# Boom goes the dynamite



## danzik17 (Jun 23, 2007)

Kept saying I was gonna open up a journal as soon as I went to a trainer and learned to deadlift properly - well did that today and bam here it is.  Trainer was Dax Baker in NYC btw, great guy I really recommend him if anyone is looking.  Title is just something one of my friends says all the time, stuck in my head.

Age: 21
Height: 5' 9" or so
Weight: No idea, I go by the mirror.
Current Goal: Cut enough BF to have abs, absolute control of the body

First real post will be Monday which is my next workout, but for now I'll put down what I learned with Dax - no real weights to put down since we were going light to learn form.

Front Squats
Step-ups
SLDL
Deadlift
RDL
GHRs
Dynamic Stretching


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## P-funk (Jun 23, 2007)

Cool stuff.

Definetly a thumbs up for Dax if anyone is in the area looking for a trainer.  he is a good friend of mine and can teach the lifts well.


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## danzik17 (Jun 25, 2007)

*Monday - 6/25/07*

_Push Day_

30 second RI on all exercises, focus on perfect form and controlled movement

*Lower Push*: OH Squat - Bar 6,6,6 [Need to work on shoulder flexibility to do these properly.  Anyone got some good stretches for that?  Thinking of using a rod and having a buddy push back on it for me while I hold it.]

*Horizontal Push: *DB Bench Press - 50lb DBs 10,10,8

*Lower Push:* Leg Press - 340lbs + machine 10,10,10

*Vertical Push: *Standing Shoulder Press - 25lb DBs 10,8,8

*Core Work:* 1 minute plank, 15 leg ups, 1 minute plank, 20 crunches


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## danzik17 (Jun 27, 2007)

*Wednesday - 6/27/07*

_Pull Day_

30 second RI on all exercises, focus on perfect form and controlled movement

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Lower Pull*: Deadlift - 95lbs 10,10,10 Yea this is light, but I want to make sure my tendons and joints are used to the work before upping the weight.

*Horizontal Pull: *Bent Over Rows - 50lb DBs 10,10,10

*Lower Pull:* RDL - 95lbs 10,10,10

*Vertical Pull: *Rotating Sets of Pullups/Chinups - 6,6,4,2 God I was dead at this point

*Cardio:* 5 minutes walking, 6-7 on the bike at half intensity


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## MeatZatk (Jun 27, 2007)

The "Boom goes the Dynamite" saying comes from Brian Wheeler (I think his name is), the announcer for the Portland Trailblazers.  The local sports station always the cut of him saying that.  Good luck with the training!


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## britlifter (Jun 28, 2007)

Nice selection of exercises, Im sure you'll do well. All the best in reaching your goals!


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## danzik17 (Jun 30, 2007)

*Saturday - 6/30/07*

_Push Day_

30 second RI on all exercises, focus on perfect form and controlled movement

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Lower Push*: Back squat - 125lbs 10,10,10

*Horizontal Push: *Decline DB Press - 40lb DBs 10,10,10

*Lower Push:* Walking Lunges - 40lb DBs 3 walks about 30-40ft each

*Vertical Push: *Dips - bodyweight 10,8,6,4 

*Core Work:* 1 minute left side plank, side to side leg lift things, 1 minute right side plank

*Weak Point*: Step Ups - bodyweight I have terrible balance, need to work on that a lot

Decided to move the workout to today instead of yesterday since I was pretty damn tired.  Needed to happen anyway, next week is Tues/Thurs/Sat since my schedule is messed up due to July 4th.

britlifter + MeatZatk: Thanks!


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## danzik17 (Jul 2, 2007)

*Monday - 7/02/07*

_Cardio

_~20 minutes of sprinting/running half way around a parking lot, then walking/jogging the other half.


Goddamn I have no cardio capacity, I need to work on that.  Anyone got some tips for that besides the obvious requirement of "keep running"?


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## danzik17 (Jul 3, 2007)

*Tuesday - 7/03/07*

_Pull Day_

30 second RI on all exercises

*Lower Pull*: Deadift - 115lbs 10,10,10

*Horizontal Pull: *Cable Rows - 120b DBs 10,10,8

*Lower Pull:* GHRs - 3,3,2 Damn calves kept cramping up on these for some reason, had to stop several times

*Vertical Pull: *Rotating sets of chinups/pullups - 6,6,6,4

*Core Work:* 1 minute plank, 20 leg ups, 1 minute plank, 25 crunches


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## soxmuscle (Jul 3, 2007)

Boom Goes The Dynamite is a classic quote from a Ball St student who tried to fill in for his friend on the University television channel.  He passes it to the man and...

YouTube - Boom Goes the Dynamite


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## danzik17 (Jul 6, 2007)

*Friday - 7/06/07*

_Push Day_

30 second RI on all exercises

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Lower Push*:  Front Squat - 95lbs 10 Need to work on flexibility to do these comfortably.  Switched to back squats.
                    Back squat - 175lbs 10,8

*Horizontal Push: *Bench Press - 135lbs, 10, 6, 4
*
Lower Push:* Walking Lunges - 40lb DBs 3 walks about 30-40ft each

*Vertical Push: *Seated DB Presses - 25lb DBs 10,9,8

*Accessory: *Farmer's Walks 40lb DBs to grip failure


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## danzik17 (Jul 7, 2007)

*Saturday - 7/07/07*

_Pull Day_

30 second RI on all exercises

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Lower Pull*: Deadlifts - 135lbs 10,10,10

*Horizontal Pull: *Bent-Over BB Rows - 95lbs 10,10,10
*
Lower Pull:* Reverse Hyper-Extension - bodyweight 10,10,10

*Vertical Pull: *Rotating Sets of chinups/pullups 6,6,6,6

*Accessory: *Just some step-ups to work on my balance a little


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## danzik17 (Jul 10, 2007)

*Tuesday - 7/10/07

*_Cardio and Max Day

_Started out with some dynamic stretching

3 reps 175lbs on bench press = ~185lbs max

On squats I found out my right leg is going to be a huge limiting factor due to it being shorter than my left, I need to see a P.T. about this ASAP.  Let's just say my squat max could have ended up very, very badly since my right leg couldn't properly support the weight.  I estimate that had it not given out, I could have done 225lbs at least twice.

Deadlifts I'm not going to max out on after seeing my squat, I would probably have a similar problem and it's not worth risking it.

10 min on the bike
5 min walking/jogging

Rest of the week is just straight cardio, then next week I start another 8 week program.  Also going to make sure I talk to a P.T. ASAP.


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## min0 lee (Jul 10, 2007)




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## danzik17 (Jul 16, 2007)

*Monday - 7/16/07*

_Push Day_

30-45 second RI on all exercises

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Lower Push*: Back Squats - 155lbs 10,10,9

*Horizontal Push: *DBBench Press - 50lb dbs, 10,10,6

* Lower Push:* Single Leg Presses - 205lbs 10,10,10 (each leg)

*Vertical Push: *Standing DB Presses - 25lb DBs 10,8,6

*Core Work: *None 

The damn sports teams were in the gym monopolizing every piece of equipment - they were hovering around my squat rack like freaking vultures, couldn't go for water without one trying to take it over.  So unfortunately I didn't get to do my new superset workout today - I'll make sure to go earlier next time to beat them there.

Despite that and the fact I didn't finish out all of my workout, goddamn amazing day in the gym.  The reason for not finishing it was I had pushed myself so hard on the previous sets that I couldn't exert myself on the DB Presses or go upside down for planks without vomiting - trust me, I tried


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## danzik17 (Jul 16, 2007)

Also just want to rant on the dumbass sports teams.  I was watching some of them doing squats in-between my sets, and I saw at least two of the players rounding their backs with more than _*350lbs*_ on the bar.  What the fuck is wrong with these players, and more than that, what the fuck is wrong with the strength coach at my college for not calling that shit out while he is watching.


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## danzik17 (Jul 18, 2007)

*Wednesday - 7/18/07*

_Pull Day_

2 Supersets, roughly 5-10 seconds between sets, 2 minutes between supersets

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Superset 1*
*Lower Pull*: Deadlifts - 135lbs 10,10,10

*Horizontal Pull: *Cable Rows - 90lbs 10,10,10
*
Superset 2*
* Lower Pull:* Single Leg Deadlifts - 30lb DBsx2 10,10,10 (each leg) These probably just ended up being lunges almost.  Need to work on learning these.

*Vertical Pull: *Chinups 6,6,6

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*Core Work: *1 minute plank, 20 leg ups, 1 minute plank, 15 crunches

First day of doing the new superset workout and goddamn it is brutal, at least for me (for now).  Was incredibly spent at the end and on the verge of vomiting again.  In other words, good day at the gym


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## danzik17 (Jul 20, 2007)

*Friday - 7/20/07*

_Push Day_

2 Supersets, roughly 5-10 seconds between sets, 2 minutes between supersets

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Superset 1*
*Lower Push*: Back Squats - 160lbs 10,7,7

*Horizontal Push: *Decline Dumbell Press - 40lb DBs 10,10,10
*
Superset 2*
* Lower Push:* Pistols (Pole Supported) - 7,7,7 (each leg)

*Vertical Push: *Dips - 7,7,8

My legs are just beat to shit, felt like jello walking out of the gym.  Looking forward to the weekend off to let them rest a bit.


