Nautilus Pullovers*
2 sets of 15 with 200
1 set of 10 with 240

Good workout today I think, definitely threw my CNS through a loop I think today. Started off with pulldowns, which I never start off with. Hit 4 sets of 6 there, and then some seated cable rows, which I never do that early in my workout. Then I did some quick alternating DB curls, nothing too extreme there. Good sets. Hit my biceps fairly hard. What really shocked my CNS I think was going to bentover rows after 3 other exercises. Especially after curls. Still hit my lats hard though with 4 sets of 4 with 305. Not bad at all, Yates style with a double overhand grip. Finished up with pullovers as my cooldown movement---good sets there. 

Workout today lasted 50 minutes, and ended up with a total of 19 sets. Not too bad I guess. For whatever reason I was drenched in sweat today, lol. 

Diet: 
- MRP + 2% milk 
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout
- Trioplex bar
- 3 pieces of baked chicken, broccoli 
- chicken salad
- cottage cheese + mixed fruit
- teriyaki chicken + vegetables

Sleep: 7.5 hours. 

Weight: 228.5 lbs. Going to be weighing myself a day a week. Just to keep an idea in my head of what I weigh. Next Saturday I'll weigh myself again.


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## BritChick (Sep 4, 2004)

Good Luck!


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## Saturday Fever (Sep 4, 2004)

Been giving the diet a lot of thought, sorry for the delay. I've been doing a bit of reading as well, making sure ideas make sense and correcting some mistakes.

I want you to do the bulk of your carbs pre-workout. This will allow you to binge, but I also want you to make an effort not to binge. Because there's so much room to vary the intensity level in the routine, you can ramp up the intensity on days you're recovering from a binge or a slip up or whatever. 

I'm not saying you need to count out fat/carbs/protein, that's no fun at all, but here's a general "rule of thumb" ratio I want you to try to follow:

Pre-workout: 10% fat / 50% carbs / 40% protein

Good choices here are to add oatmeal to your breakfast, things of that nature. Get a good intake before the gym. On days you workout early, you'll lower the intensity a bit since you didn't have much time for carbs. On days you workout later, you can up the intensity to burn the extra carbs you had time for.

Post-workout: 40% fat / 20% carbs / 40% protein

And by all means, if you come under 20%ish on your carbs, that's fine. Try to keep the fat as healthy as possible, of course. Go for the lean cuts on meat (or fish if you like fish) and of course protein can be gotten anywhere you usually get it.

IN THE EVENT OF A BINGE:

Don't sweat it, everyone does it. If possible, schedule your gym time earlier in the day and raise the intensity level. Also if possible, add 10-15 minutes of cardio to the end of the workout.

If neither is possible and you have to work or whatever, again raise the intensity level, but alter your pre-workout ratio to your post-workout ratio and maintain that ALL day long. 

On off days, I want you to evenly distribute your calories, but the remaining 10% can be split between fat and protein. So something like this:

Off-days: 30-40% fat / 30% carbs / 30-40% protein

I can provide something much more specific if you'd like, but I want to give you the same freedom your routine allows. In summary, we're keeping the carbs low post-workout and post-binge. Pre-workout is where you'll get the majority of your carbs, but you'll not be restricted afterwards either, just limited.

And remember that MRPs are your friend, and don't count them against your day.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 4, 2004)

*SF:* Okay man, basically the bottom line is eat clean, and if/when I happen to binge, stick it out and hang in there. I usually don't really keep track of my % of protein/carbs/fat, but I take it for the most part you're saying to eat the majority of my carbs pre- and postworkout and all other times eat more protein and fat and keep carbs lower? Pretty straight forward, IMO. How did my workout look today? 

And I am not sure if you saw my post in my old journal or not, I had some questions about the program, I'll quote what I posted there. 




> Okay man, let just give a rough idea of what to do here. Just so I know. A sample workout of push might look like this:
> 
> Cable Crossovers: 3 light sets of 8
> Decline BB Presses: 8 heavy sets of 3
> ...


Thanks again man.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 4, 2004)

*MODERATOR:*

*Please lock this journal. I am not abandoning this program/journal at all I am just so sick of reading about P/RR/S and how many people love it, I need to give it a whirl. Take no offense SF. I am just tired of seeing thread after thread after thread on the program. I need to see what everyone's talking about.*


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## Rocco32 (Sep 4, 2004)

WTF?!?! Is this a joke?


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## M.J.H. (Sep 4, 2004)

No, it's not a joke. I am absolutely sick and tired of reading every other 5 minutes about a new person who LOVES gopro's program.


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## fantasma62 (Sep 5, 2004)

Mike, don't give up on SF just yet.  Hell, I love P/RR/S, but I have never tried SF's Westside.  In my case, just because I haven't tried it, I am not going to say it's not for me.  You are thin, you don't need to lose that much fat.  Simple.  With SF's program you are going to get huge.  I may be wrong, and SF, please correct me if I am wrong, but you can gain a whole lot of mass and lose fat too.  You need to give it a fair shot and see that it doesn't work or that it does.  If it doesn't, then try something else.  You are giving up too fast....
My recommendation is that you give SF a try and then see how it goes.  9 weeks is not that long a time.
By switching so fast you are not giving yourself a chance and you are not giving SF a chance.  Like I said, all he asked for was 9 weeks....
Think about it.  Don't make hasty decisions....
Mike, normally I am behind you all the way and trust me I will be behind you here too.  However, I think you are making a terrible mistake here.
Just think about it.  Stick to one routine and be on it for a little while.....
Check out Dan's Westside journal.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 5, 2004)

Hey man, trust me, I am not abandoning SF's program at all. I think that you misunderstood. I am just so sick and tired of reading about P/RR/S and how everyone loves it, etc. I want to give that program a shot right now. I am going to come right back to SF's program. I just feel like every 5 minutes I read about someone else trying P/RR/S and thinking its the best thing since sliced bread. 

SF has helped me like crazy, and he knows that. I would never just kick his program away like that.


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