# Me CowPimp.  Me Get Big.



## CowPimp (Feb 24, 2005)

Well.  Here it is, my HST journal.  Things are probably going to be a little weird the first cycle while I learn my 15, 10, and 5 rep maxes on certain exercises.  Forgive me if I don't follow the protocol to the tee initially, but the second time around will be much better.

There's not much to say.  As always, I want to get bigger and stronger.  I eat a clean 4300 calories per day right now, and I cheat every few days on average.

Let the games begin.


----------



## PreMier (Feb 24, 2005)

First   Oh, and goodluck!


----------



## Cold Iron (Feb 24, 2005)

GL pimp


----------



## CowPimp (Feb 24, 2005)

*Wednesday, February 23rd & Thursday, February 24th*

*Bodyweight*
190

*Warmup*
5 minutes elliptical

*Squats*
65 x 10
115 x 5
145 x 15
145 x 15

*SLDLs*
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 15
225 x 15
225 x 15

*Bent Rows*
45 x 10
65 x 5
95 x 15
95 x 15

*Chinups*
-120 x 15
-120 x 15

*Upright Rows*
65 x 15

*Bench Press*
45 x 10
95 x 5
115 x 15
115 x 15

*Decline Bench Press*
115 x 15

*Military Press*
65 x 15
65 x 15

*Decline Situps*
50 x 15
50 x 15

*Hyperextensions*
75 x 15
75 x 15

*Calf Raises*
260 x 15
260 x 15

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

Phew.  What a workout.  Full body routines are killer.  I used a 1 minute rest interval for everything.  A lot of this stuff was off.  I went too heavy on some things, as I'm supposed to progress over the next 4 workouts proceeding this.  The following will be adjusted next workout: squats, SLDLs, bent rows, bench press, hyperextensions, and calf raises.  Now, I should've known the hyperextensions.  The difference was that the machine at my new gym is different.  I can move my torso almost an entire 45 degrees more past parallel to the floor.  This is good, but it is quite a bit harder.

Another thing to note is that I am try to eliminate virtually all momentum and slight cheating from every movement.  I want every repetition to be clean with a good mind muscle connection.  I may possibly allow a little more slack when doing 5 repetitions, but not much.

Diet was good, and bodyweight remained the same on both days.  I didn't workout on Thursday.


----------



## CowPimp (Feb 24, 2005)

Thanks PreMier and Cold Iron.


----------



## GoalGetter (Feb 25, 2005)

Hey CP! Good morning, and good luck!


----------



## Rocco32 (Feb 25, 2005)

Good luck and KILLER w/o!! How long'd it take you? On exercises like SLDL and BB Row, are you using straps?


----------



## P-funk (Feb 25, 2005)

good workout.  I love totaly body.

make sure that you aren't doing any rest pause sets to ensure that the weight you are using is as pure a 15RM or 10Rm or whatever as you can.  For more info on that check out the density thread in the training forum where the quality of reps is being discussed.


----------



## soxmuscle (Feb 25, 2005)

Awesome workout, best of luck on this new routine.


----------



## crazy_enough (Feb 25, 2005)

Good luck with the new routine!! That workout would kick my arse in ways I can only imagine!! Phewwww


----------



## Yanick (Feb 25, 2005)

GL CP, workout looks solid.


----------



## Robboe (Feb 25, 2005)

Did you have the 7-9 days deconditioning phase?


----------



## Yunier (Feb 25, 2005)

Good luck!

I've done HST in the past and loved the results I got, so I am doing it AGAIN. But I have several questions for you.

How are you running it? 3x a week?
If so, why so many sets of squat, SLDLs, Bench Press and bent over rows? Thats 12 sets just on squats weekly and a total of 24 sets for your leg. No need for so many.

Also the 7-9 days deconditioning phase after taking 3 seperate days to find your 15-10-5 maxes, as TCD, is very important.


----------



## BulkMeUp (Feb 25, 2005)

Good luck CP!


----------



## CowPimp (Feb 25, 2005)

*Friday, February 25th*

*GoalGetter*
Thanks for coming by again Ivonne.  I appreciate the well wishing.

*rock4832*
I don't do straps.  If I can't hold the weight, then I can't do the lift.  That's my philosophy.

*P-funk*
Total body is the way to go!  It feels like so much more of a workout.  Of course, the slightly decreased rest interval makes a difference too.

My goal is definitely to make my 15RM as "pure" as possible.  I'm also kind of going back to the basics, in that I want my form to be spotless on everything, and I want my ROM to remain full for every repetition.  

If I end up failing before hitting 15 repetitions during my last workout of the 15 rep phase, then do you think I should rest pause the last repetitions out, or just fail at a slightly lower number of repetitions?

*soxmuscle*
Thanks mang.

*crazy_enough*
Thanks for stopping by.  You should definitely give full body workouts a shot!

*Yanick*
Thanks Yan.  I definitely respect your opinion.

*TCD*
Nope.  I didn't do that this time around.  However, I do plan on taking a week off after I go through this cycle.  I will probably stop at 6 weeks instead of 8, as I just did 6 weeks of WS prior to this.  I kind of just wanted to get the feel for the routine and make sure I like it before I go through all that.  I already like it though.  I never work in the 15 rep range, and it's a good change of pace.  Also, I love full body routines.

*Yunier*
Thanks.  I'm performing this workout 3 times per week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I didn't perform 4 working sets of all those exercises.  Only 2.  The first 2 sets were merely warm-up sets.  I typically do 1 warm-up set, and 1 acclimation set.  So, I perform 18 sets per week for legs (Including calves), 15 sets for pull exercises, 15 sets for push exercises, 12 sets for my core.

I will definitely make sure I take some time off before I do my next cycle.