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## danzik17 (Jul 23, 2007)

*Monday - 7/23/07*

_Pull Day_

2 Supersets, roughly 5-10 seconds between sets, 2 minutes between supersets

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Superset 1*
*Lower Pull*: Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 135lbs 10,10,7

*Horizontal Pull: *One Hand DB Rows - 50lb DBs 10,10,10 (each arm)
*
Superset 2*
* Lower Pull:* GHRs I'm dropping these and replacing them with something else.  I'm still not doing them right, and I would rather not waste time in the gym.

*Vertical Pull: *Chinups - 6,6,6

*Core Work:* Abs Frontal Focus - 1 minute plank, 20 leg ups, 1 minute plank, 20 crunches


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## danzik17 (Jul 25, 2007)

*Wednesday - 7/25/07*

_Push Day_

2 Supersets, roughly 5-10 seconds between sets, 2 minutes between supersets

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Superset 1*
*Lower Push*: Back Squats - 160lbs 10,9,7

*Horizontal Push:* Dumbell Bench Press - 50lb DBs 10,9,8
*
Superset 2*
* Lower Push:* Step-Ups (bw) - 10,10,10 (each leg)

*Vertical Push: *Standing DB Press 30lb DBs - 6,6,4


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## danzik17 (Jul 27, 2007)

*Friday - 7/12/07*

_Pull Day_

2 Supersets, roughly 5-10 seconds between sets, 2 minutes between supersets

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Superset 1*
*Lower Pull*: Deadlifts - 135lbs 10,10,9

*Horizontal Pull: *One Arm DB Rows - 50lb DBs 10,10,10 (each arm)
*
Superset 2*
* Lower Pull:* Single Leg Deadlifts - 30lb DBsx2 10,10,10 (each leg) Still don't really know how to do these but damn, whatever I'm doing is working my legs hard.

*Vertical Pull: *Pullups 6,6 Ran out of gas on the last set completely.  Couldn't even hold onto the bar anymore.  Been a long damn week.


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## danzik17 (Jul 30, 2007)

*Monday - 7/30/07*

_Push Day_

2 Supersets, roughly 5-10 seconds between sets, 2 minutes between supersets

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Superset 1*
*Lower Push*: Back Squats - 160lbs, 10,7,9

*Horizontal Push: *Bench Press - 135lbs 10,7,5
*
Superset 2*
* Lower Push:* Single Leg Presses - 250lbs 10,10,10 (each leg)

*Vertical Push: *Dips - 10,7,0

Pretty decent day in the gym considering I was dragging ass going into it.  After my left set of leg presses I was at the point of swallowing back some vomit, so I decided to skip the last set of dips and haul ass out of the gym in case I had to go.  Came pretty damn close but didn't happen, my stomach did punish me for at least an hour though.


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## danzik17 (Aug 2, 2007)

*Thursday - 7/02/07*

_Pull Day_

2 Supersets, roughly 5-10 seconds between sets, 2 minutes between supersets

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Superset 1*
*Lower Pull*: Deadlifts - 135lbs 10,10,8

*Horizontal Pull: *Cable Rows - 100lbs 10,10,10
*
Superset 2*
* Lower Pull:* Single Leg Deadlifts - 35lb DBsx2 10,10,10 (each leg)

*Vertical Pull: *Chinups 6,5,4 I didn't have the energy to bang out six on the last two sets, so the last rep on each set had a brutally slow negative


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## danzik17 (Aug 15, 2007)

Gah I've gotten really behind on entries, and I'm not even going to try and remember the exact number of reps/sets I did at every workout.  I did finally finish moving to my new place though, so I can get back into the swing of things - having a single is fucking awesome.

Basically been doing the same thing as always with my dual supersets.  Would have thought I would have conditioned myself to not get close to vomiting every workout by now but no idea, maybe it's something in my diet rather than the training.  

Only other thing I have is that I switched to an old pair of walking shoes when I lift, and it made an amazing difference.  There was way too much cushioning in the heels of the shoes I normally wear - it was way way easier to keep good form with the walking shoes on, most noticeably in the squats.


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## danzik17 (Aug 16, 2007)

*Thursday - 8/16/07*

_Pull Day_

2 Supersets, roughly 5-10 seconds between sets, 2 minutes between supersets

Started out with some dynamic stretching, about 4min worth

*Superset 1*
*Lower Pull*: Deadlifts - 1555lbs 10,10,10

*Horizontal Pull: *Cable Rows - 110lbs 10,10,10
*
Superset 2*
* Lower Pull:* Leg Curls - 90lbs 10,10,7

*Vertical Pull: *Chinups 4 full + 3 half and pauses, 3 full and 2 halfs, 3 full slow negative on the last

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*Core Work: *1 minute 20 second plank, 20 leg ups, 1 minute plank, 30 crunches


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## MeatZatk (Aug 16, 2007)

danzik17 said:


> *Thursday - 8/16/07*
> 
> _Pull Day_
> 
> ...


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## danzik17 (Aug 17, 2007)

I stand by my absurd claims.


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## danzik17 (Oct 8, 2007)

It's been far too long, and I've been slipping on my diet and training due to the stresses of school.  Gotta start posting again and become accountable to myself.

*Monday 10/08/2007

*Warmup: None really   One set of light squats and some shoulder rotations

_Superset 1_
Back Squat - 160lbs 3x10
Dumbell Press - 50lbs 3x8 (Ok not really, 10 first time and 7 with slow eccentrics on the last two)

_Superset 2_
Single Leg Press - 245lbs 3x10 each leg
Dips - 3x8 (Same as the press, I'm averaging these here)

_Core:_
Need to work on this badly.  Only did 1 30 second plank and 2 sets of situps w/ 25lbs.  Pretty horrible considering my norm was (2) 1 minute planks and 4 sets of situps just a month or so ago.

_Diet:_
Don't ask.  I keep saying I'm going to rework it, but I just haven't done it, there isn't an excuse.  The diet isn't terrible food wise, but I have no idea if I'm eating enough.  This should probably be top priority, or right behind sleep.


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## danzik17 (Oct 14, 2007)

*Friday 10/12/2007

*Still not used to posting again and I forgot.

All I remember was Friday was not a good day in the gym, my form and balance were just off for a lot of exercises - I actually lost my balance doing squats on one of the reps.


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## danzik17 (Mar 30, 2008)

Time to revive this.  I've been trying the blogs, but I guess not a lot of reading is done there right now.


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## danzik17 (Mar 30, 2008)

*3/31/08*

Time for a diet switchup since I think my body was getting used to that calorie level. That and I'm a little tired of carb cycling, I'd like to go back to just doing a good old standard diet for a few months. I'm including everything here, even the calculations I used to figure stuff out.

The goal is still to cut since I freaking want that low BF level, and I may have not been eating enough on my previous diet to allow it to happen.

BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 * weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 * height in inches ) - ( 6.8 * age in year )

BMR = 66 + (6.23 * 166) + (12.7 * 69) - (6.8 * 22)

BMR = 1826.88

Moderately active (workout 3x per week) = 1.55 multiplier

1826.88 * 1.55 = 2831.664 Total Calories for Maintenance

Target Calories for Cut = 2600 (for now)

166 * 1.5 = 249g protein

2600 * 0.25 = 72.22 fat

Remaining Cals: 238.5g carbs

For the record, the calories on my previous cut were averaging around 1900 per day. Yea, I think I may have been undereating here.

Here is the new meal plan - I haven't decided how I'm going to split these foods up per meal yet, but this is what is will consist of overall.  Calories are close enough to my targets to make me happy enough.







I may forego some of the rice or oats for the first week so that I'm not jumping my calorie levels by almost 700 suddenly.  That could have some bad effects, so I'll ease into the new calorie levels at a rate of maybe 350 per week, so two weeks to hit my target.


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## danzik17 (Mar 30, 2008)

I'll just throw this in there too as another goal: go to sleep earlier.  Why the hell am I still awake.  I'm going to sleep


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## danzik17 (Mar 31, 2008)

*Meal 1:*
2 whole eggs
6 egg whites
1 cup oats
1 apple

*Meal 2:*
2 scoops ATW protein
1 orange
4 fish oil caps

*Meal 3:*
2 scoops ATW whey
1 apple

*Meal 4:*
9 egg whites
1 cup oats
4 fish oil caps

*Meal 5:*
8oz chicken
1 cup brown rice
4 fish oil caps

*Meal 6:*
4oz steak
4 fish oil caps
6 walnuts

That will be the split that will carry me to mid-June when I may or may not redo the diet to fit whatever my new job needs me to do.  That and woohoo, just found out there is a Costco right where I'm going to be living.  Hello cheap food.


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## goob (Mar 31, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> *Meal 1:*
> 2 whole eggs
> 6 egg whites
> 1 cup oats
> ...


 
Hot damn, wish I was that organised diet wise. Looks good.

What are you going to be doing for your new job?


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## danzik17 (Mar 31, 2008)

Well it's the same basic diet I've been following for over a year, I just keep tweaking the amounts and the timings of the meals.  No reason to change up the foods if I don't mind eating them.

Initially it's a Desktop Support (blah) job at FactSet Research Systems, but within half a year I hope to move into the network engineering/administration side of the company.


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## goob (Mar 31, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> Well it's the same basic diet I've been following for over a year, I just keep tweaking the amounts and the timings of the meals. No reason to change up the foods if I don't mind eating them.
> 
> Initially it's a Desktop Support (blah) job at FactSet Research Systems, but within half a year I hope to move into the network engineering/administration side of the company.


 
Congrats dude, desktop support does not sound to bad, no doubt will be better than helpdesk, with less hassle.  Plus, you'll get to met the hot chicks that work there when something goes wrong with their computer........ 

What sort of fat loss did you see following that diet?  Must say, you are very organised, and seem to have factored in a lot of variables in calculating.  Better than my 'rough guess' half assed efforts...


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## danzik17 (Mar 31, 2008)

I honestly don't know for sure, I haven't tracked it in a while except by the mirror.  It's probably something that is limiting my progress.  Overall I went from being around 250lbs, down to 153lbs, now I'm sitting at around 166lbs but the 13 additional pounds are mainly muscle.  Over 2 years or so I just sort of naturally progressed to eating healthier and healthier after I got violently sick one winter and lost 40lbs in a matter of 2-3 weeks.


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## danzik17 (Mar 31, 2008)

New workouts aren't designed yet, but they will be some variation of the 5x5 setup since I've been reading good stuff about it.  Just need to do a little more reading to find out the % 1RM on what days I should be lifting and whatnot.


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## goob (Apr 1, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> I honestly don't know for sure, I haven't tracked it in a while except by the mirror. It's probably something that is limiting my progress. Overall I went from being around 250lbs, down to 153lbs, now I'm sitting at around 166lbs but the 13 additional pounds are mainly muscle. Over 2 years or so I just sort of naturally progressed to eating healthier and healthier after I got violently sick one winter and lost 40lbs in a matter of 2-3 weeks.


 
Thats a pretty outstanding achievement. 100lb's??????  Great job.

Also, you might want to look into Gazhole's blog at the Texas method, I think me, Gaz and scarface are going to be doing a variation of it.  It uses 5x5 principles and 4 compound moves per workout.  Should be highly effective, I was doing 4 compunds per workout recently and the weights I'm putting up are the best I've ever done.
A Sheep Lover's Blog


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## danzik17 (Apr 1, 2008)

*4/1/08

*Everything went pretty smooth up until my workout then oh my god I had some of the worst creatine bloating I could imagine.  I'm currently sitting in my chair waiting for this to pass.  I'm definitely going to be dropping the creatine for at least a week, then very slowly introducing it to my body (unlike yesterday when I just dove right in at 4g).

Here's where I'm at in the gym today - I'm not happy with it but it's the best I could do given the ridiculous pain my stomach is in.

*Deadlift: *135lbs 7x3
*Pullups: *Dead hang BW 6x3 (BAH I CAN DO BETTER)
*One Arm DB Rows *- 55lb DBs 10x2, 60lb DBs 7x1
*Hyperextensions* - BW 10x1, BW+25lbs 7x1


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## danzik17 (Apr 3, 2008)

*4/3/08*

Workout out while sick sucks.  Don't know if it's a cold or allergies, but I was just more tired than usual.  I'll be designing my new routine over the weekend, so I'll start it on next Tuesday

Here's today:

*Warmup:* Light weights of each of the major exercises I did
*Squats:* 135lbs 10x1, 140lbs 10x1, 145lbs 10x1
*DB Bench Press*: 55lb DBs 10x2, 60lb DBs 6x1
*Dips: *10x3 BW
*Leg Extensions:* 80lbs 10x1, 90lbs 10x1, 100lbs 10x1

My right leg/thigh (adductor) still bothers me from when I hurt it squatting almost two months ago.  It doesn't necessarily hurt, but there is a pressure that makes me nervous about putting on heavier weights which is why I'm still pretty far below what I used to do.  Any ideas on that?


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## danzik17 (Apr 6, 2008)

*4/5/08*

Just a normal pull workout, nothing spectacular here.  Looking forward to starting the 5x5 setup soon.

*Pullups:* BW 10, 8, 6
*Hyperextensions: *BW 10x1, BW+25lbs 10, 6 (Not going to do these anymore.  They don't seem to be beneficial at all anymore and they're hindering my other lifts by making my LB tired)
*Deadlifts: *125lbs 10x1, 135lbs 8x1 (Stopped here - my lower back really was tired at this point and I didn't want to risk bad form)
*DB Rows:* 55lbs 10x1, 60lbs 10x1, 65lbs 8x1 (New high weight!)


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## fufu (Apr 6, 2008)

Do you normally do deadlifts later in your workout? I like to do them earlier because it is easier to maintain form.


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## danzik17 (Apr 7, 2008)

Usually I do it first, but I wanted to do pullups first since my pullups always suffer due to my grip being tired at that point.  Big mistake since the hypers made my LB so tired that I just couldn't maintain good form anymore after 2 sets of DLs.


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## danzik17 (Apr 8, 2008)

*4/8/08*

Well I didn't start the 5x5 setup like I wanted to since I got pretty busy doing actual schoolwork that I procrastinated on.  I am very happy with the workout as a whole though - DB Bench went up, squats are recovering from my injury though slowly.

*Squats: *115lbs 10x1, 145 lbs 10x1, 155lbs 10x1
*DB Bench:* 55lbs 10x1, 65lbs 10x1, 7x1 (woot, used to top out at 60s)
*Pistols:* BW 10x1,8x2 (Was skirting complete failure on these after squats, pretty happy)
*Dips: *BW 10x3
*Cardio:* 4min10s on the bike - my legs were so shot at this point that I had nothing left


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## danzik17 (Apr 10, 2008)

*4/10/08*

*Deadlifts:* 135lbs 10x1, 155lbs 10x1 7x1
*One Arm DB Rows:* 55lb DBs 10x1, 65lb DBs 10x1 8x1 (woot, new high weight)
*Hamstring Curls*: 80lbs 10x1, 90lbs 8x1 7x1 (God these felt worthless, but I refused to do hyperextensions.  I'll have to think of something)
*Pullups/Chinups*: 9 BW Pullups, 8 BW Chinups, 5 BW Pullups
*One Arm Lat Pulldowns:* 40lbs to failure, forget how many reps.  These felt awesome.


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## danzik17 (Apr 12, 2008)

*4/12/08

Squats: *115lbs 10x1, 135lbs 10x1, 155 lbs 10x1
*DB Bench: *55lbs 10x1, 60lbs 10x1, 8x1
*Pistols:* 10,8,8
*Dips: *10x3 BW
*Core:* Not sure if there is a name for this, but I jumped on the decline bench and just held myself straight suspended for 30s x 3.  Kind of like an upside down plank?

Still making progress overall although my right leg is still arguing with me.  It's getting more and more used to heavier weight though so that's good.


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## danzik17 (Apr 22, 2008)

Hell of a day.  3 hours at work, 2 hours apartment hunting, 3 hours racing , then the first day of the Texas Full Body Method.  I am goddamn tired.

As for the new routine, the high intensity day didn't feel all that intense.  I'm used to doing circuit training with about 15-20seconds rest in-between sets, so 1:45 really felt like an eternity.  Leg Presses were also really really easy, I know I can do a lot more weight next time - I kept putting more on, but it never felt like it was heavy at all.

*Squats*: 150lbs 5x5
*Pullups:* BW 5x5 (damn weight belt was locked up so I couldn't do it with +20)
*Leg Press:* 375lbs 5x1, 405lbs 5x1, 445lbs 5x3 (the platform weighs 65lbs right?)
*T-Bat Rows:* 135lbs 5x1, 160lbs 5x4

*Bicep Curls Back against the wall*: 25lb DBs 12, 10, 8
*Shrugs:* 60lbs 14x1, 65 lbs 14x4 (These were easy for my traps but holy god my grip was gone at this point)
*Inverse Planks on Decline Bench: *30seconds x 3


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## Gazhole (Apr 23, 2008)

Looking good, man! You're gonna like this program, i promise you


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## goob (Apr 23, 2008)

Gazhole said:


> Looking good, man! You're gonna like this program, i promise you


 
Agreed.  Looks like a great start you've made.  It's working well for me on week 3, I reckon you'll do even better with your diet far superior to mine.


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## danzik17 (Apr 23, 2008)

We'll see about that one.  I already know my diet will be pretty bad over the next couple of weeks, but I'm ok with that.  There's only 3 more weeks left before I graduate, and I might not see some of my friends here after that so I'm not going to let my diet get in the way for now.

That and in 2 weeks it's senior week i.e. the entire senior class roaming around the city in a drunken stupor for 7 days.  It's going to set back my progress a good bit probably but I can always just drop more fat, I can never do this again.


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## danzik17 (Apr 23, 2008)

I will say I am goddamn dead from that last workout.  I didn't feel tired at all last night, but holy shit I am dying right now.