*BulkMeUp*
Thanks!

*Warmup*
5 minutes elliptical

*Squats*
65 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 15
135 x 15

*SLDLs*
135 x 10
185 x 5
205 x 15
205 x 15

*Bent Rows*
45 x 10
65 x 5
90 x 15
90 x 15

*Chinups*
-110 x 15
-110 x 15

*Upright Rows*
70 x 15

*Bench Press*
45 x 10
95 x 5
115 x 15
115 x 15

*Decline Bench Press*
125 x 15

*Military Press*
70 x 15
70 x 15

*Decline Situps*
55 x 15
55 x 15

*Hyperextensions*
70 x 15
70 x 15

*Calf Raises*
200 x 15
200 x 15

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

This workout was definitely more on track in terms of incrementing the weight over the 3 workouts coming up next week.  I lowered the weight on some exercises and incremented as normally on others.  I also kept a couple of weights the same.  This entire first cycle might be a little off while I determine the proper weights to use.  I am pretty sure I want to go through with a full second cycle after this with everything down pat.

Olympic squats are especially surprising.  It really does make a huge difference in terms of the weight I can move relative to PL style squats.

My diet was pretty good today, although I had one cheat meal.  My calories still probably remained approximately the same.  The cheat meal was spaghetti carbonara.  WW pasta was used.  The additional ingredients include peas, egg, onion, and a little bacon.  Really, it's not all that bad of a cheat.  The bacon isn't the healthiest choice, but I probably had 1 strip total in the entire bowl of pasta.

I forgot to weigh myself this morning, but I weighed myself a bit later in the day at 191.  I am not going to count that as a gain of a pound though.  Most likely that's food in my stomach or something.


----------



## ChrisROCK (Feb 26, 2005)

good luck CP.  Did you take a few days to figure our your 15,10,5 RMs....or did you wing it, and make adjustments?


----------



## JerseyDevil (Feb 26, 2005)

Good luck on the new program CP!


----------



## P-funk (Feb 26, 2005)

> If I end up failing before hitting 15 repetitions during my last workout of the 15 rep phase, then do you think I should rest pause the last repetitions out, or just fail at a slightly lower number of repetitions?



I would just le myself fail.  




> Olympic squats are especially surprising. It really does make a huge difference in terms of the weight I can move relative to PL style squats.




yeah, squatting high bar is tough.



What is your rest interval for this??


nice workout.


----------



## Yunier (Feb 26, 2005)

CowPimp ahh, I get it! You had me worried there for a second man lol. Good Stuff.


----------



## CowPimp (Feb 26, 2005)

*ChrisROCK*
I'm just winging it for the time being.  I plan on following up with a second cycle where I have all my 15, 10, and 5RMs down pat.  Thanks for stopping by.  It's always nice to see your signature.

*JerseyDevil*
Good looking out with the support JD.  You da man!

*P-funk*
I'll just fail and try to hit 15 the next cycle around.

It seems to me like squatting olympic style requires more ab strength and less lower back strength.  You are actually moving the bar with your erector spinae squatting PL style, but merely stabilizing it during olympic squats.

I'm using 60 second rest intervals, although I don't rest at all in between the warm-up and acclimation sets.  Thanks Funkmaster Flex.

*Yunier*
Hehe, not to worry.  I'm a big proponent of keeping volume to the medium/low side of the spectrum.  Thanks for asking though.


----------



## Yanick (Feb 26, 2005)

another nice workout CP.

I gotta agree with you on the olympic vs pl squats. weight drops down a bunch when switching from one to the other but PL squats will usually have you moving more weight after you give your CNS some time to adapt to the movement.


----------



## CowPimp (Feb 27, 2005)

*Saturday, February 26th*

*Bodyweight*
189

*Callisthenics*

*Warm-up*
100 Jumping Jacks
30 Seconds Rest

*3 x Circuit - 30 Second RI*

*Situps*
25
25
25

*Pushups*
25
25
25

*Pullups*
5
5
5

*Fingertip Pushups*
5
5
5

*Squats*
25
25
25

*Cool-Down*
30 Seconds Rest
25 Rock Climbers
50 Jumping Jacks
Full Body Stretching

My hamstrings are still kind of sore, but not excessively so.  I didn't workout until like 10PM.  I ended up getting 5 hours of sleep, then taking a 4 hour nap.  That was nice.  It's also why I ended up working out so late.

Diet was clean.  No cheating at all.  Down a pound, but I'll wait until the end of next week before I make changes to my diet, if necessary.


----------



## ChrisROCK (Feb 27, 2005)

What does a typical clean 4300 cals look like for you CP, on a given day?  i saw somewhere you were taking in approx 4300 cals.  I'm trying to do the same, just having a hard time getting that much food down.  Looking for some ideas...  Thx!


----------



## Rocco32 (Feb 27, 2005)

Looking good in here Cow. I look forward to following along


----------



## soxmuscle (Feb 27, 2005)

why would failing be the way to go about it?  Failing at anything would not only hinder the rest of my workout, but it just sucks.  So why would you want to fail, why not just pick it up and bust those extra reps out..


----------



## Yunier (Feb 27, 2005)

Hey cowpimp I am following your journal closely aswell. Looks like we are both going to finish our cycle of HST almost at the same time. ;-).

Are you deconditioning next week?