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## danzik17 (Apr 24, 2008)

*4/24/08* Low Volume / Low Intensity

I can't say I like this day, but I know it's necessary.  It's just so freaking boring doing 2-3 reps, rest for a minute, do another 2-3.  Hell the most brutal thing I did was cardio (I am not conditioned in any way shape or form)

*Deadlifts:* 135lbs 3x6
*Hyperextensions: *6x5 or something, I lost count.  They were so easy I probably did more than I should have.
*DB Press:* 65lb DBs 3x6
*Dips: *BW 3x6

*Front Raises: *20lb DBs 8x3
*Tricep Pushdown: *50lbs 7x3 (Screw this, I'm doing dumbells next time.  I hate machines)

*Monkey Hangs*: 25s, 15s, 8s (These things are freaking hard holy shit)

*Cardio:* Exercise Bike for 10m on medium intensity


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## danzik17 (Apr 26, 2008)

*4/26/07 *Low Volume/High Intensity

Apparently the gym at my college closes at 9PM on Saturday (wtf?) so I didn't get to do any accessory stuff, but I got the four big lifts done.  I will say I did surprise myself on leg presses.  The weight belt for pullups still is locked on a cabinet so I did a superset of lat pulldowns and pullups to at least try and compensate.

*Squats: *165lbs 3x3
*Leg Press: *515lbs 4x1, 565lbs 3x2
*Pullups: *6x3
*Lat Pulldowns: *90lbs 6x3
*T-Bar Rows: *165lbs 3x1, 175lbs 3x1, 185lbs 3x1

I'm kind of in the same boat as goob here, the weights felt heavy but I just wasn't getting tired.  I'm way too used to circuit training with like 15-20s RI.


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## goob (Apr 27, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> *4/26/07 *Low Volume/High Intensity
> 
> Apparently the gym at my college closes at 9PM on Saturday (wtf?) so I didn't get to do any accessory stuff, but I got the four big lifts done. I will say I did surprise myself on leg presses. The weight belt for pullups still is locked on a cabinet so I did a superset of lat pulldowns and pullups to at least try and compensate.
> 
> ...


 

Exactly.  It's very wierd, although you are putting a lot of stress on yourself, you don't get the fatigue of a higher rep workout.

These days also seem to be very effective......although they don't really feel it.  Good stuff Dan.


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## danzik17 (Apr 30, 2008)

*4/29/08* - High Volume/High Intensity

Well I fucking did it today.  Now I'm out of commission for at least two weeks.  Despite how anal retentive I tried to be with form on my deadlifts, I managed to hurt something in my back - that's why I fucking hate deadlifts.  It's not my lower back though, it's more of the area right beneath the area between the shoulder blades.  Center back?

Would have been a good day if it wasn't for that.  I was happy with everything else.

*Deadlifts*: 155lbs 5x5 (FUCK THESE.  Not even that heavy)
*Dips: *BW + 2 chains (probably like 20-25lbs) 5x5
*DB Bench Press:* 65lb DBs 5x5
*Hyperextensions:* 5x1 BW, 5x1 BW + 10, 5x3 BW + 25 (Took these slow to make sure they wouldn't put pressure on the wrong part of my back)

*Accessory*: Lateral/Frontal Raises, Planks


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## danzik17 (Apr 30, 2008)

When I do recover, I'm replacing deadlifts with either rack pulls or RDLs.  I hurt myself at the bottom of the lift which is mostly quad dominant, and I get plenty of work on my quads during my "A" workouts.


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## danzik17 (May 3, 2008)

Well just an update I guess.  I'm still out of the gym due to hurting my back last workout on deadlifts (fuck those  ).  It's recovering faster than I expected though - I'm not terribly stiff when I wake up in the morning anymore, and after a few hours of being awake it pretty much stops hurting unless I intentionally stretch it.

Hopefully that means I only have 1-1.5 more weeks of rest needed.  Question though - assuming I feel pretty good next week, could I potentially do exercises where my back is supported like DB Bench or something, or should I still completely lay off?


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## danzik17 (May 5, 2008)

Good stuff, I just banged out a set of pullups in my room and my back didn't even twitch.  I'm going to try and hit the gym tomorrow to see what I can do, but I won't be doing any exercises that put direct pressure on the LB for at least a few more days.  I'll probably stick to my "A" workout of squats, leg press, pullups, and t-bar rows (although t-bars might put too much pressure on the LB, we'll see).

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about deadlifts for now - I may skip those this week and just stick with mainly push exercises with cardio on my "B" day.


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## danzik17 (May 8, 2008)

*5/08/08* - High Rep / High Intensity

Overall a good day.  Done with college, did my last workout ever in the college gym  .  On the bright side, I did do a PR on pullups even though I sort of knew I could do it already, I just never had.  Good last workout.

*Squats: *135lbs 5x1, 155lbs 5x1, 165lbs 5x3
*Pullups: *BW + 1 chain (about 20-25lbs) 5x3, 3x1, BW 3x1
*Leg Press:* 425lbs 5x1, 515lbs 5x4
*T-Bar Rows:* 160lbs 5x1, 170lbs 5x1, 180lbs 5x3

*Accessory: 
*Back against wall curls: 22.5lb DBs 10x3
Tricep Pushdowns: 50lbs 10x2, 60lbs 8x1


No core work today.  I didn't want to put the direct pressure on my back yet which is why I'm still not going to try deadlifting again yet, not even light.


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## DOMS (May 8, 2008)

Your overall workout is solid, but those pull-ups really stand out!

And congrats on the graduation!


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## goob (May 9, 2008)

Nice work Dan.  Pullups looking really strong.

Congrats on graduation, by the sound of it you truely know your stuff, (unlike most graduates - myself included) so I think you'll rise through the corporate ladder with ease.


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## danzik17 (May 12, 2008)

*5/12/08* - High Rep / High Intensity

Apparently my college gym is open for Senior Week (WOOT) but it also closes at 8PM (DOH).  I'll know for next time, but I was only able to fit about half of my normal workout.

*Squats: *165lbs 5x5
*Pullups: *BW + 1 chain (about 20-25lbs) 5x3, BW 3x1 + 10 or so negatives
I didn't have time to even do my last set of pullups, so I just started banging out negatives.  By the time I was done, it hurt.  A lot.


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## danzik17 (May 12, 2008)

Also although my diet is kind of shitty this week seeing as how it's Senior Week and diet is semi on hold, I'm already thinking of my next one.

I've been watching Milos Sarcev talk about nutrition and he's sort of talked me into doing some carb tapering throughout the day.  I'm going to design a diet where I am eating a set amount of fat and protein at each meal, but taper my carbs throughout the day with a spike in Pre/Post workout meal.  I'm also going to alternate calorie days with probably 2200 calories on days I'm not working out, and 2400 calories on days that I am.  The 200 calorie spike will likely come from 50g extra carbs that I will eat pre and post WO.  Probably something like 30g additional carbs in the Pre, 20g in the Post.

Any thoughts on that?


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## danzik17 (May 19, 2008)

*5/19/08 - *High Intensity / High Volume

*Squats:* 145lbs 5x1, 165lbs 5x1, 170lbs 5x3 (PR since I hurt my leg)
*Pullups: *BW + 1 chain 5x3, 4x1 + 2 negatives, 3x1 (Gettin better)
*Leg Press: *515lbs 5x2, 565lbs 5x3 (PR, last rep was ouch)
*T-Bar Rows: *170lbs 5x5

*Accessory....*Dips? 10x2, 6x1

Overall pretty happy considering how much I drank and how much shit I ate last week (Senior Week).  I feel like I actually came back stronger.  I can't believe I had the gas to do dips at the end but what the hell.

I'm going to drop the low intensity day and replace it with an intro to HIIT that I've been reading about on Built's blog - I need to start doing it, or I'm never going to get better at it.


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## Irons77 (May 19, 2008)

Hey bro good looking journal you got. That diet is a good one,, I'm on it now. Non training days I take in around 2030 cals and training days I take in 2380 cals. The carbs is what goes up on training days. 67g on off days and 160g on training days. Works great for me on my cut. I'm losing the fat but no mass. 1-2 pounds a week. Just to let you know it works.


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## danzik17 (May 20, 2008)

Irons77 said:


> Hey bro good looking journal you got. That diet is a good one,, I'm on it now. Non training days I take in around 2030 cals and training days I take in 2380 cals. The carbs is what goes up on training days. 67g on off days and 160g on training days. Works great for me on my cut. I'm losing the fat but no mass. 1-2 pounds a week. Just to let you know it works.



Cool, good to know.  I'm going to write up that new diet this week and start it either next week or the week after.  I don't know the exact timing since I'm going to be doing a lot of apartment hunting and moving which can really screw with how often I can eat.


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## goob (May 21, 2008)

Holy shit!! Awesome numbers on the leg press.  Good job on the PR's, numbers are looking damn good.


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## danzik17 (May 21, 2008)

*HIIT Attempt #1*

So my legs were really tired today from that Monday workout.  Really really tired.  As in walking up stairs was painful.  I didn't think it could get any worse.

Then I did HIIT.  I wanted to freaking cry.  7-8 minutes into it, I just could not force my legs to push the pedals on the cycle anymore.  Physically I think could do it, but my brain was just like "fuck that".  So I ended up just walking on the treadmill for about 8 mins and calling it a day.


*Cardio/HIIT:*

2 minute warmup on the bike

7 minutes worth of Built's "8 seconds of glory" deal.

3 minutes on the treadmill

1.5 minutes of more glory.

5 minutes on the treadmill.







Faceplant.

I'm just happy that I started doing it though, I've never done cardio to any big degree so I needed to start sometime.


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## danzik17 (May 21, 2008)

goob said:


> Holy shit!! Awesome numbers on the leg press.  Good job on the PR's, numbers are looking damn good.



Thanks.  I don't know why my numbers on that are high but my squats seem to be lagging comparatively.  I'm only doing like 170lb squats, but I should probably be doing closer to 200lb (just going from other people's journals).  I wonder what is slowing me down.


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## danzik17 (May 25, 2008)

Here's my new meal plan idea that I'll be starting soon (as in next week after I move).  The idea is to load up on the vast majority of my carbs in the first two meals of the day on non-workout days since that is theoretically when I will need the energy from them.  On workout days, I will add additional carbs to my Pre and Post meals for energy.  I also left about 40 calories of play room since I always pull in a few extra calories from SF maple syrup and the little bit of Half/Half that I put in my coffee.

*Meal 1:*
2 whole eggs
6 egg whites
0.75 cup oats

*Meal 2:*
8oz chicken
0.5 cups oats

*Meal 3:*
8oz chicken
3 fish oil caps

*Meal 4:*
2 whole eggs
6 egg whites
3 fish oil caps

*Meal 5:*
8oz chicken
3 fish oil caps
1 tbsp natty PB

*Meal 6:*
6oz steak
2 tbsp natty pb

On workout days I will be adding 200 additional calories in the form of 50g carbs split between 30g Pre and 20g Post.

Macros:

251g protein
87g fat
84g carbs

2167 calories on non-WO days

2367 calories on WO days

Calories:  2167

There will be a bunch of different types of chicken so I don't go insane, but they will only be no calorie seasonings.  Mostly garlic, pepper, soy sauce, and mustard.  Habanero/Jalapeno mustard = delicious.


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## goob (May 26, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> Thanks. I don't know why my numbers on that are high but my squats seem to be lagging comparatively. I'm only doing like 170lb squats, but I should probably be doing closer to 200lb (just going from other people's journals). I wonder what is slowing me down.


 
Don't worry about it, I'm quite similar, my squat is ok, but my leg press is waaay better.  Just one of those things.

Sometimes I've found, just pushing yourself just outside your comfort zone i,e forcibly going for a PR, can work wonders.  I smashed my DL on a weekly basis using that.


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## danzik17 (May 26, 2008)

Well my right leg is weaker than my left, so I'm not comfortable going for heavy PRs on squats a lot without good spotters.  Needless to say, good spotters don't exist in my college gym (maybe in a few weeks when I move, but probably not).

Leg Press is a different story though because I know that I can handle the weight, and the worst thing that happens is that I have to slowly let it down to the safeties.  Can't do that on squats.


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## goob (May 26, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> Well my right leg is weaker than my left, so I'm not comfortable going for heavy PRs on squats a lot without good spotters. Needless to say, good spotters don't exist in my college gym (maybe in a few weeks when I move, but probably not).
> 
> Leg Press is a different story though because I know that I can handle the weight, and the worst thing that happens is that I have to slowly let it down to the safeties. Can't do that on squats.


 
What about the squat rack?  Is there adjustable bars that you could use?  If you switched to front squat, you could bail if you really needed and the bars would catch it, I'm not sure about back squats though.

I hear you on being apprehensive.  I would totally avoid squats and deads for ages, and when I did do squats I went light.  However, I bit the bullet, and just went for it.  As long as you use a little sense ( and not do unintentional PR's... like some) you will be fine.


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## danzik17 (May 26, 2008)

Yea there is adjustable bars, but the problem is with how my legs would fail.  Since my right leg is weaker than my left, it will give out first obviously.  That means that all of the sudden, my right side is falling while my left is still supported (this actually happened, but I had two spotters at the time).  It's just a really dangerous position to be in.

I didn't even realize that it was happening at the time, I thought I had just put too much weight on one side by accident.  Looked in the mirror and my right leg was like collapsing, but my left was holding strong.

I do need to start doing front squats, I just haven't gotten around to learning the motion yet.


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## goob (May 26, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> Yea there is adjustable bars, but the problem is with how my legs would fail. Since my right leg is weaker than my left, it will give out first obviously. That means that all of the sudden, my right side is falling while my left is still supported (this actually happened, but I had two spotters at the time). It's just a really dangerous position to be in.
> 
> I didn't even realize that it was happening at the time, I thought I had just put too much weight on one side by accident. Looked in the mirror and my right leg was like collapsing, but my left was holding strong.
> 
> I do need to start doing front squats, I just haven't gotten around to learning the motion yet.


 
That sounds pretty bad, but I think if you did front, you could bail a lot easier, even in that situation.  Thats almost happend to me, but I ot out easy enough.  Fronts are way superior to back IMO, you can go deeper, and they really do a number on your core.


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## danzik17 (May 26, 2008)

Well this week is my "B" workout week so I won't be hitting squats much.  Maybe for warming up I'll do some light front squats so I start getting used to it faster - a quarter on each side of the bar for 1 set won't fatigue me too much for the rest of the workout.


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## danzik17 (May 28, 2008)

*5/27/08 - High Rep / High Intensity - "B" Workout*

*Quick Warmup:

Front Squats - *75 lbs 10x3 - (Looking to eventually replace back squats with these, so I need to learn the movement.  Still leaning a bit too forward since I'm used to back squats with the weight on the other side)
*Romanian Deadlifts:* 95lbs 10x1, 135lbs 5x3, 155 lbs 5x1 (These felt way better than normal deadlifts.  Permanent replacement)
*Hyperextensions:* BW + 25lbs 5x5
*Dips: *BW + 2 chains 5x5
*DB Press:* 60lbs 5x1, 65lbs 3x1, 60lbs 5x1, 4x1, 3x1 (Yea.  Let's just say my pre-wo meal said "hello" with the effort I was putting into the 65lb set.)


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## goob (May 29, 2008)

Good job Dan.  How did you find the front squats.  Did you do them normal or that mad crossed armed olympic style?

The DOMS you get after going for them the first time is crazy.  RDL's feel easier than standard deads to me too.


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## danzik17 (May 29, 2008)

I tried both, but I couldn't balance the weight doing it crossed armed.  It's going to take a little while to be able to do them since my arms and wrists aren't flexible enough yet to do it comfortably.  Figure if I just do some light sets every single time I go to the gym, I'll get the flexibility to move up soon enough.

And yea my hams are crying right now from the RDLs.  I haven't done any really good exercises for them in quite a while now.


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## goob (May 29, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> I tried both, but I couldn't balance the weight doing it crossed armed. It's going to take a little while to be able to do them since my arms and wrists aren't flexible enough yet to do it comfortably. Figure if I just do some light sets every single time I go to the gym, I'll get the flexibility to move up soon enough.
> 
> And yea my hams are crying right now from the RDLs. I haven't done any really good exercises for them in quite a while now.


 
It's tough on the wrists. Try and balance it on your collerbone to a certain degree I found that helps. Sometimes I do them with a slightly wider grip, which sometimes helps too. Either way, they are a tough beast. You'll see just how much they work you all over when you get up to a weight that challenges you more.

Good work though.


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## soxmuscle (May 29, 2008)

Why are you dumping back squats for front squats?


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## danzik17 (Jun 3, 2008)

soxmuscle said:


> Why are you dumping back squats for front squats?



Because on back squats I'm concerned about lifting heavy and still being able to safely dump the weight (sans spotters, good ones are rare).  I have a weird imbalance between my right and left legs to the point where if my legs fail in a certain way it can be incredibly dangerous.


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## danzik17 (Jun 3, 2008)

Anyway just a quick update.  I did some HIIT last Thursday, but I'm too lazy to to an update on that honestly.

Signed a lease starting next Saturday so I'll be able to stop doing these ridiculous 4 hour/day commutes.  It's close enough to work where I'll be able to bike - on the way back it's two miles uphill.  Thats going to go a long way towards helping me lean out.  There is also a gym in the building where I work that opens at 8AM - I haven't checked it out yet, but it would be pretty convenient if it's any good.

That's it for now, there really isn't going to be any training this week.  Between work and 4 hour commutes I'm dead, not to mention I don't have a place to train right now near my house.


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## danzik17 (Jun 9, 2008)

I have good news and bad news.

The good:  I'm back in the gym after moving.
The bad:  It's a Planet Fitness 

I'm going to have to see if I can find a better one thats not a shit ton more expensive within the 3 day cancellation period.  Only reason I even considered it was that it was 20$/mo.

*6/9/08 - High Intensity / High Volume

Squats: *135 10x1, 155 5x1, 165 5x3
*Pullups: *BW 10, 10, 8, 6, 3 (No weight belt at PF.  Fuck)
*Nautilus Leg Press:  *385 5x5 - What the fuck is with this machine.  I almost killed myself on it at first.  I loaded it up my normal weight of like 600lbs only to find that Nautilus decided to do some fucked up angled motion, not a normal leg press.  Thank god for the fucking supports because I was not ready to catch the weight in the direction it was headed.*
T-Bar Rows: *135 5x1, 160 5x2, 170 5x2

*Dips: *10x3 (They only have the pussy assisted dip machines.  What the hell.  How am I going to do BW + 25lbs on one of those PoS)

Yea, I need to find a better gym.  *Fast*.