----------



## CowPimp (Feb 27, 2005)

*ChrisROCK*
Meal1:
1 egg, 4 whites, 1 cup flax cereal, 1 cup 2% milk, 1 cup apple/orange juice, 20G brewer's yeast, multivitamin, time release vitamin C

Meal2 - PWO:
1 cup oats, 2 scoops whey in water

Meal3:
2 slices WW bread, 1oz sunflower kernels, 1 cup 2% milk, 1 scoop whey, cucumber

Meal4 - Shake:
1 cup 2% milk, 1 scoop whey, 1 banana, 10G flax seed oil

Meal5:
1 can tuna, 2oz chicken breast, 2 TBSP safflower mayo, 1.5 slices WW pita, celery

Meal6:
1 tin sardines, 3oz chicken breast, 6oz sweet potato/brown rice/barley, 10G olive oil based dressing, 10G whole flax seeds, lettuce, tomato

Meal7 - Shake:
2 cups 2% milk, 2 scoops whey, cucumber

Meal8:
1 cup 2% cottage cheese, 2 TBSP PB

That's my typical diet, although I end up making little substitutions here and there all time time.  As you can see, I drink a lot of milk and several scoops of whey.  This definitely helps me in achieving the designated number of calories for the day.  Sometimes I end up eating these meals only 1.5-2 hours apart if I wake up really late or something along those lines.  I hope that gives you some ideas.

*rock4832*
Thanks rock.  It's going to be a bumpy ride.  (I have no idea what I meant by that, just take it for what it's worth)

*soxmuscle*
I might stop just short of failure, but doing rest-pause sets would be even more draining than simply hitting failure.  That requires hitting failure, or very close to it, then hitting it again after only minimal rest.  It's not that bad anyway, as you only peak one workout every 2 weeks on this routine.  Every prior workout is using submaximal weights.

*Yunier*
Nah, I'm actually just going to give HST a 6 weeks run through (Without doing negatives or a second week of 5 repetitions).  Following this preliminary cycle, I will decondition for a week, then proceed with full knowledge of my capabilities and perform the entire 8 week cycle.  I usually end up doing this with routines.  I start by perform a half-assed cycle where I kind of toy around with weights, find out how many reps I can do, tweak where necessary, etc.  I then proceed with a regular cycle.


----------



## sara (Feb 27, 2005)

Good luck C Pimp


----------



## Yunier (Feb 27, 2005)

CowPimp said:
			
		

> *Yunier*
> Nah, I'm actually just going to give HST a 6 weeks run through (Without doing negatives or a second week of 5 repetitions).  Following this preliminary cycle, I will decondition for a week, then proceed with full knowledge of my capabilities and perform the entire 8 week cycle.  I usually end up doing this with routines.  I start by perform a half-assed cycle where I kind of toy around with weights, find out how many reps I can do, tweak where necessary, etc.  I then proceed with a regular cycle.



Actually that makes perfect sense.   I might even start tomorrow with my 15 reps and go from there...Because since its been awhile I have lifted my lifts keeps getting higher and higher. Its going to actually take a few weeks of me lifting to find my "real" maxes. So perhaps I should do like you...thanks.


----------



## Flex (Feb 28, 2005)

Good luck, PIMP


----------



## DeadBolt (Mar 3, 2005)

Whats up pimp finally found your journal.  Best of luck to ya!!

Hows the diet goin stayin strong at 190?

Where the hell r ya LOL.


----------



## PreMier (Mar 3, 2005)

Yea, wtf?


----------



## Cold Iron (Mar 3, 2005)

He's been on the site, just not updating his journal


----------



## Yanick (Mar 3, 2005)

lets see an update slacker.


----------



## Velvet (Mar 4, 2005)

ha ha, nice journal name Tarzan 

Good luck


----------



## BulkMeUp (Mar 4, 2005)

update update!!


----------



## DeadBolt (Mar 4, 2005)

Cold Iron said:
			
		

> He's been on the site, just not updating his journal


Damn those slackers!!


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 4, 2005)

*Friday, March 4th*

Alright everyone, I'm back.  I apologize for slacking on the updates, but I had some computer issues.  My previous video card kicked the bucket completely out of the blue.  Although I had access to my dad's computer, I have to share that with him and my dad, so unless they happen to not be using it when I get home from work, then updates weren't going to happen.  I did pop in to drop a couple of 1 minute posts in the training sections, but journal entries take a bit more time.

This entry will only include my most recent training session.  I haven't done cardio since my last update (Slacking there), because I ended up doing work away from work on both my days off.  I was just tired.  I will try to do cardio both days this weekend, although I have to help my mom move tomorrow.  My diet has been pretty good.  One day I went over my planned calories by eating an egg salad sub at work.  For some reaon I was just really hungry.  My stomach started growling like 45-60 minutes after I had already eaten...

Also, thanks everyone for your well wishing and support!

*Bodyweight*
190

*Warmup*
5 minutes stationary bike

*Squats*
65 x 10
115 x 5
165 x 15
165 x 15

*SLDLs*
235 x 15
235 x 15

*Bent Rows*
45 x 10
65 x 5
115 x 15
115 x 15

*Chinups*
-70 x 15
-70 x 15

*Upright Rows*
85 x 15

*Bench Press*
65 x 10
115 x 5
145 x 15
145 x 15

*Decline Bench Press*
155 x 15

*Military Press*
85 x 15
85 x 11

*Decline Situps*
70 x 15
70 x 15

*Hyperextensions*
87.5 x 15
87.5 x 15

*Calf Raises*
260 x 15
260 x 15

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

I was pleased with this training session.  I banged out the squats a bit easier than expected.  I probably could have done 175 or 185 even if I really wanted to crawl out of the gym.  SLDLs were definitely pushing their limits though.  Man those were tough.

I upped the rows a bunch from the previous session without issue.  Still maintained nice tight form.  Chinups were brutal though.  Those definitely took a lot out of me.  I banged out the upright rows without issue.  Progression should come easily here.