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## danzik17 (Jun 9, 2008)

Just looked and the only other two viable places are a Fitness Edge and a World Gym.

There is also a small gym in our office that I can join for 30$ for life, but it is understandably pretty small.  It has enough dumbells I guess, but there is no normal squat rack, only some type of cable support squat rack.  I also didn't see any kind of dipping station.  I could give it a shot, but it is lacking a few things that I love to do (namely dips).  I don't remember if it had an actual pullup bar, but I'm sure there is something that I could improvise on.


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## goob (Jun 10, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> I have good news and bad news.
> 
> The good: I'm back in the gym after moving.
> The bad: It's a Planet Fitness
> ...


 
 I've been close doing doing something similar to that nautilus catastrophy before.  You paint a funny picture Dan.  
Awesome workout though, T-Bars looking VERY strong.

$30 for life?  You could do a lot with just DB's, Deads, goblet squats etc.  May not be a bad option if you can make do with some improvisation.

Keep up the good fight.


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## danzik17 (Jun 13, 2008)

*6/13/08 - Low Volume / High Intensity*

*Front Squats:* 95 lbs 10x1, 115lbs 10x1 (Just to do it)
*Back Squats:* 170lbs 3x3
*Pullups: *BW + 25lbs 4x1, 3x2, BW 3x1
*Leg Press:* 445 20x1, 12x1

Well I signed up at a gym called "The Fitness Edge" and it kicks the shit out of Planet Fitness.  It had everything I was looking for and then some, the only catch is its about double the distance. Oh well, can't have it all.

I ran out of time since it was the last gym I visited today, so I didn't get to do T-Bar Rows and I crammed Leg Presses into 2 sets.  Two fucking hard sets.


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## goob (Jun 14, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> *6/13/08 - Low Volume / High Intensity*
> 
> *Front Squats:* 95 lbs 10x1, 115lbs 10x1 (Just to do it)
> *Back Squats:* 170lbs 3x3
> ...


 
Good workout, esp. the Leg presses.  

After a bit of experimentation, I think the best way for front squats is to have your hands just slightly wider than shoulder width (I'm talking a cm or so here), and balance the bar on your collar bone, chest puffed out.  

Still not great on the wrists, but better than other ways. 

How did you find it worked on your core?  I find that the best benefit, although I have'nt done back squats for a while, and could put more up with them- so quads might benefit more for me on that account.

On another note.  How's the job going?


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## danzik17 (Jun 16, 2008)

*6/16/08 - High Intensity / High Volume

RDLs:* 135lbs 5x2, 145lbs 5x3
*Dips:* BW + 25 lbs 5x4, 7x1
*Hyperextensions:* BW + 25lbs ?x5 (I kept fucking this up and doing more reps than I planned on.  Hell if I know what they were.  Somewhere between 5-13 reps.)
*DB Press:* 55lbs 5x5


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## danzik17 (Jun 16, 2008)

goob said:


> Good workout, esp. the Leg presses.
> 
> After a bit of experimentation, I think the best way for front squats is to have your hands just slightly wider than shoulder width (I'm talking a cm or so here), and balance the bar on your collar bone, chest puffed out.
> 
> ...



I'll give that a shot next week.  I'm going to see if I can do 45s on each side for a few reps at the beginning - if I can do that, then I can start to dump back squats.

The job is going really well.  The crew is pretty awesome and it's such a relaxed environment.  We get to screw around a lot as long as we get all of our work done obviously.


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## danzik17 (Jun 18, 2008)

*6/18/08 - Hill Repeats*

I wanted to quit when I hit 6% incline.  I mean I really wanted to quit.  Made it all the way to 11% though, so I'm happy about it.  The speed was mainly walking/fast walking due to how shitastic my conditioning is right now, but I did jog/run for some of the first few sets of inclines.

3 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 3% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 4% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 5% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 6% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 7% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 8% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 9% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 10% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 11% incline


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## goob (Jun 19, 2008)

11% incline?  Using crampons and ropes by that point?


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## danzik17 (Jun 24, 2008)

*6/23/08 - High Volume / High Intensity
*
*Front Squats: *135 5x1, 155 5x2 (Wrists are still the limiting factor here, my legs didn't even get that tired)
*Back Squats: *170 5x2
*Pullups:* BW + 25lbs 4x5
*Leg Press:* 515lbs 5x5 (For some reason this Press feels a lot heavier than the one that was at my college)
*T-Bar Rows: *170lbs 5x5


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## danzik17 (Jun 25, 2008)

*6/25/08 - Hill Repeats*

Note to self: don't wear the wrong shoes to do this shit.  Accidentally wore my lifting shoes (i.e. beaten to shit walking shoes) and this killed my shins.  Oh well.

3 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 3% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 4% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 5% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 6% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 7% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 8% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 9% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 10% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 11% incline


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## danzik17 (Jun 30, 2008)

*6/30/08 - High Volume / High Intensity
*
*RDLs: *155 5x5
*Dips: *BW + 25 5x4 ,*BW + 35 5x1 (PR)*
*Hyperextensions: *BW + 25lbs 5x2, BW + 45lbs 5x3
*DB Press (per db):* 55lbs 5x1, 60lbs 5x3, 65lbs 5x1
*DB Curls against Wall: *20lbs 14x2, 8x1


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## danzik17 (Jul 2, 2008)

*7/02/08 - Hill Repeats*

3 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 4% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 5% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 6% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 7% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 8% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 9% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 10% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 11% incline


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## goob (Jul 3, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> *6/30/08 - High Volume / High Intensity*
> 
> *RDLs: *155 5x5
> *Dips: *BW + 25 5x4 ,*BW + 35 5x1 (PR)*
> ...


 
Looks good.  THe dips are excellent.  How do you feel doing the RDL's?  Could you go heavier, as I found if you push yourself the weight just keeps going up - by a lot.  It seems that they are easy to improve on, and as long as forms right you can go a LOT heavier than you think you are capable of.


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## danzik17 (Jul 3, 2008)

goob said:


> Looks good.  THe dips are excellent.  How do you feel doing the RDL's?  Could you go heavier, as I found if you push yourself the weight just keeps going up - by a lot.  It seems that they are easy to improve on, and as long as forms right you can go a LOT heavier than you think you are capable of.



I'm pretty sure I have more gas for the RDLs, but I'm taking it nice and slow.  I've hurt myself before by going up too fast on the weight, so I'm doing it in nice slow 20lb increments mostly on the heavy days to make sure that I can actually handle the weight.

That's a lot of what I'm finding, I haven't found my max for a lot of exercises yet.  For example, when I do dips tomorrow, I'm fully planning on doing 3x3 with BW + 45 lbs.  I guess what this program is doing for me isn't so much what it's intended to do with the percentages of 1RM, it is more allowing me to find out just what the hell my 1RM is.  And I keep finding out that it is more than I thought it would be


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## danzik17 (Jul 3, 2008)

I should also mention that this has all been on a freaking cut.  As much as I'm looking forward to finally being a lean beast like I've wanted for a long long time, I'm also pretty damn curious as to what I would be able to do on a bulk.


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## goob (Jul 3, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> I should also mention that this has all been on a freaking cut. As much as I'm looking forward to finally being a lean beast like I've wanted for a long long time, I'm also pretty damn curious as to what I would be able to do on a bulk.


 
I hear you, all my workouts have been on a caloric defecit or barely maintanence. I'd love to see what I could do if I ever go on a bulk. Probably not though - once I get as shredded as I want, I'm going to maintain it for as long as I can. Maybe a weak bulk.

Also, if you've can be assed, try the hill sprints up an actual hill outside.  It's a different beast, much harder and more rewarding.  Still, your doing pretty damn well.


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## danzik17 (Jul 3, 2008)

Well at the moment I have two things working against me on Hill Repeats.  I'm still getting used to ketosis so I was nauseous last time I did them, and I have weak shins from not running, ever.  Ever.  Like, ever.  My shins start hurting before I'm out of breath or before my legs are exhausted, so I'm working on that.


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## danzik17 (Jul 4, 2008)

*7/4/08 - High Intensity / Low Volume

RDLs:* 155lbs 3x1, 175lbs 3x1, 185lbs 3x1
*DB Bench: *65lbs 4x1, 70lbs 4x2
*Hyperextensions: *BW + 45lbs 5x5
*Dips*: BW + 45lbs 3x2, _*6x1*_


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## goob (Jul 4, 2008)

Good work, everything creeping up, your dips are not far of mine, and 30lb's up on the deads from the other workout.  Don't be afraid to push yourself a little out of the comfort zone - I made my best gains doing this.  And like you on a caloric defecit.


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## danzik17 (Jul 8, 2008)

*7/7/08 - High Intensity / High Volume

Squats: *155lbs 5x1, 175lbs 5x4
*Pullups: *10, 8, 6, 5 (Couldn't find the damn weight belt.)
*Leg Press:* 515lbs 5x4

Not happy with this workout because I was running late and was damn near exhausted from not sleeping well.  I know for a fact that I can bang out way more BW pullups than that, I just did not have the gas that night though.  I'll make up for it by progressing to BW + 35lbs on Friday though.

At least I still moved up on squats though I guess.


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## danzik17 (Jul 14, 2008)

*7/4/08 - High Intensity / High Volume

RDLs:* 185 5x5
*Dips: *BW 13, 20, BW + 35lbs 7x2, BW 20 (These were weird because I couldn't find the freaking weight belt again.  Bodyweight just doesn't do it for me, so I tried to hold a DB between my feet but it was putting me in a bad position)
*Hyperextensions:* BW + 45lb 5x5
*DB Press: *65lbs 5x4, 4x1

New goal for this week: GO TO SLEEP.

Sleep is slowing me down a lot - by my friday heavy workout, I'm gassed from the entire week.  Need to sleep more since it is becoming a hinderance to my workouts (I slept through my workout period Friday AND Saturday )


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## danzik17 (Jul 16, 2008)

*7/16/08 - Hill Repeats*

3 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 3% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 4% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 5% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 6% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 7% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 8% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 9% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 10% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 11% incline

Making some small improvements.  I ran/jogged for two minutes on the first few cycles, but jogged at a minimum 1 minute on each level all the way up to 11%.  That was hard as fuck, but it's improvement I guess.


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## danzik17 (Jul 18, 2008)

*7/19/08 - High Intensity / Low Volume

RDLs:* 195lbs 3x3
*Dips: *BW + 50lbs 4,5,5 (I think - I was surprised at how not tired I was)
*Hyperextensions: *BW + 55lbs 5x3
*DB Press:* 75lbs 3x3

I don't think I've done this in a long long time but every single lift went up today.  I have more gas to go on everything but DB Press - 75lbs seems to be the max of what I can do it for 3x3 at the moment which isn't too shabby.

Looking forward to next set of heavy dips though - I'm going to try for 55 or possibly 60lbs.  RDLs over 200 next time - looking forward to 225 when I get to graduate to two plates


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## danzik17 (Jul 18, 2008)

Oh and apparently the weight belts got stolen so they're ordering more.  That's gonna suck since it means it won't be there for pullups on Monday.

Holding a 50lb DB with my feet while doing dips was interesting though.


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## danzik17 (Jul 21, 2008)

*7/21/08 - High Intensity / High Volume

Squats: *185lbs 5x1, 195lbs 5x4
*Pullups:* BW 9, + 20lbs 4,4,4, BW 5
*Leg Press: *425 5x1, 515 5x4
....
Damnit I forgot to do T-Bars.  I knew I was forgetting something.
*DB Shoulder Press:* 70lbs 10x2, 60lbs 10x1

2x 45s front planks, 1x each side

Alright workout.  I almost had to bail on the last rep of the squats, so I think I've found the max on 5x5 for that.  I have NO excuses for not hitting 200+ come Friday though if I can do 195 for 5x5.

Pullups are only meh.  They still didn't have a weight belt (I tried using a DB) but even so I just felt weaker than usual on them.  Wonder if I need to start taking it easy soon - maybe a deload/offweek then a new program (or another round of this, haven't decided).

Overall I'm pretty damn happy with the progress over the last couple of months.  Specifically there was no way in hell I ever imagined I would be doing Dips + 55lbs already (Fav exercise).


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## danzik17 (Jul 23, 2008)

So I made a split decision just now.  I'm not doing cardio today, and after I lift Friday I will be taking an off/deload week and then starting something new (or another round of this)

I would actually start taking off this week, but I WANT to hit 200+ squats in this cycle - I'm at 195lbs in 5x5 so there is no question that I'll hit it this Friday.

Any suggestions for the new setup?


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## P-funk (Jul 23, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> So I made a split decision just now.  I'm not doing cardio today, and after I lift Friday I will be taking an off/deload week and then starting something new (or another round of this)
> 
> I would actually start taking off this week, but I WANT to hit 200+ squats in this cycle - I'm at 195lbs in 5x5 so there is no question that I'll hit it this Friday.
> 
> Any suggestions for the new setup?



Guess that depends....aside from hitting 200+ in the squat (which is going to be easy as shit for you).....what are your other goals?


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## danzik17 (Jul 24, 2008)

Well the eventual target is ~185-190lbs at 7-8% BF.  Currently I think I'm somewhere around 172 with 12-13%.

Until the beginning of September I'm on a cut to see how low I can get, although I may or may not hit 8% this year (completely my fault and I am fixing it - I was eating too much chicken because of guesswork so I bought a scale and it's on the way)

Past then I'll probably do as clean a bulk as I can from September -> February, then start cutting again.

So I guess 5lbs of muscle gain should be pretty reasonable, and that may even be lowballing it (this is my first Bulk so maybe I have some newbie gains left in there).  The other big component is going to be stretching and mobility - the book you recommended is on the way and will probably be here some time this week.

Summary of rambling:

Cut until beginning of September
Bulk afterward until February or so.
Rinse.  Repeat.


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## goob (Jul 25, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> So I made a split decision just now. I'm not doing cardio today, and after I lift Friday I will be taking an off/deload week and then starting something new (or another round of this)
> 
> I would actually start taking off this week, but I WANT to hit 200+ squats in this cycle - I'm at 195lbs in 5x5 so there is no question that I'll hit it this Friday.
> 
> Any suggestions for the new setup?


 
Are you hitting 195 at front squats or back?  

200 on back would be easy for you.  200 on front is one hell of achievement, I presume your talking about back.

I recall you saying you have niggling injury problems, and err on the side of caution, but I reckon if you (sensibily) pushed yourself slightly more out of the confort zone ypu'd make amazing progress.  I say this only because I was in the same boat.


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## danzik17 (Jul 25, 2008)

Well to give you an idea I almost had to bail on the last rep of 195 so I think I'm working pretty close to the edge.  It was mostly RDLs where I am more cautious since I've hurt myself twice now by having bad form on them, so I make sure that I can handle the weight with perfect form before going balls out.

Front squats I can do 155+ - I really don't know how much because my wrists are still my limiting factor, not my legs.  I know I can do more than 155, but my wrists can't.  If I remember right, I need to work on some arm/shoulders flexibility to be able to do front squats more comfortably (courtesy of Dax Baker).

Need to figure out how to do that stretch since the one he showed me requires a lifting partner which I don't have.


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## P-funk (Jul 25, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> Well to give you an idea I almost had to bail on the last rep of 195 so I think I'm working pretty close to the edge.  It was mostly RDLs where I am more cautious since I've hurt myself twice now by having bad form on them, so I make sure that I can handle the weight with perfect form before going balls out.
> 
> Front squats I can do 155+ - I really don't know how much because my wrists are still my limiting factor, not my legs.  I know I can do more than 155, but my wrists can't.  If I remember right, I need to work on some arm/shoulders flexibility to be able to do front squats more comfortably (courtesy of Dax Baker).
> 
> Need to figure out how to do that stretch since the one he showed me requires a lifting partner which I don't have.




Although I wasn't there, I am good friends with Dax, and I think the stretch you are talking about is you getting in the rack position with the bar still on the squat stand, and then your partner pressing up on the elbows.  Correct?

If you want to replicate this on your own, go over to the smith machine (yikes) and get the bar into a rack position.  Un-hook it and bend your knees enough to get it just below the rung you unhooked it from.  then, push the hooks forward and press them up into that rung (you are pushing into it).  As you hold that tension, work on driving the elbows foreward and up to get the stretch you desire.


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## danzik17 (Jul 25, 2008)

P-funk said:


> Although I wasn't there, I am good friends with Dax, and I think the stretch you are talking about is you getting in the rack position with the bar still on the squat stand, and then your partner pressing up on the elbows.  Correct?
> 
> If you want to replicate this on your own, go over to the smith machine (yikes) and get the bar into a rack position.  Un-hook it and bend your knees enough to get it just below the rung you unhooked it from.  then, push the hooks forward and press them up into that rung (you are pushing into it).  As you hold that tension, work on driving the elbows foreward and up to get the stretch you desire.



Yup, that's the exact stretch I was referring to.  I'll give your idea a shot after I lift tonight in about 30-40m.

Also that book is pretty good, I'm not too far into it yet but I can already identify which type of athlete I am according to him (not that it's hard to figure out)


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## P-funk (Jul 25, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> Yup, that's the exact stretch I was referring to.  I'll give your idea a shot after I lift tonight in about 30-40m.
> 
> Also that book is pretty good, I'm not too far into it yet but I can already identify which type of athlete I am according to him (not that it's hard to figure out)



Which book?  Athletic Bodies In Balance?  It is absolutely one of the best books I have ever purchased.


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## danzik17 (Jul 25, 2008)

Yea, Athletic Bodies In Balance.

I tried that stretch but the rungs are curved rather than squared, so when I pushed up with any reasonable amount of force it would just slip up.


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## danzik17 (Jul 25, 2008)

*7/25/08 - High Intensity / Low Volume

Squats: *200lbs 3x3, 205lbs 3x3, 215lbs 3x3
*Pullups:* 10, 10, 10
*Leg Press:* 605lbs 3x3
*One Arm DB Row: *75lbs 3x4

Destroyed my goal of 200lbs on the squats, so close to graduating to 2 plates.  I think I'm going to go pick up a weight belt this weekend - I'm sick of not progressing on pullups/dips because some douchebag stole the one at the gym and they haven't ordered more yet.