Both horizontal pressing movements were chosen well in terms of weight.  I should be able to progress on both, although it's gonna be a close call if I don't gain strength.  Military presses were the only lift I didn't hit my 15 repetition goal for both sets.  Oh well, next go around.

Everything else went nicely too.  70 x 15 was a nice record for my decline situps (My new gym has the same decline bench too).  Those hyperextensions went well too.  The gym is missing 65 and 85 pound dumbbells for some reason, so I just used 87.5 pound ones instead.  More weight can't hurt.  My calves didn't mind 260 too much, and I foresee increasing without much trouble next cycle.

All in all, I was pleased.  Considering I totally winged it, I thought I picked pretty good weights.  Man, 60 second rest intervals on a full body workout where you actually approach failure is death.  I'm starting to get conditioned against it already though.

My diet was alright today, although I did replace one meal with a sort of cheat.  I had some tuna noodle caserrole.  Basically, it was tuna, tri-color pasta (Spinach, egg, and red pepper), and peas.  Really not too bad.  I'm trying to make my cheats a little less cheatey mostly.  That way I can do it a bit more frequently.  Of course, I will still go gung ho sometimes (Pizza!).

Bodyweight is basically stalling at 190.  I'm still giving my body a bit more time to pack on some weight.  If I don't in the next several days, then I will either increase my calories more, or going hypocaloric for a week and then come back to the same number of calories.


----------



## JerseyDevil (Mar 5, 2005)

I knew there had to be a reason you hadn't been posting.  It may be too early to tell , but what are your thoughts so far about Westside compared to HST?


----------



## Velvet (Mar 5, 2005)

Great w/o CP, nice to have you back!


----------



## DeadBolt (Mar 5, 2005)

JerseyDevil said:
			
		

> I knew there had to be a reason you hadn't been posting.  It may be too early to tell , but what are your thoughts so far about Westside compared to HST?


I was thinkin the same thing.  The w/o's look totaly different.  Maybe it'll take a few weeks to really see how you like it.

Best of luck with it my man....and hope those comp problems are done and over with.


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 6, 2005)

*Bodyweight*
190

*Callisthenics*

*Warm-up*
100 Jumping Jacks
30 Seconds Rest

*3 x Circuit - 30 Second RI*

*Situps*
25
25
25

*Pushups*
25
25
25

*Pullups*
5
5
5

*Fingertip Pushups*
5
5
5

*Squats*
25
25
25

*Cool-Down*
30 Seconds Rest
25 Rock Climbers
50 Jumping Jacks
Full Body Stretching

Nice little callisthenics session last night.  I kept the rest interval the same as I had been slacking on doing it.  I will drop to 20 seconds next week.  Once I hit 10 seconds, I think I'll add a 4th run through because I blast through the session so quick.

My diet was a little off yesterday.  I had some chicken fajitas from baja fresh which came with beans, rice, tortillas, and pico de gallo.  There was also a small amount of sour cream and guacamole used.  I also had an extra little glass of milk and whey snack before my exercising went down.  I probably pushed 5K calories yesterday, but still no weight gain.  I think I might just start throwing down random extra calories during the day to try and spike my weight up a bit.  I will try to keep them clean though.


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 6, 2005)

*JerseyDevil*
It's hard to tell thus far, although I enjoy the workouts a lot.  I can tell I am getting conditioned against them already too.  15 repetitions is a nice change of pace too; I rarely used rep ranges that high before.  15 rep leg work is deadly, but I love it.  Full body workouts are also great.

Also, I am trying to refine my form, make sure I keep the repetitions steady (Sometimes I would pause for a second between reps on WS), and subsequently reduce the weight I use.  It actually makes me feel better when I perform totally flawless repetitions.

It's a bit premature to talk about results.  I'm going to probably have to start eating more.  My body seems to have adapted to 4300 calories a day already.  =\

*Velvet*
Thanks much.  It's good to be back.

*DeadBolt*
I definitely enjoy the workouts.  I think I'll like the 10 and 5 repetition microcycles better, but 15 repetitions is definitely good for something different.

My comp is running nicely.  I replaced the video card with something better, so I game with a new found fluidity.  Thanks for your concern.


----------



## Rocco32 (Mar 8, 2005)

Looking great in here Cow. I look forward to seeing how you like this program later on, it's very interesting.


----------



## Yunier (Mar 8, 2005)

*CowPimp *when are you finishing your 15 rep cycle? Mine is due to be completed this Friday. Next HST cycle I will definitely increase my poundage by quite a bit. Anyways, everything is looking tight but are you taking a before and after picture?


----------



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

How's HST treating you bud?


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 9, 2005)

*Wednesday, March 9th*

*rock4832*
Hey rock, I'm enjoying it so far.  Results will definitely be a determinant factor, but I certainly enjoy the workouts thus far.  I like the constant state of progression, full body workouts, and 1-2 sets per exercise.  It keeps you moving arond a lot.  It's definitely an interesting protocol.

*Yunier*
I finished last Friday.  I didn't take a before and after picture, although my gallery shots are fairly recent.  They will do the trick.  However, some of the weight I will have gained will be from my last WS cycle, but they should serve their purpose nonetheless.  Glad to hear you'll be increasing those weights.  That's possibly my favorite part of weight training.

*MonStar*
Hey man, it's treating me pretty good.  I'm rolling along nicely with this routine.  I see you jumped off the bandwagon, but that's cool.  I'm sure you'll be successful with your current routine.

*Squats*
95 x 10
135 x 5
165 x 10
165 x 10

*SLDLs*
235 x 10
235 x 10

*Bent Rows*
65 x 10
95 x 5
125 x 10
125 x 10

*Chinups*
-60 x 10
-60 x 10

*Upright Rows*
85 x 10

*Bench Press*
65 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 10
135 x 10

*Decline Bench Press*
145 x 10

*Military Press*
85 x 10
85 x 10

*Decline Situps*
67.5 x 10
67.5 x 10

*Hyperextensions*
80 x 10
80 x 10

*Calf Raises*
240 x 10
240 x 10

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

*Bodyweight*
191

I've been slacking on the updates again, but here goes another.  The workout was nice, and it feels like most everything is well on track to a solid 10RM by the end of next week.  Nothing was too challenging, except squats and SLDLs, which are always somewhat challenging even way short of failure.

I was running really late, so I cut out my 5 minute cardio warm-up, and I did full body stretching, but I held the stretches for less time.

I actually forgot to weigh myself this morning, but yesterday morning I was 191.  Hopefully I can keep my weight gain at a nice slow and steady pace like this.  After all, lean bulking was originally my intention.  My diet has was good today.  I will have hit 4500 calories clean by the end of the night.  I did, however, cheat last night.  I had some pizza that we cooked instead of one of the shakes.  I probably ate 4500-4600 calories yesterday too.


----------



## PreMier (Mar 9, 2005)

How long are you in the gym with these new workouts?


----------



## soxmuscle (Mar 9, 2005)

Looks like a real good workout, but I am little miffed as to why you were doing so little weight on the bench press.  I am probably killing you with all these HST questions, but just trying to get a better understand of the overall program, and all programs for that matter.


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 10, 2005)

*PreMier*
If you count my cardio warm-up, then my workout takes almost exactly an hour.  I also stretch for 15 minutes or so at the end.

*soxmuscle*
I am doing so little because you cascade the weight you use over two weeks.  So, my target is 175 x 10.  I start by doing 125 x 10, 135, 145, 155, 165, and 175 the final workout of the two weeks.

I may possibly be able to hit 185, but I will have to determine that as I approach my limits.  The 60 second rest interval forces me to drop the weight some as well.


----------



## JerseyDevil (Mar 10, 2005)

Your SLDL's are killer CP


----------



## P-funk (Mar 10, 2005)

I would think that you could ad more weight ot the bar for a 10RM on squats no??


----------



## Cold Iron (Mar 10, 2005)

I believe you're underestimating yourself


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 10, 2005)

*Thursday, March 10th*

*JerseyDevil*
Thanks.  I'm shooting for 275 x 10 by the time I peak for the 10 rep microcycle.

*P-funk*
Yeah, definitely.  I will be attempting 205 x 10 when I peak during this microcycle.  I will do more if I think can handle it based on previous sessions.  However, my oly squats seem a bit weaker than my PL squats.

*Cold Iron*
Remember, I'm still a few sessions away from my peak.  Most lifts will be 20-40 pounds more by the time the end of next week rolls around.  Calf raises will be 80 pounds more.  The machine only has 20 pound increments.

No workout today, just clean eating.  I think I will have hit 4400 calories by the end of the day.  I will append if necessary.  My bodyweight was 190 again, but I'm beginning to throw in 100+ calories a day randomly.  Eat a banana, an extra 1/2 cup of oats, another milk & whey shake, or whatever.  Kind of a free few hundred calories, but I just try to keep it clean.


----------



## PreMier (Mar 10, 2005)

First thing that happened when I cut my cals by 500.. I gained a few lbs.  I've been sick the last week, so that really cant guage progress.. so I will see in the next week what happens.  Keep the 'micro cycles' in mind, you've been bulking for a while.


----------



## DeadBolt (Mar 10, 2005)

PreMier said:
			
		

> First thing that happened when I cut my cals by 500.. I gained a few lbs.  I've been sick the last week, so that really cant guage progress.. so I will see in the next week what happens.  Keep the 'micro cycles' in mind, you've been bulking for a while.


Very true...a mini cut may just do you some good.


----------



## P-funk (Mar 11, 2005)

> P-funk
> Yeah, definitely. I will be attempting 205 x 10 when I peak during this microcycle. I will do more if I think can handle it based on previous sessions. However, my oly squats seem a bit weaker than my PL squats.




yeah, an olympic squat is very demanding.  It is harder to squat that way for most people.  Much easier to throw up big weights with a powerlifter squat.  Unless you are me...lol, for some reason I suck at powerlifter squats although I have never really worked on getting the form down and I never squat that way.  Nor do I care to at this point.


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 13, 2005)

*Friday, Saturday, & Sunday - March 11-13th*

*PreMier*
That's pretty odd.  You're probably right.  I think I'm going to finish up this week, then do my 2 weeks of 5 repetitions on a caloric deficit (3300 calories per day).  I will probably bump it up during my week off to 3800, then back to  4300, and possibly beyond that if I don't start gaining again.

*DeadBolt*
Yeah, you guys are right.  I'll cut for 2 weeks coming up soon.

*P-funk*
Both types are plenty demanding.  I think I'll incoroprate both forms of squatting periodically in my routine; I may even do both forms simultaneously at some point.

*Squats*
95 x 10
135 x 5
175 x 10
175 x 10

*SLDLs*
245 x 10
245 x 10

*Bent Rows*
65 x 10
115 x 5
130 x 10
130 x 10

*Chinups*
-50 x 10
-50 x 10

*Upright Rows*
90 x 10

*Bench Press*
95 x 10
115 x 5
145 x 10
145 x 10

*Decline Bench Press*
155 x 10

*Military Press*
90 x 10
90 x 10

*Decline Situps*
70 x 10
70 x 10

*Hyperextensions*
87.5 x 10
87.5 x 10

*Calf Raises*
260 x 10
260 x 10

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

*Bodyweight*
191

I didn't weight myself this morning, but I was 191 on Saturday.  My workout was fine.  Nothing out of the ordinary, but solid.  I also did my callisthenics routine, but both times with a 20 second rest interval on the weekend.  I will probably keep it at 20 seconds next week too.  I was actually almost failing on pushups on the last set.