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## P-funk (Jul 27, 2008)

great job on reaching your squat goal!!


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## danzik17 (Jul 27, 2008)

Thanks.

For my next routine, I think I'm going to stick with one high volume and one low volume day per week with the same upper/lower split, but change up some of the exercises and rep ranges.

I think a lot of my progress can be attributed to those heavy days - they kind of forced me to find the limits of what I could do, and they were a lot higher than what I had anticipated.

I'll refine this over the next couple days but I'm thinking something along the lines of 7x4 for volume, 4x3 for weight.  Thought process there being that for each day, I'm slightly increasing the overall number of repetitions in each exercise.


Preliminary exercise selection: Dips, Towel Pullups/Muscle Ups, Squats (to be replaced by front squats if I can get my mobility up), DB Bench, Lunges, RDLs, Bent Over BB rows, Hyperextensions


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## danzik17 (Jul 28, 2008)

*7/28/08 - Deload Upper Pull/Lower Push

Squats:* 5x5 165lbs
*Pullups:* 5x5 BW
*Leg Press:* 5x5 415lbs
*T-Bars: *5x5 135lbs

All in all an easy as hell day, barely worked up a sweat.  The funny thing is, this deload is almost exactly what I was lifting when I started doing the Texas Body Method - guess it worked a lot of wonders in like 8 weeks.


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## danzik17 (Jul 30, 2008)

*7/30/08 - Hill Repeats*

3 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 3% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 4% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 5% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 6% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 7% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 8% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 9% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 10% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 11% incline


Same as last time I ran and jogged for a minimum of about a minute on each interval.  My calves/shins were killing me almost the entire way though, probably the first time I didn't run out of breath before that happened for the majority of the intervals.  Any suggestions on how to tackle that?  Just something else to work on in the future.


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## danzik17 (Aug 6, 2008)

*8/6/08 - Hill Repeats*

3 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 3% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 4% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 5% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 6% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 7% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 8% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 9% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline
4 minutes @ 10% incline
1 minutes @ 2% incline

Bit of an abbreviated workout, I didn't hit the 11% incline because at the end of 10% I felt like I was going to puke, if I did 11% I would have.  Probably the effects of still not being on my normal eating schedule in addition to taking almost 1.5 weeks off (brother's wedding last weekend so my diet was out of the window for two days)

I don't think I want to dive right into a heavy lifting day on Friday after the break so I'll probably think up something to keep me occupied on Friday and then start a new cycle of Texas Method next Monday.


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## danzik17 (Aug 12, 2008)

*08/11/08 - High Intensity / High Volume

Squats:* 185lbs 5x5
*Pullups:* 5x6 BW
*Walking Lunges:* 40lb DBs 5x5

I then promptly collapsed (literally) against a bench - my legs had enough at that point and gave me the finger.  Recovery in my legs seems to be slower than the rest of my body, but maybe that's because I work them harder.

Fridays workout will probably be something like 3x5 with the exercises.  Other goals this week are to go pick up a weight belt and some towels for pullups.


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## Gazhole (Aug 13, 2008)

I think legs can take a lot more punishment than most people give them credit for, its just most people are scared to do that since legs are a fucking tough bitch to train.

Awesome workouts though, you obviously dont have that problem, lol!


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## danzik17 (Aug 15, 2008)

*8/15/08 - Low Volume / High Intensity

Squats:* 185lbs 3x1, 205lbs 3x3, 215lbs 3x1
*Towel Pullups: ONE.  (*That's right.  You read it correctly.  ONE.  Goddamn.)
*Pullups: *BW 5x3
*One Arm DB Rows:* 80lbs 3x2
*Lunges:* 55lb DBs 3x5

Holy shit I did not know that towel pullups were so goddamn hard.  I could not even hold onto the towels at all.  Holy shit.  I'm going to have to work on this.

Pretty cool that I'm still able to do 215lb squats even though my legs hurt so goddamn much.  Graduating two 2 plates within the next month hopefully


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## danzik17 (Aug 18, 2008)

*08/18/08 - High Volume / High Intensity

RDLs:* 185lbs 5x1, 195lbs 5x1, 205lbs 5x1,215lbs 5x2
*Dips: *BW + 40lbs 5x2, BW + 50lbs 5x2, BW + 55lbs 5x1
*Hyperextensions:* BW + 55lbs 5x1, BW + 60lbs 5x4
*DB Bench Press:* 60lbs 5x1, 65lbs 5x4

*Planks: *1x each side for 45s
*Reverse Superman? (Dunno):* Something like 30s, didn't keep track.


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## danzik17 (Aug 22, 2008)

*08/22/08 - Low Volume / High Intensity

RDLs:* 205lbs 3x2, 215lbs 3x1, 220lbs 3x1, 225lbs 5x1
*Dips:* 55lbs 3x2, 60lbs 3x3
*Hyperextensions:* BW + 60lbs 5x2, BW + 70lbs 5x3
*DB Bench Press:* 70lbs 3x3, 75lbs 3x2

All in all a great freaking workout.  I was so pumped for moving to two plates on the RDLs that I wasn't even tired, I felt like I could do another 5 reps.  Every other lift moved up again this week as well.

I can't wait to start my bulk if this is the kind of progress I'm making on a cut/maintain.


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## danzik17 (Aug 25, 2008)

*08/25/08 - High Volume / Oh my god intensity.

Squats: *195lbs 5x2, 210lbs 5x3
*Rolled Shirt Pullups*: BW 5x4, 4x1
*Walking Lunges: *45lb DBs 5x5 each leg
*One Arm DB Rows:  *80lbs 5x4

Oh my god.  Just oh my god.  I was falling over after those squats, and I still had freaking lunges to do.  After two sets of lunges I started falling over after each set, it was horrible, felt like vomiting.  I want more   The only way I got through that was by doing some serious psyching up before every set.

Rolled up shirt pullups are my pussy form of towel pullups.  My grip isn't strong enough for the thickness of the towels that I have, so I'll start with tshirts for a month or two and progress on to towels.


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## danzik17 (Aug 30, 2008)

*08/31/08 - Low Volume / High Intensity

Squats: *205lbs 3x1, 215lbs 3x1, 225lbs 3x3
*Pullups*: BW 7x5
*Walking Lunges: *55lb DBs 3x5 each leg
*One Arm DB Rows:  *85lbs 3x5

Accomplished what I went there to do - graduated to two plates on the squats.


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## danzik17 (Aug 31, 2008)

*08/31/08 - Rock Climbing*

I did not know this could be so physically draining.  I'm struggling to not pass out right now, my grip is shot completely.  Initially I thought that this should be easy, I can do a lot of pullups and dips and whatnot, but oh god how wrong I was.


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## goob (Sep 16, 2008)

Congrats on breaking 200 on the squats.  Knew you could do it if you just pushed a bit harder.  

I should really add some sort of insult here but I'll let someone else take the honour........

Update!!!!!!!


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## danzik17 (Sep 17, 2008)

Not a lot to update.  I did hit 225 on both big lifts, but I peaked out and almost hurt myself doing 225lb squats when I knew I shouldn't have.

Right now I'm just trying to motivate myself to get shit going again (not that it ever stopped).  At the suggestion of Vanessa I'm going to try dropping calories to 1900 or so/day for a couple of weeks to see how my body reacts to it - any progress would be welcome at this point.  Once a week, probably Fridays, I'll do a higher calorie day probably more towards 2400-2500 cals.

I also think I'm going to cycle off of the Texas Method for a little while and focus purely on heavy lifts for this cut.


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## JailHouse (Sep 17, 2008)

danzik17 said:


> Not a lot to update.  I did hit 225 on both big lifts, but I peaked out and almost hurt myself doing 225lb squats when I knew I shouldn't have.
> 
> Right now I'm just trying to motivate myself to get shit going again (not that it ever stopped).  At the suggestion of Vanessa I'm going to try dropping calories to 1900 or so/day for a couple of weeks to see how my body reacts to it - any progress would be welcome at this point.  Once a week, probably Fridays, I'll do a higher calorie day probably more towards 2400-2500 cals.
> 
> I also think I'm going to cycle off of the Texas Method for a little while and focus purely on heavy lifts for this cut.



Sounds like a plan.  Texas is gr8, a lot of members here have done awesome with it.


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## danzik17 (Nov 20, 2008)

Workouts have been rather uninspired ever since I hurt my hamstring doing RDLs.  It's just not the same without having brutal leg work, I just am not wiped out after working out like I used to be.  It also has affected other lifts - until recently, I couldn't do weighted dips/pullups because I didn't want to put the weight on my leg.  As a result, I'm doing only dips + 30lbs right now and struggling even with that.  It sucks 

Anyway, enough bitching.  Since I can't focus on hardcore training except for some upper body stuff, I'm going to refocus on my diet.  Here's what I'm thinking, comment at will.

The reasoning behind it is simple enough.  I feel that I cut better back in college when I was running a larger deficit, usually around 1900 calories.  I'm also using Built's method of high protein and high fat with minimal carbs as she is completely right about them providing satiety.  Carbs are only incorporated right before and after a workout.  

*Rest Days*







*Work Days






*


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