I had a cheat meal each day on the weekend.  I had some chicken tenders, two bites of a ham omlette, and a few bites of blueberry pie with ice cream.  That replaced one meal.  The next day I had steak, bernaise sauce, and rice pilaf.  I had a lot of rice.  I missed the one of the normal 8 meals though, so calories were probably about the same.  Friday was all clean.


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 18, 2005)

*Monday, March 14th - Friday, March 18th*

Let me preface by saying I'm a slacker.  There is really no other reason for me not posting, besides slacking.  Anyway, here we go with the latest workout.

*Squats*
115 x 10
155 x 5
205 x 10
205 x 10

*SLDLs*
275 x 10
275 x 10

*Bent Rows*
95 x 10
115 x 5
145 x 10
145 x 10

*Chinups*
0 x 10
0 x 5

*Upright Rows*
105 x 10

*Bench Press*
95 x 10
135 x 5
175 x 10
175 x 10

*Decline Bench Press*
185 x 10

*Military Press*
105 x 10
105 x 9

*Decline Situps*
87.5 x 10
87.5 x 10

*Hyperextensions*
100 x 10
100 x 10

*Calf Raises*
320 x 10
320 x 10

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

*Bodyweight*
192

Excellent workout today.  My hamstrings were still ever so slightly sore from the previous workout.  I hit all my goals except for chinups and military press.  Chinups I decided to shoot for bodyweight, even though I knew I wasn't going to hit 10 for 2 sets with that rest interval.  10 reps was borderline failure on the first set, although I could probably do more if I didn't row first.  It left my pull muscles with no gas for the second set, and I only got 5 repetitions completed.  I only fell short 1 repetition on the military presses on the second set, not too shabby.

I bumped up the decline situps 7.5 pounds instead of 5 because my gym is missing the 65 and 85 pound dumbbells for some reason.  I was still able to perform them at a steady pace.

I didn't weigh myself today or yesterday, but Wednesday morning I was 192.  Diet has been clean, although I fell short of 4300 calories Monday and Tuesday (Odd how I gained weight when I was about 500 calories short those days).  I cheat two days, one of which I think was Wednesday.  I ate about 4700-4800 calories because of some free food at work.  The other day was today because I forgot my meal replacement shake.  Oh well.  I'll live.  Calories should still probaly be about 4500 by the end of today, assuming I don't cheat later on.

I didn't do cardio Tuesday or Thursday, but I will shoot for it both days this weekend.


----------



## P-funk (Mar 18, 2005)

great workout.  what was the rest interval?


----------



## Cold Iron (Mar 18, 2005)

Awesome SLDL's


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 19, 2005)

*P-funk*
I have been using 60 second rest intervals since I started HST.  I forgot how challenging 60 seconds is relative to the 90 second rest intervals I was using while training WS style.

*Cold Iron*
Thanks man.  SLDLs are turning out to be one of my best lifts.


----------



## Rocco32 (Mar 19, 2005)

Looking good  Now when you do 2 sets of the same exercise, you only need to hit the 10 rep mark on the first set correct? Alright too if you hit it on the second but if you don't there's no need to redo the weight and make it lighter, correct?


----------



## DeadBolt (Mar 19, 2005)

Heya slacker....    Yea like I should be talking.

Everythings lookin good...weight is staying steady I can see...192lbs


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 19, 2005)

*rock4832*
I shoot for completing 10 repetitions on the second set, but if I don't get it, then I have something to shoot for next microcycle of that rep range.  If I fail, then that's that.  I don't drop the weight.  Thanks rock.

*DeadBolt*
Hehe, we all like to slack a little here and there.  Anyway, thanks for the support my friend.


----------



## Rocco32 (Mar 19, 2005)

Good to know, I just started HST also but sometimes I don't get the target reps on the 2nd set. So it's the first set that's important,


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 20, 2005)

rock4832 said:
			
		

> Good to know, I just started HST also but sometimes I don't get the target reps on the 2nd set. So it's the first set that's important,



This is just the way that I do it; you may want to look into the HST forums for questions that specific about the protocol.  Although I do shoot to complete both sets for the same number of repetitions.


----------



## Yunier (Mar 20, 2005)

Actually, once I start going heavy on my second set my reps tend to lower by two or so. Rock, if you find anything please let us know...I am interested to see what they say.


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 21, 2005)

*Saturday, March 19th & Sunday, March 20th*



			
				Yunier said:
			
		

> Actually, once I start going heavy on my second set my reps tend to lower by two or so. Rock, if you find anything please let us know...I am interested to see what they say.



I as well, although I think it doesn't matter all that much if the repetitions aren't exactly 5, 10, or 15 all the time.  The idea is to progress steadily in resistance throughout the entire 8 weeks.

So, I didn't do any cardio this weekend.  I had a LAZY ASS weekend.  I went to a party, and I cheated because my mom invited me over for dinner, and friend of mine ordered some pizza one night.  Free pizza is good.  Anyway, I begin cutting tomorrow.  I will be eating somewhere in the neighborhood of 3300 calories per day.  I will continue eating this sum for 2 weeks.  During my week of strategic deconditiong, I will increase my calories back to 3800 per day.  Once I begin my second cycle of HST, I will increase my calories back to 4300 again.


----------



## Yunier (Mar 21, 2005)

Cheater lol.

 Man you are cutting at 3300 calories, thats a bulking diet for me lol.


----------



## BulkMeUp (Mar 21, 2005)

CowPimp said:
			
		

> Anyway, I begin cutting tomorrow.  I will be eating somewhere in the neighborhood of 3300 calories per day.


  cutting at 3300??!! I'm 'bulking' at ~2700.


----------



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

> Anyway, I begin cutting tomorrow. I will be eating somewhere in the neighborhood of 3300 calories per day.


That sounds about right, I usually cut at around 4K calories a day, give or take. And I am pretty sure that I am bit heavier than you. Keep it up.


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 22, 2005)

*Monday, March 21st*

*Yunier*
Yeah, my metabolism is pretty crazy.  It is largely due to the fact that I work a physical job.

*BulkMeUp*
Lucky you.  Eating all that food is hard man!

*MonStar*
Damn man, that's no joke.  You're one big momma jomma, and you have to eat accordingly.


*Squats*
115 x 10
155 x 5
195 x 5
195 x 5

*SLDLs*
275 x 5
275 x 5

*Bent Rows*
95 x 10
115 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 5

*Chinups*
0 x 5
0 x 5

*Upright Rows*
110 x 5

*Bench Press*
95 x 10
135 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 5

*Decline Bench Press*
175 x 5

*Military Press*
110 x 5
110 x 5

*Decline Situps*
75 x 5
75 x 5

*Hyperextensions*
95 x 5
95 x 5

*Calf Raises*
300 x 5
300 x 5

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

Good workout today.  I like doing lower repetitions, and it feels nice to be at that range again.  I followed my diet well today, although I think I ate 3400 calories.  I forgot I changed the contents of on of my shakes, but no big deal.  I'm still accomplishing the same goal, which is to decondition my body to extremely large calorie intake.

I forgot to weigh myself, but I will do so tomorrow morning.


----------



## Rocco32 (Mar 22, 2005)

Looks like a tight w/o Cow. Where is this in your 5 rep cycle, just starting?


----------



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

> SLDLs
> 275 x 5
> 275 x 5


Nice SLDL strength CP, very impressive.  

How is HST treating you?


----------



## sftwrngnr (Mar 22, 2005)

Good workout cowpimp


----------



## PreMier (Mar 22, 2005)

Are you getting hungry on the lower cals, or do you like it better?


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 24, 2005)

*Tuesday, March 22nd & Wednesday, March 23rd*

*rock4832*
Thanks rock.  Yes, that was my first workout of the 5 repetition microcycle.  All the weights I attempt during my last session of that cycle will be 25-50 pounds heavier.

*MonStar*
Thanks Mike, but I will be shooting for 325 x 5 on the last workout.  I'm enjoying HST a lot.  I think I will even keep my exercises the same after I go through a week of deconditioning.

*sftwrngnr*
I appreciate it.

*PreMier*
I'm getting hungry, but it's not as bad as the last time I cut.  Last time I was eating 2300 calories per day as that was the first time I truly counted calories and I totally guessed what I should've been cutting with.  Needless to say, I lost weight too quickly, and I lost some muscle as a result.

In conclusion, I don't mind cutting, but I would rather be stuffing my face.  Heh.

*Warm-Up*
Few Minutes on Elliptical

*Squats*
115 x 10
155 x 5
205 x 5
205 x 5

*SLDLs*
285 x 5
285 x 5

*Bent Rows*
95 x 10
115 x 5
145 x 5
145 x 5

*Chinups*
5 x 5
5 x 5

*Upright Rows*
115 x 5

*Bench Press*
95 x 10
135 x 5
175 x 5
175 x 5

*Decline Bench Press*
185 x 5

*Military Press*
115 x 5
115 x 5

*Decline Situps*
80 x 5
80 x 5

*Hyperextensions*
100 x 5
100 x 5

*Calf Raises*
320 x 5
320 x 5

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

I didn't workout Tuesday, but my diet has been good so far this week.  I'm trying to maintain a good diet during the week so I can have a cheat meal or two on the weekend and not worry about it.  This workout was good, and I feel like I have chosen some good challenging weights for what will be my 5RMs.

I've decided that next cycle I am going to either decrease the weight increments, or use the same weights two session in a row.  These first 2-3 workouts are always so easy.  Plus, I want to ensure that I am always using as much, or more, weight than the previous session that I lifted.  I will continue along the path I have chosen for now, but it's definitely an adjustment I plan on making next time around.

Furthermore, my strength endurance and ability to recover between sets has definitely improved since I started using 60 second rest intervals.  I'm often ready to go after 30-45 seconds.  I wait it out just because I know my muscles aren't, even if my cardiovascular and respiratory systems are good to go.


----------



## P-funk (Mar 24, 2005)

damn  bent rows after SLDL is no joke.  my lower back would be PUUUUUUUUUUUMPED!!


----------



## DeadBolt (Mar 24, 2005)

P-funk said:
			
		

> damn  bent rows after SLDL is no joke.  my lower back would be PUUUUUUUUUUUMPED!!


Hell yea...

CP looks like a good w/o there man.


----------



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

> Thanks Mike, but I will be shooting for 325 x 5 on the last workout. I'm enjoying HST a lot. I think I will even keep my exercises the same after I go through a week of deconditioning.


Very very impressive, bro. 325 for 5 is a great # for SLDL. Keep up the hard work. The deconditioning is definitely tough, let me tell you. I remember wanting to workout so damn bad!


----------



## Yunier (Mar 24, 2005)

P-funk said:
			
		

> damn  bent rows after SLDL is no joke.  my lower back would be PUUUUUUUUUUUMPED!!


 Word! After doing 15 reps of SLDL I feel like puking, light-headed, and can't even walk.


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 29, 2005)

*March 24th-28th*

*P-funk*
I really don't feel it all that much except during the 15 repetition weeks.  Then bring on the burn.

*DeadBolt*
Thanks DB.  Your support is always appreciated.

*MonStar*
I hope I hit it, and I think I should.  I think it's funny how you say the deconditiong (AKA sitting on your ass) is tough.  Most people would be commenting about some aspect of the working out that is tough.  A true lifter.

*Yunier*
Indeed.  15 rep SLDLs are no joke, especially after just finishing with 15 rep squats.  Barf.

*Warm-Up*
5 Minutes Elliptical

*Squats*
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5

*SLDLs*
305 x 5
305 x 5

*Bent Rows*
115 x 10
135 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 5

*Chinups*
15 x 5
15 x 5

*Upright Rows*
125 x 5

*Bench Press*
135 x 10
155 x 5
195 x 5
195 x 5

*Decline Bench Press*
205 x 5

*Military Press*
125 x 5
125 x 5

*Decline Situps*
90 x 5
90 x 5

*Hyperextensions*
110 x 5
110 x 5

*Calf Raises*
360 x 5
360 x 5

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

*Bodyweight*
190

Workout went well today.  Everything felt on track to hit my weight goals that I have set forth.  60 second rest intervals are the best thing I have ever done.  I feel like I'm ready much quicker than that, but I don't want to sacrifice any more strength.

I did some HIIT cardio, about 15 minutes worth, on Sunday.  First time in a while, and I think I did pretty good.  My intensity is definitely down from when I was doing it consistently, but that will change in time.

My diet was good during the work week, but had some rough spots this weekend.  Various Easter bashes led to me eating pasta & meatballs and pizza.  I kept the portions reasonable, and substituted meals.  Total calorie count should be very close to my target 3300.

My bodyweight is down 1-2 pounds.  I was kind of floating around 191-192.  This is promising, and I purposely waited until the end of the week to weigh myself because my weight tends to take a sharp drop the first day or two after I begin cutting, but then it evens out.


----------



## KarlW (Mar 29, 2005)

Damn 110 on hypers. What's that like holding 2 45's and 2 10's or something. That'd be challenging in itself.


----------



## DeadBolt (Mar 29, 2005)

W/o's are lookin good cp!  Looks like your finally getting a firm grasp on this w/o and the weights your using.  Damn 305 sldl's is awsome!!  Awsome rows as well...bent and upright!  Keep up the good work my man....and hey you deserve the cheat this weekend!


----------



## Yanick (Mar 29, 2005)

hey CP, nice w/o's. you're a strong guy and you're lucky that you get to cut at such high kcals, ectomorph bastard.


----------



## ChrisROCK (Mar 30, 2005)

CP, i've noticed you're doing pretty much no isolation movements as part of your HST routine.  How have your bis and tris responded to this?


----------



## CowPimp (Mar 31, 2005)

*March 30th & 31st*

*KarlW*
I use dumbbells when I do this hypers and just hold them to my chest.  The first time I did that my biceps were really sore the next day.  I couldn't figure out why for a while.

*DeadBolt*
Thanks DB.  I am attempting to acclimate the weight a couple more times before this cycle is done.  Tomorrow is my last workout before I take a week off.  Oh no!

*Yanick*
Thanks Yanick, but I'm actually an endo/meso.  I used to be a chubby kid until I started exercising.  However, I work a physical job.  Ever since I began doing physical labor 8 hours a day my metabolism has gone insane.  I would rather not have to eat so much actually.  It's a pain in the ass.

*ChrisROCK*
My biceps and triceps respond just fine to little or no direct work.  When I was doing Westside, I did no direct bicep work.  A couple times I did curls just for the Hell of it.  What do ya know, I broke a plateau that I had reached doing "standard" arm volume.

*Warm-Up*
20 BW Squats

*Squats*
135 x 10
185 x 5
235 x 5
235 x 5

*SLDLs*
315 x 5
315 x 5

*Bent Rows*
115 x 10
135 x 5
175 x 5
175 x 5

*Chinups*
20 x 5
20 x 5

*Upright Rows*
130 x 5

*Bench Press*
135 x 10
155 x 5
205 x 5
205 x 5

*Decline Bench Press*
215 x 5

*Military Press*
130 x 5
130 x 5

*Decline Situps*
95 x 5
95 x 5

*Hyperextensions*
120 x 5
120 x 5

*Calf Raises*
380 x 5
380 x 5

*Cooldown*
Full body stretching

That was a good workout, and I am definitely nearing my limits on several exercises.  

I am going to keep bent rows at the same weight, as I started putting a little (Much less than I used to) swing into it to move the weight.  I want to make all 5 repetitions totally clean before acclimating the weight on these.  I find it is very hard for me to achieve proper form on rows.

Squats were at just about failure.  However, because I completed all repetitions with good form I will increase the weight.  If I don't complete all 5 repetitions on both sets then I have something to aim for next cycle.

I am going to change the way I acclimate the weights next cycle.  I am going to keep the weights the same 2 sessions in a row for a couple reasons.  One, that way when I move on to lower repetition microcycles, the weight will be higher during the first session than it was for the last session of the previous microcycle.  Also, if I successfully move weight on the last workouts of a microcycle, I will attempt to acclimate the weight twice.

Diet has been good, although I actually only got 2900 calories in me yesterday.  Before I meant to sleep I passed out.  I had a stomach ache which only felt better when I laid down.  Then I kind of just drifted off.  Oh well, I don't think there was much ill effect.


----------



## DeadBolt (Apr 1, 2005)

Heya man!

Wo's are lookin good...weights are up there man.  315 for sldl's nice!  Solid b/o rows to!!

When do you stop the mini cut and up the cals?


----------



## PreMier (Apr 6, 2005)

What the fuck is going on in here?  not much!


----------



## Cold Iron (Apr 6, 2005)

slacker


----------

